Expert tips on how to stop procrastination

Are you one of many who procrastinates tasks from time to time? Then you are one of many. It’s only natural to resist what we have to do sometimes. But if you have a chronic problem with procrastination, it is likely impacting your ability to get your work done and get it done on time.

Would you like to come up with the motivation you need to stop procrastinating and move forward? Then take the steps needed to manage and resolve it. Here are some tips on how to stop procrastinating and get things done!

Strategies for overcoming procrastination

There is no one right way to combat procrastination – anything that helps you to be more productive is useful. Consider trying a combination of the techniques in this section until you find the ones that work best for you.

When the task is unpleasant

What’s important is finding a way to motivate yourself and to be accountable for your actions so that you are less likely to procrastinate and so that you focus on the value that your efforts will bring. Here are some tips that you can use when you simply don’t want to do what you have to do:

• Identify what will happen if you don’t complete the task. How will it impact you? Your coworkers?

• Determine ways to reward yourself for completing unpleasant tasks. Preferably, they should not be unhealthy rewards!

• Ask your coworker to check up on you to make sure you have done what you said you would do. This is a positive use of peer pressure.

• Remind yourself that you don’t have to WANT to do something in order to DO it.

When you are disorganized

When you are disorganized, you need to learn the tools that will help you to make organization a normal part of your day. Here are some suggestions for how to get organized once and for all:

• Plan your day according to what the most important things to achieve that day are.

• Handle emails and paperwork the first time that you touch them in order to avoid the piles of paper that can tend to accumulate.

• Use a timer to keep yourself aware of the time you are spending.

• Create a filing system that would allow anyone else to walk into your space and easily locate what they are looking for.

• Don’t leave for the day without making a ‘to do’ list for the next day

When the project feels overwhelming

If you simply feel overwhelmed by a project, then it usually means that something is missing. Once you’ve identified what that ‘something’ is, you have the opportunity to ask for that support or resource that will help you to lessen the sense that you are overwhelmed by all that there is to do. You can also try some of the following techniques whenever you feel overwhelmed:

• Take the task and break it into smaller, easily achievable tasks.

• Start with the easiest or fastest tasks first so that you feel some sense of accomplishment.

• Reward yourself as you complete each sub-task. Such positive reinforcement can help you feel more optimistic about the rest of the project.

• Ask for input from others, particularly if you haven’t managed a project of this size before.

If you are looking for more suggestions for improving your time management skills, you might want to have a look at the free eBook “Successful Time Management” written by MTD Training.