Defeat procrastination

Beat procrastination. Easy to say! Because, for example, this article was written heavily. It's a sunny day outside, I want to take a walk, and then take a nap. And yes, there is still plenty of time. Somehow it will succeed.

Familiar scenario? Of course. Because we all experience procrastination from time to time. But we will try to learn how to tame it and win. Right now! And without delay.

Promising yourself to fix everything tomorrow is useless. Because you've already tried it! So let's find out how to beat procrastination. Striking it with knowledge and practice.

Procrastination: what a beast

Procrastination, or simply procrastination, is a common problem. A sick person prefers to put off important things. And prefers momentary pleasant things.

Procrastination has been around since before it got its modern name. In the famous novel Gone with the Wind, the main character Scarlett O'Hara said to herself: "I won't think about it today, I'll think about it tomorrow." Just the same reference example of procrastination from the pages of a classic work.

Procrastinators realize that procrastination won't do them any good. But nevertheless, they still do it contrary to common sense. And how do you beat this habit? You will need 50% knowledge and 50% practical experience.

Beat Procrastination Before It Beats You

And the cycle of delays repeats itself. The search for excuses and hectic actions when the deadline is approaching is also. And they make you berate yourself. And once again doubt your abilities. Which ultimately leads to mood and self-esteem issues.

Everyone has their own reasons for putting off important things for later. Until you find your own psychological hooks, you can't really beat the creep monster.

Causes of procrastination

There are many reasons to delay doing things. Here are just a few of them:

• disinterest in the activities you are engaged in;
• self-doubt;
• impulsiveness in decision-making and quick change of plans;
• self-isolation, unwillingness to adhere to the established framework;
• unwillingness to take responsibility for their decisions and actions.

In each case, one or another reason may prevail. Or a combination of them. But sometimes it's good to dig into yourself. Because understanding the origins of procrastination will help you effectively fight a bad habit.

Beat Procrastination Quickly: 10 Practical Tips

1 Praise and reward yourself for completing tasks

This tip will help you get positive reinforcement for your actions. Working 2 hours straight? Eat a piece of chocolate. Finished an important project? You deserve dinner at a restaurant.

By pampering and rewarding yourself, you will gradually learn to associate the performance of work with pleasant bonuses. But who doesn't want to get something nice every day?

2 Work on improving your self-esteem

When you don't believe in yourself, you don't even want to start doing something. Because you're afraid you won't succeed. But by working on your confidence, you will see that any bad habits can be overcome.

Try to be gentle with yourself. And don't beat yourself up every time you find yourself texting on social media instead of an important project.

Admit that you have a time management problem. And solve this problem comprehensively. Because self-flagellation will not bring you any practical benefit. And vice versa, it will make you feel even worse.

3 Think globally

Every action has a purpose. But sometimes when doing routine work, the goals may not be so obvious. So think big.

Small and tedious work is necessary for a big cause. And it doesn't matter whether it’s about working projects or cleaning the apartment. Ultimately, we benefit from any of our activities.

So focus on the benefits, not the small responsibilities.

4 Set Measurable Goals

In addition to the main big goal for which you are working, set yourself a few small ones. Because it will make it easier for you to measure your own success. And praise yourself. but you will also get a quick confirmation of your ability to get things done, which will positively affect your self-esteem.

5 Remove irritants

It's hard to focus on work when the WhatsApp chat is constantly sending calls and friends throwing funny pictures. Therefore, make a rule for yourself: appear online on social networks and read messages in instant messengers no more than once every half an hour.

Because that's how you can spend enough time on your work.

6 Divide cases by urgency.

Getting to work, take a look at the field of activity for today and distribute all the tasks in this order:

• important and urgent;
• unimportant and urgent;
• important and non-urgent;
• unimportant and non-urgent.

Start with the important and urgent and work your way up. Dividing cases into constituent elements will not only allow you not to disrupt deadlines, but will also teach you how to plan time.

7 Eat a frog

Do not rush to put on rubber boots and go to the nearest body of water to catch fatter frogs for breakfast.

“Frog" or “toad” in time management is usually called unpleasant things that you don’t want to do. It is recommended to start the day with such things, freeing up the remaining time for something more inspiring. Doing unpleasant work while you still have the strength and mood, you can once again praise yourself and raise your self-esteem.

8 Follow the tomato

The tomato principle sounds much tastier than the previous one. It is not entirely clear why it received such a name. But its essence is extremely simple – you work for 25 minutes without being distracted, then take a 5-minute break. After 4 cycles, rest 15-20 minutes. 

9 educate yourself

There are plenty of self-development books you can download online for free. Personally, we recommend the book Beat Procrastination! How to Stop Putting Things Off for Tomorrow” by Czech psychologist Petr Ludwig, in which the author shares practical tips tested on his own experience to combat the habit of putting things off until later.

10 Love what you do

This is probably the most difficult, but also the most effective advice. Needless to say, not everyone loves their job. Circumstances do not always allow you to start living from scratch, but at least try to reconsider your attitude to current activities, find positive moments and look at your usual activities from a different angle.

Now you are armed with the knowledge of how to beat procrastination. So get started right now. Answers are no longer accepted.