Beat Procrastination and Become More Influential Chronic procrastinators will often be heard using the ‘I will do it later’ phrase. This toxic thought of delaying a piece of work and saving it for later kills the productivity of an individual. Thus, leading to negative consequences.
Whether it is the laziness or the distraction caused by unnecessary things, you need to take measures to stop procrastination from consuming the best of you. In my case, I believe, it is the availability of HughesNet Internet plans at all times offering amazing speed that diverts my mind.
However, you can do the following to overcome procrastination.
Adjust the To-Do List
Do not fill your to-do list with a plethora of tasks. Having a mere look at an exhaustive list of tasks will give evil thoughts (read: procrastination) a room in your brain. The best way to go about making a list is to break the tasks. Cut holes in your projects or the tasks that you assigned to yourself.
The tasks on the to-do list are often steps to complete a project or a day-to-day schedule of handling things. If you break the steps down. Or you subdivide your big tasks in chunks of smaller easy to accomplish ones, you will not think twice before completing it. Because if your focus is primarily on how difficult a task is, you will spend most of your time thinking of ways to accomplish it. Hence, wasting most of your time thinking than acting.
Work in the Right Environment
The environment that you work in matters a lot when it comes to you working. At times, people decide to work in a very noisy environment (e.g. a café). The noise in such places distracts a person from his work. You should also avoid replying to any texts or calls from your friends. The best practice is to turn off the notifications on your mobile’s locked screen to avoid any type of distraction while you are working.
You should also avoid opening multiple tabs because then you are more likely to leave your work and see what’s on sale in Zara. Or watch the latest YouTube video of funny pranks. Tell yourself that you will have all the time in the world to look up for sales and watch whatever you wish to once you are done with your work.
Use Productivity Tools
Technology can be both helpful and distracting at the same time. As mentioned above, the multiple tabs opened or the notification son your mobile screens can distract you. Therefore, it is essential for you to use productivity tools. The best part is that these tools are portable. You can download the various apps and software and keep a check on your productivity.
Some of the many tools that you can take help from include timers, notes, productivity apps, and reminders. These tools will aid you in overcoming procrastination.
Enjoy Small Victories
The best news that you can give to yourself while working on a project or a task is completing a small chunk of it. So, celebrate these small victories and give yourself a pat on the back whenever you finish any of the smaller tasks leading to the completion of the bigger task. The feelings of accomplishment and happiness that you will get by doing so will encourage you further. Thus, allowing you to complete your work in time rather than delaying it.
Don’t be a Perfectionist
You need to give your ideas time to evolve. Just thinking of ways to accomplish a task or complete a project without putting any of the thoughts to good use is not how it works. If you happen to be a perfectionist who believes that he can do better than what he is currently thinking, you will never come to a stage where you will actually start working on the project. Therefore, start the moment you realize that you have to work on a task. You might get better ideas along the way.
Focus on Results
Focus on the results rather than getting scared of the process that you have to undergo. For example, you might delay your visit to the dentist fearing the pain that it will cause. However, if you think of the result (healthier teeth and gums), it will encourage you to book an appointment right away.
Apart from all these suggestions or hacks, the best practice is to forgive yourself. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. You might believe that punishing yourself will solve the mystery of procrastination for you, but trust me when I say it won’t.
A student of mine recently asked me how fast is 100 Mbps Internet while I was delivering the Science lecture. I asked the class to Google it and we will all discuss the answer the following day. The student and me, both forgot about it. And after 1-2 weeks, the same student asked that question again. Realizing my mistake (I procrastinated), I Googled the answer and explained the class at that very moment in a way that they would understand. I did not curse myself or get harsh on myself. I just learned from my mistake. Beat Procrastination and Become More Influential Beat Procrastination and Become More Influential
