We’ve all had a moment or two of procrastination….when you know the deadline is approaching quickly, a very important task needs to be completed, but you just can’t find the motivation to finish it. Then, all of a sudden, the deadline is tomorrow morning and you haven’t even looked over any of the material yet. You stressfully cram until the crack of dawn, and pray that you completed it correctly and that everything is in order. Sound familiar? Well, a lot of people argue that they perform best under “pressure,” but that is not pressure. It’s called procrastination, and it could become your demise if you don’t find a way to lessen the habit!
Here are 5 ways you can start to curb your procrastination habit:
1. Quit the drama: Don’t turn something small into something big; keep it simple and just breathe. Not everything that needs to be completed needs to be a catastrophe. Remind yourself that things are not as bad as they seem.
2. Commit to a small window of time: Commit yourself to just five minutes of working on the task or project. Knock out a small part early, and who knows, it might boost some motivation to complete it and even show you that it may not be as bad as it seems. Continue to space out your tasks, with time for breaks in between.
3. Procrastinate by producing: Even if you aren’t working to complete the number one task on your to-do list, see if you can start completing a different task on your to-do list. So even though your procrastinating, you’re getting something done.
4. Discover your triggers: What is it that is keeping you from completing this task? Sit with it and figure out why it’s hard for you to complete the task in the first place, and you’ll be surprised at how facing your fear of something can provide some much needed relief.
5. Plan procrastination breaks: All work and no play will make you a dull boy/girl, remember? So make sure you give yourself down-time and breaks so you can zone out or give your mind a break from the task at hand. Then, you will come back to it fresh and ready to knock it out of the park!
