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 feel. Instead, analyze the problem and see how you can move forward.
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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.
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.
When you struggle with procrastinating on a specific task, you may never get into a state of flow. Make rules for yourself, such as spending 20 minutes on the activity or reporting to someone by a specific time.
Just keep going. In time you will be able to accomplish a lot.
RELATED IDEAS
We usually procrastinate instead of being productive due to various reasons like having fun being distracted (like playing video games) or just lounging around as the task is too easy (or too difficult).
We start with a big, audacious goal and quickly realize that it is not feasible. Our lack of expertise is also a perfect excuse to slack around, as we fail to break down the task into smaller ones or take the first step.
Understanding the key components of internal motivation is a good step to find the source of your procrastination.
A study showed that participants with higher self-esteem and a higher resistance to peer pressure tended to show lower levels of procrastination. The finding suggests that intrinsic motivation works better against procrastination.
- Transfer money to your savings account every time you receive a paycheck
- Choose all your outfits for your week on Sunday and hang them in the closet in order
- Subscribe to a weekly fresh delivery of organic vegetables and fruits to your home
- Standardize the typical daily meals you like the most, saving time in cooking and grocery shopping
- Prepare your sports bag every night and put it in your car. If you prefer running the morning, leave your running shoes near the bed
- Automate all electronic gadgets to go into sleep mode at a certain hour