Break the cycle…and three other ways to overcome procrastination
We all procrastinate over something. Some of us are happy to admit that we procrastinate. Others feel guilt about procrastinating, and keep their procrastination a secret.
If you struggle with procrastination, and want to overcome procrastination, there are some simple strategies you can implement.
If you’ve procrastinated over anything you know it can cause guilt, stress and overwhelm.
Instead of making progress on our most important work, we put that work off in favour of less important things.
If you procrastinate and want to overcome it, this article shares 4 tips to help you overcome procrastination and get into action on what matters most.
What I’ve discovered, is that the key to overcoming procrastination is to get clear on the root cause of procrastination, so that when procrastination strikes you know exactly what to do to overcome your procrastination.
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is simply the avoidance of doing something specific or delaying an important task that has a deadline. We procrastinate by focusing on less urgent, more enjoyable, and easier activities instead.
Procrastination can restrict our potential and lead to stress, frustration and an inability to move forward and take action.
We often procrastinate when we have an activity that may seem exciting but we have trouble getting started in the first place.
Procrastination strikes when we have activities that we know we should do but put off or do something else that we know we shouldn’t do but keep doing anyway.
Everyone puts things off sometimes, but procrastinators regularly avoid difficult tasks or put things off until the last minute.
What causes of procrastination?
There are many causes of procrastination. We procrastinate when we can’t guarantee achieving a specific result. As there is no guarantee in place we procrastinate because we don’t want to take the chance of failing or achieving a result that is not the result we want,
We procrastinate because we don’t believe we have the capabilities to achieve a desired result or are scared of not being able to achieve the task or tasks we’ve set ourselves or been set.
Procrastination is often seen as a fear of failure and can happen when we don’t have the self-confidence or self-esteem to take that first step.
Many of the things that cause procrastination are deadline driven.
Many perfectionists are also procrastinators. Instead of taking action they are always polishing and perfecting something rather than actually completing an important task or project
There are many reasons we procrastinate and get stuck, so diagnosing why you procrastinate is the crucial first step.
How to overcome procrastination
Here are 4 tips to overcome procrastination.
1. Get clear on your goals
We often procrastinate when we don’t have clarity around our goals. When we don’t have exciting, measurable goals that we really want to achieve, we’ll end up procrastinating.
Goals help us clarify what we want our ideal future to look like, and what’s most important to us.
The first step to overcoming procrastination is to get clear on your goals.
There are five simple steps to take when setting goals:
- Choose a goal to achieve on a specific date in the future
- Ensure the goal is measurable, be this a number or an event
- Make the goal achievable
- Ensure the goal is exciting so you are emotionally invested in the outcome
- Track your goal achievement progress
To avoid procrastination, it’s far better to commit to achieving ambitious but realistic goals. Ensure your goals includes a specific time frame and a tangible plan with action steps.
Having exciting goals is essential to overcome procrastination. When we’re excited and motivated we’re ready to take action. When we don’t feel excited or motivated we tend to procrastinate.
2. Break the cycle.. work out why you’re procrastinating
If you want to break the cycle of procrastination, it’s essential to work out why you’re procrastinating.
When you don’t feel motivated or confident about what you’re doing it’s easy to procrastinate.
Unless you are emotionally connected to the why of what you’re doing it’s pretty easy to fall off the productivity wagon and procrastinate.
To break the cycle of procrastination, step back, reflect and ask yourself:
“Why am I doing what I’m doing?”
“Why do I want to reach this goal again?”
“How do I want to feel when I reach this goal?”
“Why is achieving this goal important to me?”
These simple questions will help you get energised and excited about the task at hand. When we feel excited, we’re less likely to procrastinate.
3. Take the first step
We tend to procrastinate when we don’t know the first step to take to make progress on a task or project.
When we have a big project or goal we want to achieve it can take a lot of energy and effort over time to accomplish.
Sometimes, that big goal can feel out of reach of our current confidence and capability levels. So we procrastinate.
To overcome procrastination, come back to the present and get clear on the small steps you can take to actually make some progress.
Forward motion, momentum and progress each day can help you avoid procrastination.
When we make progress we feel focused, energised and motivated. Which makes us want to take the next step.
If we have big goals or projects to work on, we all need that extra bit of courage to take that first step.
Feeling energised about the outcome we want, and breaking the steps down to feel like we’re making progress can be hugely beneficial.
4. Introduce some accountability
We often procrastinate when we don’t have any accountability to keep us on track.
When we are in total control of our time and the only accountability is with ourself, we can procrastinate.
However, when other people are relying on us to finish tasks or complete projects, we are less likely to procrastinate. We don’t want to let them down.
Sometimes, the best way to overcome procrastination is to have someone hold you accountable to do what you say you’ll do.
We often procrastinate when we don’t know the first step to take. We don’t know how to do something.
Having someone to talk to and figure out the best way forward can save days or even weeks of procrastination.
This could come from an accountability partner, colleague, coach or mentor.
By providing accountability, peer pressure and motivation, they will help you stay on track and avoid procrastination.
About the Author
Mark Pettit is a small business coach to entrepreneurs who want to simplify their time, energy and focus so they can multiply their freedom, impact and results.
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