How to stop procrastinating: 18 new ways

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Why do we like to procrastinate so much? The result, which is sometimes vital to show, runs the risk of never looming on the horizon. Let's try to figure out why “I'll do it later” can sometimes turn out to be more dangerous than the common “and so it will do”.

Let's not be cunning: each of us is familiar with procrastination firsthand. Most are even able to courageously admit that from time to time we deliberately (or not?) Delay making an important decision that can affect our lives. It could be a trip to the dentist, a big or small task awaiting completion, or a trivial cleaning at home. Today we will try to find out in what situations you should be on your guard and what can help in the guerrilla struggle against this unprofitable quality for a person.

Let's start without postponing.

1. Determine if you really need to do it

Perhaps the reason for your procrastination lies in the absence of a compelling reason to take action. A job that you hate, or something else that you hated from childhood, that you always wanted to get rid of, is from a completely different category, which does not include dreams and real goals.

In such situations, I would advise, first of all, to approach the assessment of the upcoming task critically: why waste time on something that is decidedly not to your liking, if there are many other tasks that are a pleasure to tackle?

2. Do a little "reconnaissance"

Once you've figured out which tasks are idle, take one and do a small part of it to get a sense of the difficulty level. Based on the experience gained during the process, decide if you need help.

Often we overload ourselves with thoughts about how many things need to be done in time, and then we cannot budge, imagining an endless list of tasks: there are many of them, but the employee, that is, you, is lonely. This approach is obviously wrong. But what if you devote to an urgent issue, say, 15 minutes or half an hour? It is likely that you will get a taste, thereby getting off the ground.

3. Listen to yourself. And do the opposite

Best friend "I'll do it tomorrow" - "I don't want something." If rebellious moods are growing in your soul, you must fight them as decisively and harshly as international terrorism. After all, if you follow the lead of your desire to do nothing, what will happen next? That's right, nothing.

So, before you tackle something that cannot be avoided, try to tune in a new way: meditate, take a walk, or resort to another method that works for you.

4. Order first

The environment around you can be successful in both promoting procrastination and helping to combat it. Take a quick look at your desk, home furnishings, or wherever you need to work.

Surely not everything around you is in a state of perfect order, so find the strength to clean up: get rid of the garbage, put everything in its place so that the eye is happy and the work is argued.

By the way, after a little cleaning it is easier to think. See for yourself.

5. Train yourself to think: now it will always be so

As a rule, the first steps in anything, be it sports or new responsibilities at work, are always difficult. Probably the simplest example would be a situation in which each of us found ourselves at least once in our life. Remember the magic Snooze button on your alarm? I bet you may not know what this English word means, but you definitely know how this button works: there is nothing easier than pressing it and sleeping peacefully on.

So, you can't give in to this kind of temptation, listening to your inner voice, calling to put all matters on the back burner. Forget about the rules of etiquette when he once again resounds in your head: cut off his tirade in mid-sentence and do what you must.

6. Tell a trusted person about your important decision

It can be your business partner, wife or best friend - or anyone, as long as he is aware of. Tell this person your intentions by identifying key points, dates, and deadlines. Ask him to control you as an experiment.

It may very well be that your ally in the struggle for productivity himself needs help and additional motivation in life. Therefore, we urge you to be honest with each other: gently but firmly point out the places that, in your opinion, require special attention. And go for it.

7. Don't let yourself be a victim of your circumstances

Have you ever wondered why the expression “being a victim of circumstance” is so popular? Why do stories from the lips of losers draw crowds of sympathizers? The answer is simple: people want to be sure that there are always those who are weaker, more unlucky, and unhappy than themselves.

Let's be productive: digging into our own problems will not help us find solutions. Chin up! Try to dispel the discouragement, convince yourself: "I'm fine." Then everything should work out.

8. No apologies accepted

In general, you should apologize as little as possible. To apologize is, in essence, to forgive yourself, that is, our main enemy. If you forgive yourself everything right and left, in the end you will become dull and begin to live, guided only by instincts and natural needs. Is this life?

There can be infinitely many reasons to come to an agreement with yourself, following the path of least resistance. Eliminate the slightest beginnings of this bad habit in yourself.

9. Learn to focus in a short amount of time

If you want to be successful, learn to manage your time. Start small: train yourself to be collected in the short time frames required to complete a task.

Having mastered this technique perfectly, you can start long-term planning. As my favorite poet said, "the big is seen at a distance."

10. Listen to Indian mantras

Even if you are not a regular at ethnic festivals and have never thought about a trip to Nepal or Goa, pay attention to the national music of the country of elephants and curry sauce. Mantras are positive attitudes, listening to which and meditating, you can find peace and tune in the right way. The first thing to learn is to control your breathing. When this is within your power, you can begin to comprehend more complex states - concentration on what you need.

By the way, there are many mantras. You can experiment and choose which one you like and work.

11. Leave your comfort zone

Our eternal enemy is the inner voice. If you let it sound, it will quietly convince you that it is right. And we know for certain that in most cases he is wrong. Try to distract yourself from him in any way you know.

Most often, it occurs at those moments when we tend to doubt our abilities. Therefore, if you are not sure whether you will reach the end of the path, try to drown out the words of doubt with positive attitudes: "I can, I will get there, I will do."

12. Visualize goals. Imagine success

Visualization is a powerful tool for achieving goals. It has been proven more than once that this technique helps to kill procrastination in the bud, motivating you to succeed.

Looking into the future helps to focus on the ultimate goals, as well as on how their achievement will affect the quality of your future life. Get a wish board if you want to be successful as soon as possible.

13. Give yourself some trouble

Or a lot, as long as it is needed. What am I talking about? The fact is that suffering and various kinds of grief are also sources of motivation: the feeling of disorder pushes us forward, and we change jobs, move, learn something new.

Having reached a certain point of awareness of a situation that is not pleasant, a normal person begins to act. So, if you are still sitting still and prefer not to think about the problem, then everything suits you, not otherwise.

In general, you are the very wizard who can help you cope with everything. As the wise Mahatma Gandhi taught us, if you want a change in the future, become this change in the present.

14. Whoever dares wins

Curb your fear! Fear of something is the most faithful accomplice of procrastination. Just tell yourself: "No, I'm not afraid of anything, I will succeed." Repeat this more often, write it down on a piece of paper and hang it in a prominent place - we have already talked about the benefits of visualizing thoughts in point number 12. If you manage to gain control over fear at least once, you will continue to succeed.

How to do it? Talk to yourself - everyone has done this at least once in their life. So why not make a good, healthy habit out of it? Alone with your thoughts, you can not bend your heart and not look for excuses for your negative traits: fear, laziness, unwillingness to change something. Try to identify your problem areas and start to deal with them.

15. Work on self-discipline

To be honest, the choice is often not so great: either to gather all the will in a fist today and embark on the path of change, or reap the bitter fruits of disappointment in the foreseeable future. Leaving the solution of important life questions for later is too easy and, alas, completely ineffective.

Many people know the proverb "Sow a thought - reap an action, sow an action - reap a habit, sow a habit - reap a character, sow a character - reap a destiny". Charge yourself with the right thoughts, acquire good habits, because everything is in your hands.

In general, each of us is nothing more than a set of habits and ways. You can accustom yourself to absolutely everything. Take advantage of this feature of human consciousness to your advantage!

16. Scales must be correct, and the dates are foreseeable

It's easy to make promises, isn't it? A lot of songs have been sung on this topic in the world and even more words have been said. The same applies to deadlines, deadlines, as it has become fashionable to say now. It takes about half a minute to assign them, and it can take weeks or months to complete.

How to proceed? Let's think strategically: Imagine that as punishment for disrupting your work schedule, you will be deprived of the opportunity to, say … drink coffee for a month! Not a very happy prospect, is it?

17. Declare War on Perfectionism

In fact, there is absolutely nothing good about it. First, let's turn to the definition. Perfectionism is the belief that the best result can (or should be) achieved. It would seem that nothing bad, but thinking in a similar vein, we endlessly move away from the true goal, which is to do the job - get sh * t done, as they say overseas.

The main mistake that many are inclined to make is the substitution of concepts. Perfectionism has nothing to do with high quality. Whoever tells us about this, the answer will be the same: time is money. Learn to control it in the same way as an experienced commander controls his army.

18. Don't forget to encourage yourself

It happens that we do not have enough rewards for a work done with success. We must not forget about encouragement, because this is one of the most powerful sources of intrinsic motivation. This is why it is so important to celebrate your victories, both big and small. Arrange an extraordinary day off, delight yourself with a purchase that you have long dreamed of, imbued with the joy of triumph!

After all, fighting procrastination is not easy. As the famous American speaker and business coach, Jim Rohn, said in his book Vitamins for the Mind:

We should all experience two kinds of pain: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs in ounces, while regret weighs in tons.

Are you prone to procrastination? What and why do you tend to postpone over and over again? Share with us your opinion and successful experience in dealing with the scourge!