How To Stop Procrastination In Its Tracks in Five Steps

Any procrastinator knows that the day is filled with distractions and sound reasons for not getting your main To Do jobs done on your daily list.

Unfortunately, sometimes they don't get done simply because you don't feel like doing them, or the task feels overwhelming right at this time.

But you do know that you can't procrastinate forever, right?

Your success in life, in your career, in your personal happiness is totally dependent on your desire to get on with life and all the tasks and chores that come along with it.

And its a big mistake to think that just labeling yourself a "Procrastinator" somehow makes it OK. It isn't OK.

I you know something needs to get done, and especially if you have made promises to anyone about taking responsibility for getting it done, then you need to keep your word.

Learning how to stop procrastinating is a life skill to be learned like most skills in life. You didn't come with an instruction manual, so you learn by trial and error.

Sometimes when people make more mistakes than others they become hesitant, and reluctant to try things they are not certain about the end results of doing it.

Risk takers are usually people who succeed early and haven't felt the pain of failure too often.

If your procrastination is actually a reluctance to begin a job, because of fear of failure, or uncertainty and not wanting to look foolish, then you need to know that you can do most things in life that you set your mind to, if you are prepared to do some research, and make a bit of effort.

For those of you who just don't know when or how to get started, you will be happy to learn that there are some simple steps you can take to help you through the tough patches in every day.

If constantly putting tasks off till later is ruining your life, here are five tips to help you to stop procrastination in its tracks once and for all!

1) Do the unpleasant stuff first.

One of the reasons we put off certain tasks is because some aspect of them is unpleasant; for example we may need to make a difficult telephone call.

Write down the worst tasks which need doing each day and make sure you do them first.

Try not to think about it too much, just get stuck in- you find that the most unpleasant tasks often turn out to be a lot easier than you think once you take action.

Give yourself a little reward when you have completed them, such as a coffee and couple of cookies.

Once these are out the way, you will feel more motivated to tackle the easier stuff on your list.

2) Sometimes we procrastinate because we lack focus and direction of what needs to be done.

Make a list of what tasks need to be completed each day, and prioritize them in order of importance (or unpleasantness!)

Commit to starting and finishing the first item on the list before moving to the next.

Make a step by step plan for each task and commit yourself to completing one step at a time.

3) Any task which appears to be too big can cause us to procrastinate, as we can feel overwhelmed by it, such as clearing your whole house or starting a business.

The best way of dealing with this is to break each task down into smaller, more manageable steps- for the house clearance example, you may decide to start with one room, or an area of one room.

If the task is starting your own business you may set yourself smaller tasks such as spending time researching your business idea, then working on acquiring skills you may need.

4) If you have been putting off a task for some time, commit yourself to spending just ten minutes on it.

Once you do this, you should find that it is no longer so daunting- you may even be motivated to carry on!

A variation on this would be to decide that you will spend an hour on a certain task, and then give yourself a small reward, for example allowing yourself to watch a favorite show.

This is especially useful if you find yourself becoming easily distracted by the internet or your television.

5) Motivate yourself.

Imagine how you will feel once you have accomplished the task you have been putting off, even if it’s just relief.

Keep focusing on the end result, maybe even collect pictures associated with completing the task and displaying them where you can see them at all times.

Procrastination is an easy habit to get into, but once you start to implement these tips, you should be able to nip it well and truly in the bud.


Learn more about procrastination bad habits when you read the rest of our information here about: How to stop procrastinating right now

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