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How To Stop Procrastinating
Do you want to go back to school to finish a degree? Are you wanting to start a business or a new career? Do you have things you want to do, but have put them off for years? It’s time to dust off your dreams! You have goals that are waiting for you to check off your list. Understanding why we procrastinate will help us finish what we are afraid to start.
How To Stop Procrastinating
There are many causes of procrastination:
- Lack of Motivation: One of the primary reasons people procrastinate is a lack of motivation. When a task feels uninteresting or lacks personal relevance, it becomes hard to find the drive to actually do it.
- Perfectionism: Perfectionists often procrastinate because they fear that their work will not meet their exceptionally high standards. This fear of failure or imperfection can paralyze them, leading to avoidance of the task.
- Poor Time Management: Inefficient time management can lead to procrastination. People may underestimate the time required to complete a task, causing them to delay it until the last minute.
- Fear of Failure: The fear of failing at a task can be a powerful driver of procrastination. People may delay starting a task to avoid the possibility of not meeting expectations.
- Lack of Self-Discipline: Procrastination can also result from a lack of self-discipline and self-control. Distractions such as social media, television, and video games can easily lure individuals away from their responsibilities.
Effects of Procrastination
Procrastination can have a wide range of negative effects on individuals’ personal and professional lives:
- Increased Stress: As deadlines approach, the stress and anxiety associated with procrastination intensify. This can negatively impact mental health and overall well-being.
- Decreased Productivity: Procrastination leads to decreased productivity and efficiency. Tasks take longer to complete, and the quality of work often suffers as a result.
- Missed Opportunities: Delaying important tasks can result in missed opportunities. Procrastination may prevent individuals from achieving their goals and aspirations.
- Strained Relationships: Procrastination can strain relationships, especially when others depend on you to complete tasks or fulfill commitments.
Guilt and Regret: After procrastinating, individuals often experience guilt and regret, which can further perpetuate the cycle of procrastination.
If you are like me, you have a To-Do List a mile long. As the CEO of a household and a business, you wear a million hats. Unfortunately, not only are you the CEO, you are also the housekeeper, the chef, the taxi, the accountant, marketing director, event planner, etc. So even if you could delegate, there is no one to delegate to.
Each day we wake up ready to tackle our list. Have you ever noticed the biggest items—the ones we value most or the things that take the most time—we leave to the last possible minute skip entirely? You might be a self-proclaimed master procrastinator, or you might have convinced yourself that you do better under pressure. Either thought does not alleviate the fact that this behavior is often accompanied with anxiety and stress. The end result is a feeling of depletion or disappointment.
Why do we do this? Why do we procrastinate? We avoid things because we might feel afraid: I am not going to be good enough or smart enough, I am afraid what others will think, or maybe it might be too hard or make me feel uncomfortable. These thoughts don’t serve us. They contribute to putting off the things in our life that might bring us the most joy and satisfaction.
So how do we change this habitual pattern? Most of us are not used to noticing what we think. We first need to recognize our thoughts and realize how they are holding us back. The things we think cause us to feel insecurity or fear, which leads to procrastination or inaction. Second, we need to come up with some new thoughts that will help us progress. If you have the thought, “I don’t know how to do this,” you can change that thought to “I need to learn how to do this.” If your thought is, “I don’t have enough time,” you can change that to, “I will make time because it is important to me.” Finally, as you start to recognize and manage your thoughts, you will start to take more action.
Strategies to Overcome Procrastination
Overcoming procrastination is a challenging but achievable goal. By implementing the following strategies, you can break free from the grip of procrastination and reclaim your time and productivity:
- Set Clear Goals: Define your goals and objectives clearly. Having a clear understanding of what needs to be accomplished can provide motivation and direction.
- Prioritize Tasks: Use techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency. Focus on high-priority tasks first.
- Break Tasks into Smaller Steps: Large or intimidating tasks can be overwhelming, leading to procrastination. Break them down into smaller, more manageable steps to make progress easier.
- Create a To-Do List and plan your days the night before: Maintain a to-do list to keep track of tasks and deadlines. Cross off completed items to experience a sense of accomplishment.
- Use Time Management Techniques: Techniques like time blocking, and batching can help improve time management and prevent procrastination.
- Eliminate Distractions: Identify and eliminate distractions in your environment. Turn off notifications, create a clutter-free workspace, and establish clear boundaries with technology.
- Set Realistic Deadlines: Be realistic about the time required to complete tasks. Setting overly ambitious deadlines can lead to procrastination when you realize you can’t meet them.
- Overcome Perfectionism: Accept that perfection is unattainable and embrace the concept of “good enough.” Focus on progress and learning rather than flawless outcomes.
- Seek Accountability: Share your goals and deadlines with a trusted friend, family member, or colleague who can hold you accountable for your commitments.
- Reward Yourself: Set up a system of rewards for completing tasks and reaching milestones. Positive reinforcement can be a powerful motivator.
- Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself when you slip into procrastination. Self-compassion can help you break the cycle of self-criticism and guilt.
- Visualize Success: Imagine the satisfaction and benefits of completing a task, and use this visualization to motivate yourself.
This change will not happen overnight. It takes practice and work, but if you put in the effort you will find that procrastination is never the solution. Once you realize that procrastination is just a thought you will have the knowledge and the ability to make changes. Implement some of these strategies. Start with one or two and keep adding. You will learn to become the best you as you make the major dreams and goals in your life a priority instead of something that you avoid on your To-Do List.
I'm Brittni Schroeder!
I’m a Diet Coke drinkin, chocolate eatin, Netflix watchin, all-around good time! I want to show you how to grow and scale your business. Let’s be business BFFs!
