It’s fair to say that most of us struggle with procrastination at some point in our lives. Whether it’s with school, work, a side hustle, or some personal endeavor, it’s important to try to quit procrastinating. It just pushes off the work and potentially overloads you later. At some point, the work will need to get done anyway, so pushing it off will just end up forcing you to work at a breakneck pace – possibly with hard deadlines. So, now that we’ve gone over why it’s bad, let’s get into how you can work on quitting.
Set Goals And Commit To Them
The first thing you need to do is set your goals, whatever they may be, and commit to them. That means you need to put forth the effort to consistently work towards them, even when you’re not motivated to do it or find it inconvenient. Being able to push through it and stay consistent is something that will help you build discipline and eventually quit procrastinating.
Stop Distractions Cold Turkey
If you get distracted easily, and find yourself behind on your projects because of it, then cut out the distractions immediately. Whenever it’s time to do whatever it is you’re working on, shut down or remove whatever has distracted you in the past. It’s a simple solution, easy to follow through with, and helps a lot. Many people who struggle with procrastination do so because they get sidetracked with something unrelated, lose track of time, and then are too tired to complete their work. Consequently, they push it off to another day.
No TV Or Social Media
The biggest distractions people seem to have a problem with are social media and television. If you have a hard time staying away from those, try to set a time each day where you won’t use them at all. That way you are able to carve out, if only for a little bit, time each day to have a distraction-free period where you can get some serious work done. For the best results, try to have them off for at least an hour, but possibly longer. I know that sounds like a lot, but you’ll get used to it!
Give Yourself Personal Deadlines
A trick I’ve personally used to avoid procrastination, setting hard personal deadlines makes sure I never put anything off for too long. I do this for everything from work to my own personal goals. There may be a day I need to get something done by – which is the “real” deadline. However, I like to set my own deadlines, that way I already feel a sense of urgency and get it out of the way. These personal deadlines help me stay a couple steps ahead at all times, and while they give me a push in the right direction, I’m never under the immense stress that procrastination ends up causing.
Set Up A Reward System
If you need to mix something else in, you can always reward yourself when you do something good, like completing an important task without procrastinating. What that reward could be is entirely up to you and should be something that will help encourage you to quit procrastinating. Maybe it’s some free time to play video games, read a book, or engage in some other hobby. Alternatively, maybe your reward is finally being able to make a specific purchase, as long as it falls within your budget.
Take Something Away
For some, a reward system isn’t the right fit. It’s not my personal cup of tea, but if you find you work better when you punish yourself for failing to meet a deadline (because of procrastination), then by all means go for it. Don’t go overly hard on yourself, and deprive your life of everything fun, but make sure whatever it is can be felt – there is no point in a punishment if you don’t care about it. A good example would be delaying the purchase of something your really want or enjoy, until you are able to stop procrastinating. That will help keep you free of distractions anyway!
Weave In Breaks Naturally
An important part of working is taking routine breaks. It’s crucial you don’t abuse this, but the occasional break can help you reset and prevent yourself from burning out and procrastinating more and more over time (as it becomes more natural and routine). Play around with it and find the routine that works for you. However, every one or two hours, take a 5-10 minute breather, get up, and move around a bit. Maybe a short walk would help, or just sitting down for a snack or drink. It’ll vary depending on each person, and the type of work they do. Try it out and let us know what you found that works best for you!
Don’t Be A Perfectionist
A common trait procrastinators share is that many are perfectionists too. I can understand the desire for high quality work, but don’t get so caught up in “perfection” that you don’t even try or complete what needs to be done. I know it’s hard to find a balance, but you need to focus on getting what you need to get done first, and then you can make it better if you still have time. Just remember that perfectionism tends to be a rabbit hole with no escape, as nothing will ever be good enough. It may be time to reevaluate the metrics you use to judge yourself and your work.
Knock Out A Major Task Each Morning
A great way to start the day with some momentum that will carry you forward is to knock out one of your biggest tasks each morning. The bigger and more difficult the task, the better. That may be intimidating, but it does help. Once you get the big, bad, and scary task out of the way, everything else you have to do tends to seem much easier and falls in place more naturally. So, try knocking out one of your priorities immediately. If that’s not possible, for whatever reason, at least make the attempt to start off the day by knocking a task or two out immediately – to get you started on the right foot.
Use A To-Do List
This has been a real lifesaver for me, and I recommend everyone who has a busy or hectic life use one. You can use a piece of paper, an agenda, your calendar, or even an app. There are a million and one ways to make a to-do list, and all that matters is that you use one. It can help you keep track of what you need to do, and it prevents you from forgetting things that come back to rear their head in major ways. Additionally, there is a nice feeling that comes with checking off an item on your to-do list.
Plan In Advance
Coupled with the to-do list, planning what you need to do in advance can help you get everything done without feeling a ton of pressure or the need to procrastinate. In my personal case, I like to get everything in order on Sunday and create my to-do list for the week.
I also have a monthly to-do list, but that is really just a way to remind me to do a very few, specific errands and it includes my publishing schedule for Bitter to Richer. For those who don’t know, I currently publish an article every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday!
Have A Dedicated Work Area
Many people swear by this trick, although I haven’t been able to make it work for me. Designate a specific area in your house or room strictly for work. This can be your desk, a corner, a specific chair, or anything else along those lines. The point is, when you’re in that spot you need to get in the “zone” and get to work – without procrastinating. I have an office, but it’s a small makeshift space that serves multiple purposes, so I have a hard time doing this. However, if you have the extra space, it’s definitely an idea worth trying out.
Stop Making Excuses
Last, but not least, stop making excuses. People procrastinate all the time, and I often hear them complaining or whining. Stop. You probably have a lot on your plate, I get that, but so do many other people. If you’re overloaded and burning yourself out, then maybe you just need to slow down and prioritize what you want to do. However, if everything that’s on your plate is necessary, there is nothing left to do but work on it and get it all taken care of. Procrastination will just make things worse, even if it’s easy in the moment.
Conclusion
It’s easier said than done to quit procrastination, but it’s important to find tricks that help you get your work done if you struggle with it. If you have tips of your own to quit procrastinating, let us know what they are in the comments! For more content like this, and a free budgeting template and financial goals worksheet, be sure to sign up for the Bitter to Richer newsletter!