Five Ways to Beat Procrastination

If you have a tendency to procrastinate, congratulations, you have a normal human brain.

We all procrastinate from time to time. It’s only natural to put off till tomorrow what you really don’t want to have to do today. The issue is that if procrastination is having a net negative consequence in your life, it’s time to do something about it.

A procrastination checklist

Do you find yourself putting off big plans like getting fit, or work projects until tomorrow...a tomorrow that never comes?

Do you find yourself beating yourself up for putting things off? If you are answering ‘yes’ to both, then it’s time to do something about it.

Time for a quick procrastination 101. Some procrastination is the function of a normal, human brain. They are designed to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and exert as little energy as possible - the motivational triad.

Running five miles a day or preparing our taxes is the opposite of what our brains want us to do, which is watch Netflix and eat chips. Doing hard things is...hard.

I have struggled with procrastination throughout my life until recently. In fact, I detested doing things that were remotely difficult for me and found myself giving up on projects as soon as they got tough or boring.

At school, I found that I didn’t have to study to do well. As a result, I developed very bad habits and found doing work to be a chore. It wasn’t until law school that I really had to study, and it was a complete shock to my system. The truth is that I spiraled into a very deep depression and was placed on academic supervision after my first semester.

Fortunately, not failing out of law school became a great motivator along with seeking mental health care. I was able to bounce back. But whenever motivation was lacking, I found myself procrastinating...or quitting.

What changed for me was discovering a thought model, learning a time management system and receiving a lot of coaching. Managing my mind allowed me to manage my schedule, which allowed me to largely overcome procrastination.

When we are procrastinating, what comes up for us is the thought “I don’t want to do this.” The feelings that come up are dread, fear, stress, anxiety, overwhelm, annoyance and irritation. When we put off a task we don’t want to do, we generally feel immediate relief...for a short period of time.

Then, the inner critic gets a hold and starts giving us grief, judgement and shame. This is not a rich source of motivation. Quite the contrary. It's a rich source of further avoidance and sometimes negative coping mechanisms like overeating, over-drinking, and over-scrolling.

5 Ways to Beat Procrastination

1) Speak to yourself kindly and with love. You deserve it. You accomplish so much on a daily basis. Lift yourself up. You are worthy, you are lovable, and you have an enormous value for this world.

2) Gain awareness of what is going on in your mind. When you find yourself procrastinating, ask yourself why? What is it about the task you don’t want to do? What feelings come up for you?

3) Tackle large projects by breaking them down into small, manageable results-oriented chunks. Write down what will be accomplished in the timeframe given on your calendar. An example for a brief - ‘write facts,’ ‘outline the issues,’ ‘draft conclusion.’ These results-oriented smaller tasks give us a feeling of accomplishment and build momentum.

4) Complete 80% of the task with permission to deliver B+ level work. Getting 80% done builds momentum. Doing it at a B+ level helps us refrain from perfectionism that keeps us from getting started. You will have an opportunity to edit and revise...but first you have to get it done.

5) Work without distraction. If you are meeting with your number one client, you would not allow your meeting to be interrupted by phone calls and emails. You are your most important client. You are the CEO of your life. You deserve the same level of respect. Set your email for an away message, turn off your phone and focus on your tasks without distraction.

If you have tried these tips and you are still struggling, perhaps it’s time to invest in working one-on-one with a coach. I can help you gain awareness and vision of blind spots. I can help you see the obstacles in your way and develop strategies to eliminate them. If that sounds like something you are interested in, sign up for a free mini-session with me today!