Do you feel anxious thinking about your to-do list? Are you running from your duties? Do you find yourself doing less important chores to postpone what you should be doing? If you want to stop procrastination, finish what should be finished a long time ago and move on with a clean slate, here are tips on getting your shit together.
1. The need to stop procrastination
The first step is to acknowledge that you are in the procrastination loop & that you want to get your shit together. If the introduction spoke to you, that probably means you need to stop procrastinating & that is the first step in doing so.
2. Declutter your to-do list
Find every to-do list that you have made and combine them into one. Then mark all the tasks that take less than 10 minutes to do and ones you can pass on to someone else. Now do all those small tasks without thinking about them. It will take you a moment to get them done & this will get you going.
3. Prioritise
Look at your decluttered to-do list and arrange tasks from the most important to the least. Remember to think about the urgency of these tasks. Organise & plan them into your calendar, and set up the time to do all the things you have been putting off for so long.
4. Set deadlines
After setting time to do all the tasks, set the deadlines. If there’s no given date to finish the task, create one. A concrete deadline should be a real motivation. You can also ask your friends to keep you accountable.
5. Step by step
If the remaining list is still overwhelming, focus on each task separately and break it into smaller, less terrifying steps. Repeat this process as many times as you need to tick each task from your prioritised list.
6. Reward yourself
After each finished task, remembers to check the box from your list. It will evoke a feeling of accomplishment & motivate you to keep going. Besides that, after every large item from your list, do something nice for yourself (make it quick to stay in a productive mindset). You can put away some money & after you’ll tick off all the boxes you should have a budget for a nice meal or fun activity.
7. Productive tools to help stop procrastination
- Calendar + time blocking technic — put tasks into your calendar with a designated time block in which you will focus specifically on this task.
- To-do list — have all the to-dos in one spot. It will help you to see the progress.
- Focus sounds — put some focus sounds in the background to put your mind in the work mode. I enjoy the tide app also for the Pomodoro method (& meditation).
- Pomodoro technic — work for 25 minutes & take a 5-minute break. This method will help you stay focused during the working time & put off all the distractions for later.
- Time batching technic — plan similar tasks together to avoid the constant change of focus. You can divide it by places, types of activity or the preparation process. Choose what’s more suited & make it easier for yourself.
8. Do it now!
After reading this point, get up and start collecting your to-dos. Act fast, faster than your desire to procrastinate. Believe in yourself. You are reading this for some reason, so face your fears & let’s tick off those boxes together!
These eight steps should help you stop procrastination. If you need a kick to start, try counting to 3 & then get to work. Trick your mind, do not overthink it.
1… 2… 3… Go!
P.S If you are interested, here is a link to post on HOW I DEAL WITH OVERTHINKING? But save it for later & stop procrastination first.
