Modern society places a high value on productivity and efficiency. Yet many still struggle with the art of procrastination.
There’s this human phenomenon to put off tasks, often important ones, until the last minute. For some it increases the drive to do good work. For others, it’s a sort of coping mechanism.
Almost everyone has dealt with their own version of procrastination at some point or another. Understanding and addressing it is the best way to overcome it.
Understand the Underlying Cause
So you’re a procrastinator. In order to make any changes, it’s important to have an understanding of why you have this habit.
Spend time doing some self-reflection to get to the bottom of it. Do you often feel easily overwhelmed when taking on a project? Are you afraid of failing in your efforts and procrastination is more associated with perfectionism? Do you struggle to find motivation for your goals?
Start Using Specific Goals
Setting specific goals is always good practice to encourage success. If your goals are too vague, they can actually require more effort to navigate and become counterproductive. Unclear goals can lead to procrastination.
Next time you do any goal setting, try using the SMART goal structure. Set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and have a timeline.
Break Larger Tasks into Smaller Ones
When your goals are too big picture, they can feel overwhelming and cause you to feel defeated in your efforts. If you start to lack motivation, it may fuel your procrastinating habits.
Instead, take your long-term goals and break them down. Through a practice called chunking, you can create smaller tasks from the larger ones. Not only will this make them feel more manageable, it may add more motivation as you check off each smaller project.
Set Your Priorities
Now that you have a set of smaller, short-term goals to work with, you may have a few extra compared to what you started with. Evaluate each of your goals and their importance to the grand scheme of things.
Can any of them be grouped together under the same umbrella? Are any of them more pressing than the others? To make sure you’re being most effective with your time, create a priority list. You’re not going to fix your procrastinating habits overnight, so any goals that can be pushed back a bit should be placed lower in your list.
Establish a Schedule
If you’re prone to procrastinating, having open-ended timelines or lengthy deadlines can work against you. The more free time you have, the more comfortable you will feel putting things off.
Trial using different time management tools to help you focus your time. Block out time in your calendar to dedicate to your specific work tasks or goals. Set reminders on your phone. Write out a to-do list each day. See what best works for you and your day.
Reduce Distractions
In today’s world, we’re on almost 24/7 and have a bad habit of being attached to our phones. So no matter where you go, there are countless ways your attention can be pulled away from whatever your task at hand is. A phone call comes in. Your phone pings at a new email. You wonder what your best friend is doing so you start doom scrolling through social media.
Dedicate time to being productive with minimal distractions. Maybe you silence your phone or leave it in the other room. Find a quiet workspace that is conducive to focusing. Modify your environment as needed to minimize stimuli that will shift your attention.
Connecting the Dots
It’s important to always go back to the why behind your procrastinating habits. This will help shape your journey overcoming them.
If this is becoming a persistent problem, you may need to address those underlying causes first. Therapy can help you take a deeper dive into those areas and work on developing coping strategies. Contact me today and let me provide you with a more targeted approach. To read more about anxiety counseling, click on the link.