Procrastination is one of the most common problems in the modern workplace. It costs the economy millions in unproductive time each year. In some ways, procrastination is a modern problem; a problem for the knowledge worker. The economy used to be made up almost entirely of manual labour. People didn't have to think about their work. It was laid out for them. They knew what they had to do and when they had to do it and it was often the same thing over and over again.
In the era of the knowledge worker, we are required to identify and design our own work. We are often told what we have to do and when it has to be done by but it is up to us to determine how we go about getting it done. There are so many options to choose from that we can get caught up trying to make the right decision and end up making no decision at all i.e. we procrastinate. Some times procrastination is a deep rooted problem but on many occasions it is a temporary problem where we just need to get ourselves to take action. For these situations, you need some quick tips to stop procrastination.
18 Quick tips to stop procrastination
There are many different tactics available to stop procrastination. Many of them are effective and will help you stop procrastination in its tracks. Most of the time that you face procrastination, you just need something which will get you started and then your momentum will be enough to keep you ticking over. These 18 quick tips to stop procrastination will be able to help you:
1. Acknowledge that you are procrastinating
You cannot solve a problem until you admit that the problem exists. You can spend all day procrastinating if you are not willing to admit that you are procrastinating. There is nothing to be ashamed of. We all procrastinate from time to time.
Here’s a little nugget for you; only intelligent people procrastinate as people who are not very intelligent struggle to see the bigger picture i.e. everything that they need to do. They just see the task that is staring them in the face, whether it is the task they should be working on or not.
Once you admit that you are procrastinating, you can start employing some strategies which help to strop procrastination.
2. Determine why you are procrastinating
There are many different reasons why you might procrastinate. You might be bored, lacking a challenge overworked or seeking perfection. The best methods to overcome your procrastination are determined by the source of your procrastination. The source of your procrastination will also determine the level of support that you need to overcome the problem for e.g. if you are just bored you would not need as much support as somebody who is a serial perfectionist.
The more you learn about yourself and your reasons for procrastinating, the easier it is to find the right actions to stop procrastination in its tracks.
3. Know that you cannot do it all
We have been taught that all time is equal and all work is equal. This simply is not true. The value of any given moment is determined by how you spend that moment of time e.g. an hour spent enjoying the company of your loved ones is likely more valuable to you than an hour spent cleaning your garage; despite the fact that they are equal measures of time.
What this means is that your focus should never be on the quantity of work that you can get done. You simply cannot do everything and in reality, you would never want to. If you want to stop your procrastination, you need to understand that completing one highly valuable task can be more effective than completing 100 unimportant tasks. Focus on quality, not quantity.
Remind yourself that there is always more to be done than you can possibly do. Then, make sure that you are doing the important things as that is where the real results come from.
4. Ask for help
Just as you cannot do everything that you would like to do; you cannot do everything on your own. Often, people procrastinate because they are overwhelmed by the amount of work which needs to be done. They think that they have to do it all themselves and they don't know where to start so, they don't start.
Don't be one of these people Before something makes it onto your task list, you should ask yourself if you are the right person to do it. Where you are not; ask the right person to do it. This step alone can really reduce your workload and make it easier to focus on what you need to do. A really simple way to stop procrastination from taking hold.
Identify the tasks where you need help and ask for that help. As long as you are not a continuous burden who gives the impression of someone who is workshy; you will usually find someone that is willing to help. Just make sure to ask early and be clear about the help that you need i.e. make it as easy as you can for the other person to say ‘Yes’.
5. Visualise the benefits
You may be failing to take action because you have forgotten why you need to do the job. If you cannot clearly see the benefits of taking action, you are unlikely to take any action at all.
Visualise the benefits of taking action. For every job that you undertake there should be some real benefits to be achieved upon completion. Take the time to visualise the benefits that will be achieved and use this as motivation.
6. Re-visit your goals
Goals are meant to motivate and inspire. When you are clear on your goals and they inspire you, you are less likely to procrastinate. You are motivated to take action because you just can’t wait to achieve those goals.
If you do not feel this way, you might want to reconsider whether your goals are big enough, clear enough or inspirational enough. Take the time to go through your goals again and, as with the previous step, visualise the benefits of achieving these goals.
Don't wait until you are procrastinating to revisit your goals. Write your most important goals down and revisit them on a daily basis. If you remind yourself every day of your goals and the benefits of achieving them, you are more likely to take the necessary action to make progress towards those goals.
If you do not have clear, motivational goals, check out Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting.
7. Break the job down into minute detail
If you want to be motivated, you need to have big goals which inspire and motivate you. The problem with this is that if you focus only on the big goals, you can be overwhelmed by the size of them. You can feel that you are not going to be able to achieve them so why bother taking action today for a goal that is so far away that it seems unrealistic?
To counter the overwhelm, you need to have a goal/objective for today which you can focus on instead. A goal which is more realistic and when completed, will have taken you closer to achieving the big goals. There is a simple solution for this.
Break each job down into the smallest tasks. Once you have completed each and every task you will have successfully completed the job. This means that you can measure your progress towards your final objective but you can remain focused on one small task at a time which allows you to avoid overwhelm.
8. Eliminate all distractions
Eliminate as many distractions as you possibly can when you are performing your most important work. By doing so, you can give your full undivided attention to the task at hand. You will be able to finish that task quicker and because it is getting your full attention, you will make fewer mistakes.
9. Schedule the distractions you enjoy
Schedule the distractions that you really enjoy. For example, you can say that you will go for your daily coffee once you have completed the next task. You can then give the task your full attention as you know that you will be able to enjoy your coffee without feeling guilty about tasks which have not been completed.
10. Accept that perfection is unnecessary
Perfectionism is one of the biggest sources of procrastination. You want to wait until you can do something perfectly before you start. Unfortunately, you will never be able to do anything perfectly as things can always be improved. Therefore, you never actually get around to starting; at least not until a deadline looms over your head and you are left rushing to get the job done on time.
The truth is that perfection is neither achievable nor necessary. You can only be expected to do your best. The great thing is that just about anything that you can work on can be improved at a later date.
So take action, do your best and stop the procrastination.
11. Don't multitask; singletask
Multitasking is one of the biggest myths in time management. Some people actually think that they can perform more than one task at a time while completing them quicker and to a higher standard.
Research has shown that those who think they are good multitaskers are not. Time and time again, it is shown that the most effective thing to do is to focus on one task at at time. Complete that task and then move onto the next one.
This helps to stop procrastination by reducing your workload to its smallest component at any one time and allowing you to complete unpleasant tasks quicker.
12. Focus on the first/next step
Focus on the first step then the next step and the next step and so on.
When I get up in the morning, I am only starting to wake up. I am not feeling really fresh or motivated. If I focused on all that I had to do that day, I would probably stay in bed. In fact, there was a time when I would do just that and get up hours later than I was supposed to.
What I have found to be a great help in dealing with this is focusing on one step at a time. The first step is getting out of bed. Then I focus on the next step, which is to shower and prepare myself for the day. Then I get dressed. I actually turn on the computer next (it’s less than a minute from my bedroom) before I have breakfast .
The important thing to note is that I am only focusing on one step at a time. I do not think about turning on the computer until I have gotten out of bed, showered and gotten dressed. The same approach can be used on any task that you are struggling with.
13. Just take action
Rather than focusing on getting the whole job done; just pick something small that you can do, related to the job, and take action. Even if it is not necessarily the correct task to start with; at least you are starting.
Just like a car charges it’s battery when it is in use; your body and mind can do likewise. As you start to make progress, no matter how small, you will find that you feel better about yourself. Your confidence and motivation start to grow and soon you won’t want to stop.
For this to happen, you have to start with something.
14. Change your environment
As someone who works from home, I find that my environment can be very boring and mundane as it doesn’t change very frequently. As you might imagine, when boredom grows, productivity falls and procrastination prospers. This can be a major problem for anyone who works in the same environment all day, every day.
To counter this, I have started doing different jobs in different locations. I use the local library and coffee shop for reading and writing (during off peak hours) and I use a private location for recording some of my videos.
Regularly moving around helps to freshen up my environment and break the monotony. This serves to stimulate my mind and boost my motivation. If you work in an office, you might also consider booking a meeting room or using the cafeteria at different times.
15. Make a public declaration
Peer pressure is something which we associate with teenagers and only ever think of in a negative light. In fairness, it is usually applied in a negative manner. However, if used correctly, peer pressure can be a highly effective method to stop procrastination. You can use the fear of disappointing your peers to motivate you.
Make a public declaration about what you are going to do/achieve i.e. tell friends, family and loved ones. The thoughts of their reactions should you fail to deliver can be a real motivator. You will find yourself taking action when you don’t really want to because you don’t want to let others down or face the ridicule of failing to deliver.
16. Try the Pomodoro Technique
It has long been known in the sales field that urgency is a fantastic motivator. Procrastination is a sales killer because those who take time to think about whether they should buy rarely ever return. That is why you see urgency applied in sales e.g. a limited numbers of products at sales price, a limited duration for a sale etc.
You can use an artificial sense of urgency to motivate yourself too. With timers, you can set yourself a challenge to complete as much work on a task as possible in a limited period of time.
One method you could use is the Pomodoro technique. With the Pomordoro Technique you work flat out for 25 minutes without distraction or interruption. You then take a 5 minute break before you focus for another 25 minute spell. You can repeat this 4 times before you take a longer break e.g. 30 minutes.
This works on the basis that most people can focus hard from 25 minutes or, they can build up to 25 minutes fairly quickly. By focusing exclusively on one thing for the 25 minutes, you will do more than you would in a normal 25 minute spell. You can then enjoy your distractions during your break before returning to work.
17. Do those 2 minute tasks
When you are faced with a task which will only take two minutes to complete, don’t put it off. Do it now and get rid of it; especially if it is the type of task which you are likely to put off.
This is an opportunity to stop procrastination by preventing the opportunity for it to occur. If you do it straight away, you will never get the opportunity to procrastinate on that task.
18. Use unpleasant consequences to motivate you
There are two traditional ways to motivate yourself to take action - the carrot and the stick. I have already discussed the carrot with visualisation and re-visiting your goals. Sometimes, the best way to stop procrastination and motivate yourself is to use your fear of what may happen if you don't take action. You can select a negative outcome or punishment for failing to take action. Share this with somebody who will hold you accountable and ensure that you have to face the consequences of any inaction. The thoughts of facing the consequences can be enough to get your butt in gear.
For example, if you like going to the cinema, you can agree that you will not go the cinema if you have not made at least 10 sales calls by the end of the week. A more dramatic consequence could be that you have to donate $100 dollars to charity for every day that you fail to make the designated number of calls.
For more great tips to stop procrastination, check out Stop Procrastinating.
Final thoughts
Procrastination is a common problem. In some cases it can be quite a complex problem which is deeply rooted and needs some professional help to deal with. However, most of the time your procrastination will be a temporary problem which, with the right action, can be quickly overcome. The quick tips to stop procrastination, contained within this article, can be implemented rapidly and easily to help you get the motivation to get moving and take action on your goals. Once you get moving, your momentum will usually be enough to ensure that you keep going and make significant progress with your day's work. Next time you find yourself procrastinating, pick one of the quick tips to stop procrastination, implement it and see the benefits for yourself.