9 Reasons You Procrastinate (and 9 Ways to Stop)

Solution:

• If you need a skill upgrade, get one.
• Ask for help if it is available.
• Use a new cognitive coping self-statement such as, “I can learn as I go,” or, “Extra time on this task will increase the odds of me being effective.”

Solution: Challenge yourself to open your mind and prove your bias wrong.  Use the task as an opportunity to combat your bias.

Solution: Make a habit of starting earlier than you think you’ll need to and work on completing your task early.

Solution: Remind yourself about the gains of the future, and de-emphasize the frustration of the present.

You think, “It has to be perfect,” and this overly demanding standard keeps you from even getting started.

Solution: Work on diminishing the importance of doing things perfectly and emphasize the importance of completing tasks in a timely fashion. Keep a list of examples of times when perfectionism has been unhelpful to you, and of times when task completion has been more helpful to you.

Solution: Get proper treatment, including individual therapy with a licensed therapist. In addition to ruling out physical causes for your mood or anxiety.

Sometimes breaking your tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks maybe help.

Procrastination often comes from a belief that discomfort should be avoided, and you practice procrastination whenever you feel physically or psychologically uncomfortable.

Solution: Challenge your beliefs about tolerating discomfort and revise what you say to encourage yourself to engage in a task.

Focus on the longer-term rewards and start seeing discomfort as a prerequisite for growth, rather than as the enemy.