Procrastination is the ultimate killer of opportunities. When you procrastinate, you actually rob yourself of the chance to be better today just because you think that you can still do it tomorrow.
If you want procrastination to leave you alone once and for all, there are a few things you can do to break free from this bad habit.
- Motivate Yourself
Don’t just sit back and wait to receive motivation from other people. Self-motivation is the most important secret here. Before you start doing something, tell yourself some encouraging words and affirmative statements. Learning how to motivate yourself plays an important role for you to maintain your focus and keep procrastination at bay.
- Develop Small Timeless for Each Task
It is easy to get lost amidst one broad deadline and this can lead to procrastination if you aren’t too careful. Break down your tasks to small ones and delegate a deadline for each of them. Use the small deadlines to create a single major deadline. Make sure that the small deadlines are tough enough so you will be motivated to meet them. Failure to meet even one small deadline can easily turn into chaos and affect the rest of your things to do.
- Get Rid of Distractions
Do you often find yourself browsing your newsfeed or refreshing your inbox every several minutes while in the midst of working? If you want procrastination to leave you alone, it is time for you to eliminate these distractions. They are the culprits why you postpone tasks, not to mention that they also eat into your precious working hours. How do you get rid of distractions, then? It’s simple – make them inaccessible. Turn off your phone or close your email. While this is not an easy decision, you can expect to reap great rewards once you do so.
- Revamp Your Workspace
Your working environment may also be the reason why you procrastinate often. There are some aspects of your room or office that might make you lose focus on your tasks. For instance, a room with poor lighting will never inspire you to start working. This is the reason why you need to tweak some areas of your working environment. Maybe you can get better furniture pieces or add some innovative features to the overall interior design.
- Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Never be too hard on yourself just because you procrastinate. You will only feel more stressed out if you punish yourself. And when your mind is not at ease, it will be harder for you to deliver high quality work. Feeling guilty of your procrastination will end up draining whatever energy you have and negativity will replace your passion to work.
- Let Other People Know Your Goals
You can keep yourself in check with the help of external forces so you will feel less inclined to postpone crucial tasks. Inform your family members and friends about your tasks. This will invite external pressure as they will ask you about the progress you are making. To avoid these questions, you will try to remain focused on completing the tasks based on the set timeline.
Procrastination won’t leave you alone on its own. You need to do something so it will be gone for good.