Five Secrets For Beating Procrastination
We’ve all heard it said that the hardest part about doing a project is starting it. Easy tasks have the ability to mushroom out of proportion if we don’t take care of them in a timely manner. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and with that in mind, I’ve put together this list of five techniques to for beating procrastination and getting on with your life.
Remove Distractions
I once had a professor tell me that the key to having good study habits was “keeping your butt in the chair.” The same technique can help you beat procrastination. Put yourself in a room with what you need to get done, and remove all of your distractions. Then, keep your butt in the chair. If you don’t allow yourself to do anything else, sooner or later you’ll do what you’re supposed to.
Appeal to Outside Help
No, I don’t mean ask for someone else to help you with your project. I mean ask someone else to help you stay focused. Chances are, if you’re a really bad procrastinator, friends and family have already noticed. Ask them to help keep you on track and help turn you back to your work if you get distracted of start procrastinating. They’ll most likely be happy to help.
Reward Yourself for Starting Early
Set up a system of reward that follows the following model: If I work hard for X amount of time, I will reward myself with Y. Start with a shorter amount of time for X at first, and a really good reward for Y. Over time, increase X and decrease Y, until you can work without thinking of the immediate rewards.
Prioritize and Budget Your Time Accordingly
A lot of the time when people aren’t getting everything done it’s not actually because they’re procrastinators, but actually because they’re not prioritizing right. If you have six different projects and don’t know which one to work on, it’s easy to settle on none of them and waste time. Instead of falling into this trap, prioritize your projects by importance and due date, and then make a schedule for each project. Make sure to stick to your schedule.
Keep at It
Beating procrastination isn’t going to easy. There will be times when you get discouraged, but try not to. Instead, focus on the positives. By finishing your work quickly and efficiently, you’ll have more time to do the things that you enjoy.
Check out more help with beating your procrastination with these habit busting secrets.