How to Blast Through Procrastination

Photo by Simon Hurry on Unsplash

Have you ever put off doing something? Have you ever said, “I’ll do it later?”

We’ve all been there.

Everyone lives busy lives. We fill our days with endless tasks, meetings, goals, etc. We accomplish a lot in a day. 

However, we often waste time putting things off. We procrastinate.

Procrastination is the action of delaying a task intentionally or habitually.

Why do you procrastinate?

You often put things off without even thinking about it. It’s easy to get distracted from the tasks you should be doing. Especially if you don’t know what you should be doing with the task.

You want to feel good in the present moment. So, you avoid or delay doing tasks that aren’t enjoyable, or that you think will be unenjoyable.

This temporary enjoyment comes at a cost. You suffer in the future.

You feel stress, shame, guilt, and regret after procrastinating because you know that you could have been productive. You could have been better. 

It’s not a good feeling.

Procrastinating also drains your energy. 

Procrastination is a coping mechanism your brain uses to prevent you from doing uncomfortable things.

How do we stop procrastinating?

To stop procrastinating, you just need to start. Those things you have on your to-do list aren’t going to get themselves done. You need to take action. 

Starting is most often the hardest part of a task. If you can start the task, the rest of it won’t be as difficult. It’s not as scary or uncomfortable as you might think.

It’s also important to develop strategies that can prevent you from procrastination in the future.  

Start by identifying what your goals are. What do you want to accomplish? What is the time frame you want to complete them in? Use your goals as a guide for your daily actions.

Think about the consequences of procrastinating. How you’ll feel bad about yourself after doing it. How it takes you away from your tasks. How it takes longer and longer to reach your goals.

Remove distractions. You likely know of a few things that distract you. Maybe it’s social media, video games, TV, and so on. If possible, remove these from the room you work in. Setting a timer on your phone for apps can also help. If you don’t know what distracts you, think about what you normally do when you are procrastinating… those things are likely distractions for you.

It’s important to keep in mind that procrastinators are not lazy. Lazy people have no ambition and don’t care. Procrastinators want to accomplish their tasks, but they can’t get themselves to start working on them. 

If you have ambition, you can accomplish your tasks… which will boost your confidence and happiness!

Understanding why you procrastinate gives you the tool you need to break through it. 

Procrastination gets even the best of us. It’s ok to procrastinate every once in a while. Don’t beat yourself up about it. 

Remember what it is you want to accomplish. Remember why you want to accomplish it. Think about relieved you’ll feel when you accomplish your task. And contrast that with how bad you’ll feel after procrastinating.

Keep these things in mind and get back on track.

Above all else, just start.

Good luck!