How To Beat Procrastination (backed by science)

It doesn't really matter why you procrastinate. Some love the pressure of deadlines. Some are afraid to fail so they put it off until the very last moment.

One thing that all procrastinators have in common is that procrastination has a price.

This highly cited study , published in the American Psychological Society journal, by Dianne Tice and Roy Baumeister discusses the cost of procrastination. It is related to:

Procrastination is not innocent behavior. It's a sign of poor self-regulation. Researchers even compare procrastination to alcohol and drug abuse.

Distractions, other ideas, other opportunities, failure, negative self-talk, etc, would get in the way.

And the results are always the same: You never get anything done.

To me, the key finding from the study by Dianne Tice and Roy Baumeister is this:

"The present evidence suggests that procrastinators enjoy themselves rather than working at assigned tasks, until the rising pressure of imminent deadlines forces them to get to work. In this view, procrastination may derive from a lack of self-regulation and hence a dependency on externally imposed forces to motivate work."

Distractions, other ideas, other opportunities, failure, negative self-talk, etc, would get in the way.

And the results are always the same: You never get anything done.

To me, the key finding from the study by Dianne Tice and Roy Baumeister is this:

Self-regulation, self-control, willpower, are all things that we overestimate. We think:"Yeah sure, I will write a novel in 3 weeks."

In our minds, we're all geniuses and mentally strong. But when the work comes, we cop out.

If you're a procrastinator, you can't help but delay work. And that's true for the small and big tasks.

Sure, everybody fears to step outside of their comfort zone - that's why we call them comfort zones. It takes courage to make a bold move.

But it sure doesn't take any courage to complete small tasks like paying bills, printing out something for your boss, doing taxes, etc.

The truth is: Procrastination has nothing to do with what you're trying to do - small or big, it can wait until later. It can always wait, right?

For me, completing tasks, went like this:

There comes a moment between the start and end of a task-I call it the slope of procrastination-when you give into one distraction. And that's exactly the moment you give up being productive.

You start working on a task, you're excited, you're focused, but then, after some time, you think: Let's read the news for a second.

It always starts with just one thing.

Then, you think: I might as well watch one episode of Game Of Thrones. Then, a video on YouTube-and then another one. Then, a little bit of Instagram browsing. And so forth.

It always ends with a bang: "This is the last time I'm wasting my time! "

Yeah, right.

What you really need is a system for doing work. A lot of people shy away from routines, systems and frameworks because they want to have "freedom."

I'm sorry to disappoint you: Freedom is your enemy.

The fact is that, if you want to get things done, you need rules.

What are some things that research proved to be effective?

• Self-imposed deadlines.
• Accountability systems (commitment with friends, or a coach).
• Working/studying in intervals.
• Exercising 30 minutes a day.
• A healthy diet.
• Eliminating distractions.
• And most importantly: Internal motivation.

If you combine the right productivity tactics , you have a productivity system .

The deadlines create urgency, accountability will create responsibility, working in intervals improves your focus, exercising will give you more energy, so does a healthy diet, and eliminating distractions will take away the temptations.

But there's no system that can help you if you don't have an inner drive. People overcomplicate that concept, but it's simple: Why do you do what you do?

If you don't know. Make something up.

If you know why you're doing something, even the most annoying tasks become bearable. It will become a part of the bigger picture.

So, instead of diving into work, take a step back, think about why you do what you do, and then rely on a system supports that. Not rocket science. Just science .

I've made an eBook with 5 tips, exercises, and video training, that you can use to get immediate results. Curious?