In this particular article, we will be putting some light on the ways to stop procrastinating. Have you heard about these sayings?
Do not put off until tomorrow what you ought to do today- a great saying.
And then another greater saying, ‘easier said than done.’
That is true, right? With the number of impediments we face, doing things perfectly is almost impossible. In fact, perfectionism is a myth in itself. And when such perfectionism is expected from others or ourselves we either fail or tend to give up on ourselves. It leads to being demotivated & ends up making us avoid doing tasks or like we all put it ‘procrastination. Although, this is one of the few reasons why we generally procrastinate.
How often is it that you do what you say? For most of us, deciding to do something is equal to ‘there is always a tomorrow’. Commonly known as Procrastination. In my last article, we spoke about the reasons of procrastinating. And in this article we shall be talking about some of the ways to stop procrastinating.
To get out of the circle of ‘’I will do it tomorrow”, you need to know what is making you do that. Getting to the crux, you can start fixing it with solutions. Which means that once you know what is holding you back, you can easily find your own ways to stop procrastinating. Let’s talk about how to get rid of this Procrastination by following some of the common fixes below:
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Setting a time table:
This helps you become more organised. When you have a set time for doing things, you know when it is coming and you shall be prepared.
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Simplifying goals:
Don’t put so much pressure on yourself all at one go. Understand that the pressure, if unrealistic, could lead to failure and demoralise you. Hence, break the goals down into smaller achievable ones.
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Just do It!
Many a times it’s about being able to start. The point of transition from the end of one task to the start of another becomes a problem.
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Consistency is the key:
It does not matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop. You have got to be doing your work little by little until you are motivated to take up the larger chunk but avoid falling back.
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You can’t expect perfection:
Perfectionism is a myth and that there is no one in the world who can be always correct. Besides, with this attitude, you tend to check and recheck due to your worry of being wrong. This also takes a lot of unnecessary time. Detailing may not always be a requirement for all work. This is one of the important ones of all the ways to stop procrastinating.
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Have a virtual or actual reminder:
You may need reminders for your tasks to be completed. Reminders make you do the task at a particular time. Such forceful attempt to do the work may get things done or at least get things rolling. It could be alarms set in phone or clock or asking someone to take the responsibility to push you. Either must work.
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Create a positive thinking:
Create your own affirmations like, ‘there is no tomorrow’. It would help you create positive thinking. An aura of positive thought would create a feeling of being motivated and hence you could start on your task with zest and zeal.
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Dig for a reason:
When trying to find any solution, it is logical to understand the factors that caused the issues. It could be the fact that the you don’t like the given task or you may have a personal bias towards it. Rectifying the bias could smoothen the process of letting you complete the task.
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Habit:
Many a times, people have developed a habit of leaving things till the last moment. The anxiety that is created at the last moment helps them work faster or be motivated to complete the task. In such scenarios, breaking the habit is the solution. This habit is not helpful in the long run and needs to be changed.
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Make a list of things that you have to complete.
Tag these goals with more than 2 deadlines. Thus, in case you miss your 1st deadline, you are compelled to achieve the task before the next one.
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Set Punishment/ reward system:
Having a system like that in place will get you doing the tasks more often. Remember to continue this system as long as you feel tempted by your habit of procrastination. Continuing this system even further might make you get into the habit of doing things only when set with a reward or punishment and not otherwise.
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Identify distraction:
Many a times, you have acquired the motivation to do the task but certain distractions that are more exciting, make you procrastinate. That is the problem most of the procrastinators face. Here what you can do is, that you could list down all the distractions that you notice and those can be used as possibilities in the Punishment/ Reward system that you develop for yourself.
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Don’t feel bad about failure:
Understand that when you are out there achieving or learning something you, you always fall and make mistakes. That is how we all learn. Small setbacks or failures to achieve the goals should not dishearten you. You must instead find the causes and fight back harder next time, having dealt with those causes first.
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Prioritize:
For some, they like to get the harder work done first, so that the easier task is left for later with less stress. Some like to get into the flow. Hence, they like to start with simpler tasks first. Prioritize your tasks according to you. It isn’t necessary that what has worked for others may also work for you. Plan it out on your own.