What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is when you put off doing a task even though you might like to do it. For example, you might be really eager to finish the report you’re working on, but you still haven’t started because finishing it seems like too much work. Procrastination, as you might imagine, is a bit of a problem. This module will give you some ways to help you overcome it. Procrastinating is often the result of a need for control, meaning that we don't do things because we are fearful of the consequences. We don't want to fail, and so we find ourselves doing less than we want to do simply because we feel we have no option. Procrastination often gets in the way of being able to accomplish what we really want to do, and it also affects us in more insidious ways. Procrastination has been linked with many conditions, including depression, anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and self-esteem.
How to Eliminate Procrastination?
Everyone wants to be productive or beneficial in their life. However, many of us fail to take advantage of the golden opportunities that life throws at us. The main reason behind this is procrastination. Procrastination simply means laziness. We get so lazy that we continuously postpone our work. Procrastination may not be a problem for you in the present time, but it can be problematic in the near future if you continuously postpone your work.
There are some tips that you can follow to eliminate procrastination and turn it into execution.
Ways to Eliminate Procrastination :
1. Make a to-do list with deadlines.
Making a to-do list is very easy. It is a 5-minute simple work. Just remember the work that you have to do in a day and make a list of that. It will help you get more organized and make your work more manageable and you can do the work more efficiently and effectively.
It will work as a guide that constantly guides you to complete your work in a given time.
Also, set deadlines to complete your work. By doing this, you can do your work more effectively. When you know that you have to do this work in a given time, the sense of urgency will motivate you to do that particular work.
2. Break bigger work into smaller parts.
If you want to do the work more effectively, break it down into smaller works. When you look at the large amount of work, it is very easy to get overwhelmed by it. So, it is easy to break it down for your simplicity. You can divide up work into smaller chunks, helping to give the impression of progress. You can also take a break from work and then come back to it. It's easier to stay focused if the work can't be finished in one go — you can't stop halfway through because you're hungry or tired or because another part of the work needs doing.
By breaking down the large work into smaller parts, you will easily get the motivation to do it. You will feel proud when you complete a part of that work and get motivated to do the next part of the work.
3. Set a particular time and space for work.
It is for those who easily get distracted. Set a particular time when you feel like it to do a particular work. Set that time when you feel the most productive. It can be morning, some people like to do work in the mornings, and some like to do it in the evenings. Choose your perfect time.
Second, choose a space where you can do your work without getting distracted. Your space can be a specific room or a specific table.
Choose the space that will boost your mood to do the work. It's a psychological boost that comes with having a space for your work.
4. Eliminate distractions.
It can be very tiring for you to get focus on a particular work without getting distracted. If you work with a computer for a lot of your time, you will have to eliminate the many distractions that can come into your life. Many people try different methods to eliminate distractions, but very few people are able to do it. If you follow these guidelines, you will find that your attention span gets longer and therefore your productivity will increase.
So, it is very important to eliminate distractions to eliminate procrastination.
Take note of all the things that get you easily distracted from the work. Maybe you are drawn to Facebook or any other social media. Maybe you start chatting with your friends.
Eliminate all these distractions from your workspace and do the things that work best for you.
5. Finish the hard task first.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by seeing the large amount of work to get done.
It will be very easy if you consider doing the hard task first when you feel most productive.
When you complete the hardest task from the given tasks, that will give you an immense confidence boost and you will feel motivated to do the other smaller tasks at hand.
6. Make an identity shift.
If you consider yourself a lazy person, the best thing you can do to overcome this is to change that perception about yourself.
If you want to eliminate procrastination from your life once and for all, consider yourself the most productive person. Change your mindset about yourself. Change your limiting beliefs by training your mind. Imagine yourself as the most productive person who always does their work on time and never suffers from laziness.
You can also visualize yourself and try to feel good about yourself.
You can give yourself rewards if you complete a particular set of work in a given time. It will make you happy and you will feel good about yourself.
7. Don't chase perfectionism.
It might be the reason that you are procrastinating constantly.
Procrastination happens because of cognitive distortions. There is some example of how cognitive distortions may result in procrastination.
- I have to do it perfectly otherwise I will not do this.
- I shouldn't be the one to do this work.
- When I do some work, I don't get rewarded so why should I do this?
- I am already a lazy person, nothing would happen if I skip this work as I always procrastinate.
The best solution to overcome cognitive distortions is to train your mindset.
8. Hang out with people who motivate you to take action.
It's very important to surround yourself with those who motivate you to move forward in your life, who inspires you to take action, and who want the best out of you.
Identify the people who trigger you, choose people who are hardworking, and also motivate you to do hard work.
We learn very much from our surroundings, when we have good friends or are surrounded by hardworking and motivated people, that will automatically reflect in us.
Be wise to choose your people. It is a major part of your life.
9. Prioritize your tasks.
If you give priority to your tasks, you will know what work you have to finish first. This will help you to reduce procrastinating to not waste your time deciding what work you have to get done as it is already decided. This will also help to reduce the feeling of overwhelming as you will not be confused about which work you should be working on.
The two common methods for prioritizing your task are the following:
1. The Ivy Lee method:
Under this method, prepare a to-do list for the next day at night time, which specifies the six important tasks to have to get done the next day and ranked them in order of importance.
2. The Eisenhower Matrix :
Under this method, you have to categorize the task whether it is important or unimportant, and based on whether it is urgent or non-urgent.
Prioritize your work on the basis of these criteria.
10. Increase your energy levels.
Increasing your energy levels is one of the best ways to reduce the feeling of laziness and tiredness, and get yourself to stop procrastinating.
You can do some of the things to boost your energy levels :
1. Get 8 hours of sleep:
In general, you are most likely to procrastinate if you are not getting enough sleep. Ensure you are getting enough sleep to boost your productivity. This will reduce your tiredness and laziness and motivate you to get work done in time.
2. Drink enough water:
Staying hydrated is very important for your body and health. You can easily solve it by drinking water from time to time.
3. Eat healthily:
Eating healthy food will make your body fit and make you feel less lazy.
Avoid eating junk food to spike your energy only for a shorter period of time.
4. Get some exercise:
This is the other way by which you can make your body fit and increase your energy levels. Try to move your body throughout the day. You can also go for walk outside to make you feel fresh.
5. Listen to music:
Listening to a certain genre of music can make you feel motivated to do your work.
Conclusion :
Procrastination is a hard problem to solve but if you are determined to overcome this problem by taking some serious steps towards it, then you can for sure solve it without any bigger problems.
Just follow these steps to stop your procrastination easily and implement them in your daily life to become a better version of yourself.
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