You came here to learn about 7 ways to overcome procrastination, right? But if you’re reading this article, your other important tasks are being delayed. If you have a task that was supposed to be completed within 30 minutes from now, but you have your mobile phone or laptop in hand, preventing you from starting the task, you may be thinking that you will do it tomorrow. In fact, many of us face various problems day after day due to procrastination, wasting time unnecessarily and not focusing on important tasks. Do you have the same problem? No need to worry, I have brought you “7 ways to overcome procrastination.” This is a common issue in our lives. Although it’s a simple problem, it also hinders our peace of mind and success. But if you know how to overcome procrastination, you can definitely make a big change in your life. You can be more productive by applying the methods I’ll share here. So follow me to make proper use of time and build a successful life.
Understand what is procrastination?
In simple words, delay or procrastination means putting off work. Let’s clarify this with an example. Let’s say you’ve finished submitting a project, but you haven’t started another task yet. Or a task that you put off for the next day dominates your thoughts throughout the week. Such procrastination can affect not only your professional life but also your personal relationships and health. Due to this kind of delay, many of us are unable to improve our personal lives day after day. If you want to understand more clearly what delay is, let’s dive deeper. Procrastination is a mental condition in which a person deliberately postpones or neglects important tasks, even though they know the task should be done on time. It is not a very complicated process; it is quite simple. It can be caused by little interest in the work, fear or anxiety, or by finding the work too difficult. Do you know how many types of delay there are? Specifically, there are generally two types. The first is procrastination, where people do other unnecessary things instead of doing what needs to be done. The second is procrastination due to ignorance, where the fear of the unknown or anxiety about not being able to do something prevents progress.
Why does procrastination become our habit and does it hurt?
One thing to remember is that procrastination may seem like a common habit, but sometimes it leads to terrible consequences in our lives. If procrastination becomes a habit, many problems can arise. It often becomes habitual when we lose interest in work, want to avoid responsibility, or find a task difficult. For example, if someone tells you to read a book every day, you might think that reading a book is very difficult. However, reading a book isn’t actually difficult. If you want, you can read a book every day, but you pretend it’s difficult because you lack interest.
Let me give you another example: you may have an exam in two days, but instead of studying now, you decide to study tomorrow. The problem here is that you’ll feel a lot of pressure when preparing at the last minute, leading to poor preparation and results. Additionally, a lack of proper planning, panic, and misjudgment of the time required to complete tasks also contribute to procrastination. This is how procrastination gradually becomes a habit.
While postponing necessary work may give you temporary relief, it ultimately increases stress. If the habit of procrastination continues for a long time, it can lead to physical and mental health issues. Procrastination wastes time, hinders goal achievement, and lowers self-confidence, which negatively impacts both personal and professional life.
7 ways to overcome procrastination
1.Avoid digital distractions
Our present world has become much more modern compared to earlier times, and this improvement will continue day by day. As a result, we are always connected to digital devices. However, sometimes we focus on the negative aspects instead of the positive ones while using these devices, which can lead to confusion. To overcome procrastination, it’s essential to avoid digital distractions.
When you start working, stay away from phones, social media, and other digital devices to complete your tasks on time and maintain quality. This way, you can stay fully engaged in your work. Additionally, go to your device settings and turn off notifications to enhance focus. When notifications are on, receiving one may prompt you to pick up your phone or laptop, enter social media, and come across various types of negative news. This can reduce your interest in work and waste valuable time, preventing you from completing tasks within the stipulated time.
2.Follow the 5 minute rule
This is one of the ways to overcome procrastination. If you follow the 5-minute rule to start any task, you’ll be able to complete the task without fear. Often, we are afraid to begin big or difficult tasks, and that fear leads to procrastination. As a result, we fail to start the work. The 5-minute rule is a powerful psychological technique to help you get started.
When you follow this rule, you say to yourself, “I’m going to do this for just 5 minutes.” This is a small commitment to the task, which sends a signal to your mind that you only need to spend 5 minutes on it. But once you start, you’ll find yourself continuing and finishing the work. There’s a reason for this—when we start something, we don’t like to leave it unfinished.
So, from now on, whenever you’re about to start a task, tell yourself, “I’ll work on this for just 5 minutes.” This will help you focus and finish the task without any delay.
3.Break the task into smaller parts
Our mind is not always under our control. Sometimes, it signals us not to take on big tasks physically. When you receive this signal before starting a task, you may delay beginning it because fear enters your mind. This is where the formula of breaking the task into smaller parts works effectively So I discussed it with you today . Instead of dreading a big task, break it down into smaller steps. As a result, you can complete the smaller parts of the work very easily. This approach makes the task seem more manageable and easier to start. When you can begin a task easily, you can finish it easily, eliminating the fear of procrastination.
4.Remind the purpose of the work
One of the best ways to beat procrastination is to remind yourself of the task at hand. The purpose of work guides us in the right direction and brings clarity to life. When we focus on our objectives, tasks are completed quickly, and we avoid delays. The work process becomes more meaningful and effective when we remain conscious of our purpose. By reminding ourselves of the purpose behind our work, our focus increases, allowing us to move toward our goals while avoiding unnecessary distractions and tasks. Therefore, before starting work each day, we need to understand the purpose of our work and appreciate ourselves so that we can overcome delays and move forward.
5.Eliminate negative thoughts
It is an eternal truth that negativity always holds us back, so it is better to avoid negative thoughts as much as possible. To overcome procrastination, you must avoid negative thoughts. Suppose you are thinking of starting a task, but before you begin, you think, “I can’t,” “this is difficult,” or “this is too complicated; it would be better if someone else did it.” If such thoughts arise, you will give up before even starting the work. To succeed in life, all you need to do is eliminate negative thoughts, cultivate a positive attitude, and overcome procrastination to create a beautiful life.
6.Create a healthy routine
Creating a healthy routine can easily help overcome procrastination. If we want to stop procrastinating, we must first keep both our body and mind healthy to reduce work-related pressure. When our mind is in a good state, mental stress decreases, making it easier to avoid delays in completing tasks. However, if mental stress increases, it is natural to fall behind. To maintain both mental and physical health, it is essential to establish a good, healthy routine. This routine should include 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily, healthy eating habits, regular exercise, and consistent learning or knowledge-building activities. Getting enough sleep, eating nutritious food, and exercising regularly will boost mental energy, helping us start tasks more effectively. A healthy diet plays a crucial role in our mental and physical development, so it is important for everyone to incorporate a healthy routine into daily life.
7.Have an accountability partner
This is the final step in the 7 ways to overcome procrastination. While it may not always be possible in every situation or place, following it can significantly improve your success rate. Having an accountability partner means that when you start a task, you inform someone and commit to finishing it by a certain time. This creates a sense of responsibility toward them, and that feeling of accountability will motivate you not to delay. As a result, you will stay on track and complete your tasks on time.
The problems I faced in my life due to procrastination
I am actually a very happy person in life, which is why I enjoy providing motivational information. However, hearing about procrastination scares me now because I’ve missed many valuable opportunities in my life due to it. A few years ago, I participated in a singing competition during a festival at my college, but I was late in preparing, which caused me to miss out on winning first place. I was upset about it for a while.
Often, small tasks not done on time lead to bigger problems. For instance, I once had a great opportunity to get a job at a corporate company near my city. Unfortunately, I missed the chance because the application deadline had passed. A friend of mine applied on time and is now working there, and sometimes it makes me feel a little sad.
I’ve also faced problems in my personal relationships because I couldn’t fulfill promises I made on time. Besides these experiences, I’ve had a lot of trouble solving issues that arose from delays over the years.
All in all of this article
I think you won’t have any more questions about the 7 ways to overcome procrastination, because I have given a complete idea about it in this article. The 7 ways I’ve shared are based on my personal experiences. Here, I’ve provided a real example from my life, which caused a lot of trouble for me. I’ve solved this problem through my life experience, and I hope that if you follow the steps I’ve outlined, you can eliminate this issue from your life. If you can’t, feel free to share your thoughts by commenting. I am very optimistic about this information because it is based on my own experience. In this article, I’ve covered some interesting topics because I believe they are important for you to know. Finally, if you like this article and find it useful, please share it with your friends on social media. I’ve written this article together with my friend Piplu and myself, Raju. To Know more about you can visit our blog.