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How to Get over Procrastination?

Here is a Complete 3-Step Guide on How to overcome procrastination and get rid of laziness.

By ExplainedPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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How to Get over Procrastination?
Photo by Ryan Stone on Unsplash

Want to get rid of laziness and procrastination?

Procrastination is more or less a byproduct of Laziness and if not sorted early can lead to addiction and losing the ability to grab opportunities and achieve your goals and ambitions in life.

Let's look at some steps that would help you get rid of procrastination

Step 1: Recognize That You're Procrastinating

You might be putting off a task because you've had to re-prioritize your workload. If you're briefly delaying an important task for a genuinely good reason, then you aren't necessarily procrastinating. However, if you start to put things off indefinitely, or switch focus because you want to avoid doing something, then you probably are.

You may also be procrastinating if you:

  • Fill your day with low-priority tasks
  • Leave an item on your To-Do list for a long time, even though it's important.
  • Read emails several times over without making a decision on what to do with them.
  • Start a high-priority task and then go off to make a coffee.
  • Fill your time with unimportant tasks that other people ask you to do, instead of getting on with the important tasks already on your list.
  • Wait to be in the "right mood," or wait for the "right time" to tackle a task.

Tip: Take our self-test quiz, Are You a Procrastinator? , to identify how much you procrastinate.

Step 2: Work Out WHY You're Procrastinating

You need to understand the reasons why you are procrastinating before you can begin to tackle it.

For instance, are you avoiding a particular task because you find it boring or unpleasant? If so, take steps to get it out of the way quickly, so that you can focus on the aspects of your job that you find more enjoyable.

Poor organization can lead to procrastination. Organized people successfully overcome it because they use prioritized To-Do Lists and create effective schedules. These tools help you to organize your tasks by priority and deadline.

Even if you're organized, you can still feel overwhelmed by a task. Perhaps you have doubts about your ability and are worried about failing, so you put it off and seek comfort in doing work that you know that you're capable of completing.

Some people fear success as much as failure. They think that success will lead to them being swamped with requests to take on more tasks.

Surprisingly, perfectionists are often procrastinators. Often, they'd rather avoid doing a task that they don't feel they have the skills to do than do it imperfectly.

Another major cause of procrastination is poor decision-making. If you can't decide what to do, you'll likely put off taking action in case you do the wrong thing.

Step 3: Adopt Anti-Procrastination Strategies

Procrastination is a habit – a deeply ingrained pattern of behaviour. This means that you probably can't break it overnight. Habits only stop being habits when you avoid practising them, so try as many of the strategies, below, as possible to give yourself the best possible chance of succeeding.

Forgive yourself for procrastinating in the past. Studies show that self-forgiveness can help you to feel more positive about yourself and reduce the likelihood of procrastination in the future.

Commit to the task. Focus on doing, not avoiding. Write down the tasks that you need to complete, and specify a time for doing them. This will help you to proactively tackle your work.

Promise yourself a reward. If you complete a difficult task on time, reward yourself with a treat, such as a slice of cake or a coffee from your favourite coffee shop. And make sure you notice how good it feels to finish things!

Ask someone to check up on you. Peer pressure works! This is the principle behind self-help groups. If you don't have anyone to ask, an online tool such as Procraster can help you to self-monitor.

Act as you go. Tackle tasks as soon as they arise, rather than letting them build up over another day.

Rephrase your internal dialogue. The phrases "need to" and "have to," for example, imply that you have no choice in what you do. This can make you feel disempowered and might even result in self-sabotage. However, saying, "I choose to," implies that you own a project, and can make you feel more in control of your workload.

Minimize distractions. Turn off your email and social media, and avoid sitting anywhere near a television while you work!

Aim to "eat an elephant beetle" first thing, every day! Get those tasks that you find least pleasant out of the way early. This will give you the rest of the day to concentrate on work that you find more enjoyable.

Key Points

Procrastination is the habit of delaying an important task, usually by focusing on less urgent, more enjoyable, and easier activities instead. It is different from laziness, which is the unwillingness to act.

Procrastination can restrict your potential and undermine your career. It can also disrupt teamwork, reduce morale, and even lead to depression and job loss. So, it's crucial to take proactive steps to prevent it.

The first step to overcoming procrastination is to recognize that you're doing it. Then, identify the reasons behind your behaviour and use appropriate strategies to manage and overcome it.

Here is what you need to know about procrastination

  • Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily postponing decisions or actions.
  • You procrastinate because factors such as anxiety or fear of failure outweigh your motivation and self-control.
  • You can successfully overcome your procrastination by implementing techniques that allow you to deal with the issues that cause you to procrastinate in the first place.

If you need basic advice on how to stop procrastinating right now, here are some things you can do:

  • Make your environment as conducive to taking action as possible. For example, you can remove distractions from your work environment, even if you’re not yet ready to get started on your work.
  • Arrange some immediate reward that you’ll receive if you manage to get started. This reward can be relatively small, but the important thing is that you’ll receive it in the very near future.
  • Ask yourself “if I were to take action right now, what’s the smallest possible step I could take?” Then, tell yourself that it’s okay if you just get started on that single tiny step, and try to do it, even if your work isn’t perfect.

Hope that this guide would help you get rid of procrastination :)

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