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10 Ways To Beat Procrastination And Get Things Done
Take The Smallest Step Possible
When you don't feel motivated, take the smallest step possible toward your goal.
Instead of telling yourself to workout for an hour, say you'll go for 10 minutes.
Taking a step bypasses that part of your brain that is alerted when you're trying to make a change.
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Key Ideas
Take The Smallest Step Possible
When you don't feel motivated, take the smallest step possible toward your goal.
Instead of telling yourself to workout for an hour, say you'll go for 10 minutes.
Taking a step bypasses that part of your brain that is alerted when you're trying to make a change.
Positive Outcomes From Your Action
Focus on what the reward is when you take action.
Be very selective about what you let into your experience and surround yourself with to keep your energy as clean as possible to achieve the goals you want.
Give Yourself A Hard Deadline
... then put it on the calendar.
Treat the deadline the same as if your boss created it, and then honor it the same way you would if your boss were waiting for you to complete the task.
Be Kind To Yourself
For whatever your past experience has been, refocus on doing 5% more toward your goal and give yourself permission to be human at the same time.
Understand The Underlying Reasons
Notice your thoughts, feelings, behaviors and the situation when you feel like procrastinating. Write these down.
Once you understand your pattern, you can hold yourself accountable in a positive and self-compassionate way.
Shut Off Your Phone And Set A Timer
Set an intention and then shut off tempting interruptions.
Remember, this is just another muscle you build so just set the scene to make focusing possible.
Get An Accountability Partner
To be accountable to another person helps us personally and professionally.
Accountability implies commitment, that you not only let yourself down but that partner. Find that partner who will help you overcome procrastination.
Give Yourself A Reward
Make a list of things you need to do and do the one you don't want to do first. Then give yourself a little reward for doing it (a piece of candy, a few minutes on social media, etc).
Then do something on your list that you want to do and continue alternating from there.
Schedule 'Procrastination Time'
Schedule non-working time into your day so that you allow time for cleaning your desk, taking a walk or whatever else it is that keeps you from your work.
Having this time blocked in your calendar may eliminate the guilt associated with procrastination. A refreshed mind is a productive mind.
Set A Few Daily Non-Negotiables
A daily non-negotiable is something you commit to doing every single day no matter what. It is something you don't have to think about because you have already committed to doing it.
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Plan the Rest of Your Day
When you don't feel like working on your tasks, take a few moments to plan your day.
Even if you do it as a form of procrastination, to postpone doing the actual work, it will help you...
Smaller Manageable Parts
Break the project you don't want to start into smaller pieces.
Breaking it down into small tasks and adding those to your to-do list isn't exactly fun, but it is less overwhelming than working. And it's also useful: When you finally do get around to starting, you've got a strategy.
Clean Something
Clean something every time you don't want to get started on a work project. Don't listen to a podcast or turn on the radio. Just clean. Make it as boring as possible, so that your mind wanders.
This does two things: it delays actually working on your project and it gives you time to think, possibly generating ideas that will come in handy whenever you get back to the project you're trying to put off.
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Procrastination is not an identity
Procrastination is something you do, not someone you are. When you stop making procrastination part of your identity, you free yourself up to change.
Don't judge yourself for how you f...
Clarify
Figure out why you avoid taking action. Find out all the reasons that prevent you from moving forward.
For example:
- You find the task challenging.
- You don’t know how to do the project.
- The activity is boring.
You don’t have a clear block of time to work on the task.
You need a quiet workspace.
You expect your work to be perfect—and fear it won’t be.
You don’t have a deadline.
Address the issues
Once you understand the reasons for procrastination, address those specific issues.
Keep on dealing with the issues one by one. This will build momentum and move you toward completing your projects.
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The advantages of procrastination
There are two kinds of individuals in this world: those who procrastinate and those who do the things in advance.
In what the first category is concerned, there is some evidence that p...
The drawbacks of procrastination
While procrastination might have some advantages, it certainly has proven drawbacks. Individuals who procrastinate tend to be more stressed and, therefore, suffer from stress-related illnesses. Furthermore, students who procrastinate have lower GPAs than the ones who don't. So you would better think twice before postponing an action next time.
The reasons behind procrastination
Whenever somebody decides to procrastinate, this happens whether because the task seems too unpleasant or because the planning wasn't done properly and, therefore, the need to delay.
Intentional or not, procrastination ends up having the same effects on your everyday life. And these are not always good.
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