A Guide To Overcoming Procrastination
A simple, research-backed practice that does the magic.
Let’s be honest, what are you supposed to be doing right now?
Don’t feel bad about it. I’m just as guilty as you are. Although I should be writing a press release for a client at this moment, I’m drafting this article, which I had scheduled to go live over 24 hours ago.
You see, we all procrastinate. We put off what we are supposed to do at certain times to do things that seem to make us feel better. Even your most respected productivity coach is just as guilty as you are. Unfortunately, the things that we procrastinate on are not going to bring us the right results that we need — and when we need them.
However, knowing that there are better things to be done while we engage in the wrong tasks makes it clear that we are procrastinating. There is a need for us to focus on the right tasks at the right time. This requires discipline. Often, discipline is instilled and not a natural trait.
Habits may be instilled in kids with ease, but beating procrastination would require even grown adults to always instill self-discipline on themselves. I have found these selected tips helpful in developing self-discipline and dealing with procrastination over the years.
Do Something, Get Started, Strike A Key!
I use the “strike a key” concept because most of the works I procrastinate on are writing tasks. One of the reasons why we put off tasks is because we find them bulky, boring, or we just feel unmotivated.
To help me get started on a task immediately, even when I feel the urge to put it off, I strike the first key on my keyboard. As soon as I open a new document, I type the first letter and then the first word. Then watch myself move through the first sentence.
With advice from Robert Turner’s article, I know that I must research the topic first. Over time, I have realized that I’m more likely to wander deep into the web while I research. (Thanks to Miss Curiosity. It’s definitely female — a pretty one — because I don’t drool over ugly ones. lol)
To avoid wandering, I write my opening paragraph first.
How and why does this work?
Once I start working on a task, I get uneasy when that task is not complete. For this reason, I shut everything out to complete the task. Starting is where the most significant challenge lies. Striking the first key means getting started.
Initially, I thought this works for only me. (I often consider myself a genius and unique for no reason at all. lol) However, while I researched this piece, I discovered it’s a human thing. A. D. Baddeley’s research article on the Journal of Experimental Psychology revealed that interrupted or uncompleted tasks create mental unrest within us, and we remember them more often than we remember completed one — and the ones we are yet to start.
Therefore, as much as procrastination is one part of human nature, being worried about an interrupted task is another part. (Is humanity not a mystery?)
All you need to do is flip the coin. Trigger the “interrupted task worry” by striking the first key. It doesn’t take so much. Just open a new document and punch your first key. That’s it, you’re on your way to “worry land”
Challenges With Getting Started.
“Strike the first key.”
It was probably easy to say, huh?
But various things could keep you from striking that first key. Identifying them and getting rid of them quickly enough can help you get started and see whatever task through.
I’m going to outline a few that I’m familiar with and how I deal with them. However, procrastination is an ongoing battle, and I believe shared hacks can help anyone get ahead in the war. So, we move.
Disconnect.
The first and most important thing that I do is to disconnect from all mobile devices except the desktop that I’d be working with. In a time management article that I wrote weeks ago, I mentioned handing my phone out for nine hours every day just to stay disconnected from it.
Since I have a habit of accessing social media through my phone, opening social pages on my PC always feels unusual and easier to resist. Actually, it’s natural to resist networking any other way. PC is all works and nothing else.
It might not be the same for you. You probably have a habit of accessing FB and Twitter through your PC. Uh oh! So sad, the distraction is clutching on your throat. Pathetic! Lol.
Don’t worry. There’s a solution. You can consider turning off your WiFi. Josh Kaufman recorded switching off his WiFi and wearing earplugs to disconnect from the environment and the internet whenever he wants to get creative.
The problem is that it’s still yours, and you can turn it back on, especially when you need to research a topic. If that’s the case, you can try apps like SelfControl and Hocus Focus for MacOS users or Freedom for other device types. These apps block you from accessing certain websites that may be distracting.
Several other apps perform similar functions of restricting distracting websites. Often, you may be required to restart the computer to regain access to your “dolly” social networks. You don’t want to do that since a restart would just be too frustrating. So, complete your task, my dear friend!
Milestones and Induced Urgency.
This is one approach I wouldn’t really recommend, but if you think it might just be the best drive for you, then welcome aboard.
I use this when the task is relatively long. I break it into small milestones that I can reach at three to four-hour intervals. Frequently high on caffeine (don’t fight me, please), craving snacks while working is usual. (I know I’m not alone here. I’m not such a unique genius, after all.)
Putting away the snacks and starving until I reach a milestone helps me handle tasks with some sense of urgency. Hunger can be a massive motivation at the least expected times.
The Bottom Of A Flat Line
As I earlier mentioned,
…procrastination is an ongoing battle.
And we must continuously find ways to defeat the enemy. So far, getting started is a potent way to beat the beast. However, to get started, we’d fight with distractions. I’ve used these tricks outlined above and in this other article to get ahead, and I believe they would be helpful to you as well.
Please, feel free to share your tricks in the response section for all concerned readers — including me — to learn. In this battle with a common enemy, we must share strategies.