Beating Procrastination Into Submission
Six simple strategies to get you back on track.
“Lost time is never found again.” — Benjamin Franklin
Dilly-dallying. Piddlefarting. Slacking. Wasting time. Whatever you call it, procrastination can suck the achievement right out of your day.
We all put things off from time to time. And that’s okay as long as you don’t let it become a habit. When procrastination impedes doing the work you want to do and living the life you want to have, it has to go. Adopting a mindful approach to your habit of procrastination can get you back on track.
I’m a casual gamer. That means I play puzzles and word games on my phone during moments of boredom. There’s no harm in it unless I play games to distract myself from getting my work done, which I do more often than I like to admit.
Are you like me, sometimes frittering away precious hours in mindless endeavors instead of getting things done?
Even when the work is something you like to do?
So why do you procrastinate? What’s wrong with you?
Probably nothing. The experts at Betterhelp.com say occasional procrastination is normal. Most people have procrastinated on something. Sometimes you aren’t in the mood to work on the task at hand. Sometimes you fear you’ll do it wrong. Sometimes you just don’t feel motivated. So, even when you really want or need to get something done, you put it off.
In an article for VeryWellMind.com, therapist Keath Low, M.A., discussed several reasons we procrastinate. Low says it's hard to get yourself motivated to act until the situation grows urgent. (Deadlines are great motivators.) Low says if you don’t know how to do something, it's hard to get started. Sometimes you know how to do it, but you’re overwhelmed with the size or complexity of the task. Sometimes you put off work that seems tedious or boring. It’s just something you have to do, like fixing a dripping faucet or filing your taxes. It’s not something you look forward to doing, so you delay taking action.
Rather than beat yourself up for putting off an undertaking, Low says there are several things you can do to overcome procrastination. So, before you can come up with another excuse to delay, here are six strategies to help you stop putting things off.
Set Deadlines
“Deadlines refine the mind. They remove variables like exotic materials and processes that take too long. The closer the deadline, the more likely you’ll start thinking waaay outside the box” — Adam Savage
Each phase of the project, each small task, should have a firm deadline. Then reward yourself when you complete that task on time. Rewards can be as simple as standing up and stretching your muscles and checking the item off on a list, or indulging in a piece of chocolate. (Hey, it worked in second grade, right?) The important part is that you physically acknowledging the accomplishment. “Closing the book” on one task and the sense of accomplishment that comes with that helps get you ready to start the next one.
But deadlines are tricky. They can sometimes facilitate procrastination if the deadline is too far off. A recent study by Meng Zhu, Rajesh Bagchi, and Stefan J Hock published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that the way you perceive time can significantly affect whether you meet a deadline. That’s because people tend to perceive time in terms of the present and the future.
Zhu, Bagchi, and Hock found deadlines perceived as “in the present” were much more likely to be met than those perceived as “in the future.” For instance, when given an assignment on a Tuesday that was due by the following Tuesday, participants got right on it. But when a Tuesday assignment wasn’t due until the following Wednesday, they put it off. To making deadlines work to combat procrastination, you need to make them as immediate as possible.
Break Big Jobs Down into Bite-Sized Pieces
“Nothing is hard if you divide it into minor jobs,” — Henry Ford
If you only focus on the big picture, it’s easy to put things off until later. In an article for Forbes, psychotherapist Amy Moran advised shifting your focus on tasks you can do immediately. Moran says that’s because breaking goals down into smaller, more manageable objectives can make them seem more immediate to you. And moving tasks into the “present” category makes deadlines more effective for getting your work done.
Breaking a complex task into smaller pieces makes the work more manageable and less overwhelming. Low suggests jotting down a list of the steps you need to take to get the job done and allotting a certain amount of time for each task. Then choose one, and dive in.
Add Some Accountability
“Accountability separates the wishers in life from the action-takers.” — John Di Lemme
You need deadlines. But self-imposed deadlines don’t always work because there’s no authority behind them. A study by researchers Dan Ariely and Klaus Wertenbroch published in the journal Psychological Science found self-imposed deadlines “were not always as effective as some external deadlines in boosting task performance.” Creating accountability for the task and deadline can help you get the job done.
Working on a project or task with a partner or as part of a team adds a little social pressure that can help you move forward. Even partnering up with someone working on a similar project of their own can help motivate you. If you’ve been procrastinating over working out, for instance, asking a friend to meet you at the gym or track can ensure you actually show up.
Sometimes you need a side of support with your accountability. You can find a support network, either in the real world or online, or both. Maybe you are working on a book but can’t seem to finish it. Finding a writers' group for support can be very helpful. Teaming up with someone in your writers’ group to review each other’s work at a predetermined time and place adds accountability. It gives you the encouragement you need and a deadline to get that next chapter written or edited.
Make Boring Tasks More Interesting
“The secret to life is finding joy in ordinary things.” — Ruth Reichl
You’ve already broken your project down into several smaller tasks, but what if some of those tasks are snore-inducingly boring? There are several strategies you can use to make them more enticing. Start by shutting out distractions. Turn the notification sounds off on your phone, close the door to the room you’re working in, play music (use noise-canceling headphones if necessary).
I think cleaning the house, especially dusting and vacuuming, is exceedingly boring. So, I listen to an audiobook while I clean. It motivates me in two ways. First, I look forward to listening to the books, so knowing I can indulge guilt-free is enticing. Second, listening to a book while I clean makes the time go by much faster. After a chapter or two, I usually find I’ve done what I set out to do.
Make your work more like play. Have a reward waiting for when you finish. Small chore = small reward. Big job = big reward.
Or try switching things up. If you have two tedious tasks to do, work on the first one for 20 minutes, then switch to the second for 20 minutes.
Or you could make it a game. Time yourself to see how much you can get done in five, ten, or fifteen minutes. Then see if you can repeat that or beat that mark. And give yourself a prize if you do.
If you can add even a small amount of fun to the task at hand, you are more apt to stop putting it off.
Overcome the Knowledge Gap
“All skills are learnable.” — Brian Tracy
Not knowing how to do something can impede getting it done. Here, you have two choices: 1. Learn how to do it or 2. Get someone else to do it.
Learning how to do something can be as simple as watching a YouTube video. I needed to replace a dripping faucet on a bathroom sink. I’d never done it before, so I watched this Home Repair Tutor video. After watching Jeff Patterson install his faucet, I felt much more comfortable tackling my project. Less than an hour later, my bathroom sink had a shiny new faucet!
Sometimes you don’t have the tools for the job or don’t have the time to learn to do the task yourself. That’s when it’s time to call in a friend or family member or hire a professional.
My sister needed to set up an accounting system for the company she and her husband run. She was great at working with customers, and he excelled at fulfilling service orders, but neither had a background in bookkeeping. Their company was growing too fast for either of them to take the time to learn. So, they found a bookkeeping service that set up the software to simplify logging expenses and reconciling their books. They hired a temp to help sort through and log the shoeboxes full of receipts, and before long, their company books were in order, giving them access to the financial information they needed to make smart business decisions.
If you don’t have time to learn a skill, it’s okay to ask someone who has the skill to do what needs to be done. You don’t need to have your finger in every pie. Delegate.
Change Your Internal Dialog
“Be careful how you are talking to yourself because you are listening.” — Lisa M Hayes
Most of us have felt intimidated by a project or assignment at some point. You may struggle with negative voices in your head telling you you can’t do it. Maybe you’re afraid you’ll make a mistake, or if you don’t do the task perfectly, something bad will happen. This kind of negative thinking can be irrational and still powerful in its ability to impede what you want to accomplish. You put tasks off to avoid your “inevitable” failure.
But that’s just internal dialog. Nothing bad has actually happened, so stop beating yourself up.
There are two things you can do to shut down this negative self-talk and stop procrastinating so you can get the job done.
First, remind yourself that it’s okay if you make a mistake along the way. Mistakes are part of the process of achievement.
Second, stop telling yourself what you should do or should have done already. That kind of self-talk can make any task seem overwhelming because you already feel you're running behind.
Instead, focus on the steps. Pick one, and “choose” to start on it. Once you start it, you will probably finish it. Starting is a great motivator.
“It’s the job that’s never started takes the longest to finish.” — J.R.R. Tolkien
Remember, occasional procrastination is normal. It’s okay to avoid tasks in certain situations, like putting off doing the dishes because you’d rather spend the day playing with your dog or waiting until you run out of socks to do the laundry. If letting those things go until the last minute doesn’t interfere with living the life you want, then there’s no harm in the occasional delay.
But when you need to get something done to move forward with your career, health, or other personal goals, procrastination can negatively impact your sense of self and your long-term wellbeing. That’s when it’s time to try a few of these simple techniques to combat procrastination so you can get back to living your best life.