Procrastination can be one of the main blocks we come across when we are trying to accomplish something. I know sometimes we are tired, feel de-motivated, uninspired and overwhelmed. We say things like: “I’ll deal with it tomorrow, now is not a good time, I am just too exhausted right now.” That is completely understandable. These days we also face many distractions, which can prevent us from being fully focused on our tasks. In this week’s blog I have a few tips, which I believe can help you to deal with procrastination.
Break it down to smaller steps
I believe when something is important to you, you will always find a way to do it. If not, you will find an excuse. Here is a suggestion for you: When you break your project (or anything else you are trying to accomplish) down to a smaller steps, it won’t look so overwhelming anymore. It will become more achievable to you. For example: Let’s say you are interested in starting something new, but you just don’t seem to be able to begin. You are excited about the idea, but you are not so sure if you can do it. You keep delaying the first step by making all sort of excuses. What can you do? Start with some basics. Read couple of pages of a book which will give you some valuable insight about the subject you are interested in. Make a decision you are going to invest couple of hours each day to do something about it. Taking small steps towards your goals rather than none at all, will make you feel good about yourself. This way you will also become more excited and motivated about what you are trying to accomplish.
Schedule an appointment
Start making an appointments with yourself to avoid procrastination. It works! Let’s say on Monday you know you are going to be at home at 5pm. You have nothing else planned for the rest of the evening. Make an appointment to work on your project from 6pm-8pm. Once it’s planned, stick to it. Think about it this way: You wouldn’t miss a dental appointment or a job interview when is scheduled and written down in your diary. There are no negotiations. Be consistent and ensure you are fully focused on your project in those two hours. You can do this! Making an appointments with yourself can become your new habit. And it would be a very useful and productive habit to adopt today.
Avoid distractions
This can be one of the most difficult things to do. Distractions are everywhere. Most of us are constantly on our phones, we are checking out social media, emails and messages. When you are trying to study or work on something, distractions will be even more noticeable than ever before. I’m guilty of this myself. I often get distracted when somebody sends me a message, and I feel I need to respond instantly. What do I do to prevent distractions? Switch my phone off completely or at least leave it on silent in a different room. This way I’m not constantly checking whether the screen illuminates, and I can fully focus on what I have to do and finally get the work done.
Give yourself a deadline
Do you remember the days at school or a college when you had to present your essay at certain day and you always managed to get it done? If there is a deadline, we somehow always get it done. Even if we don’t feel like, we magically do the work. Deal with procrastination the same way. Give your project a deadline. This way, you will make sure you’ll find the time for it. If it’s important to you, it will always get done.
A thought to keep!
Do it now! Sometimes later becomes never!