The Best Ways To Overcome Procrastination

Do you find yourself putting off day-to-day tasks? How often do you avoid doing the work that’s on your to-do list? Do you find yourself rushing before a deadline when you had days, or even weeks, to complete a task? You may be procrastinating and you are not alone. Procrastination is the thief of time and it steals from so many people. Simply look at the long line in any post office on the tax day, . 

Signs of Procrastination

What does procrastination mean? How do yo know you have procrastination? Below are typical signs:

• Filling your day with low-priority tasks
• Delaying important tasks on your to-do list
• Beginning a task right before the due-date, when you had a lot of time in advance
• Starting a task and immediately taking a break
• Prioritizing tasks that seem “fun” instead of ones with high importance or close due dates
• Waiting for the right mood to begin your to-do list
• Shuffling your to-do list based on what you’ve accomplished by the end of the day

What is Procrastination?

Procrastination is the active process of choosing to delay tasks, especially while knowing that you will suffer as a result. Procrastination seems like a common thing people deal with every day, but it’s something that can interfere heavily with having a highly functional life. Putting off your tasks can result in having a heavy plate of duties and responsibilities piled up, and that can cause anybody a lot of anxiety, and even depressive thoughts. 

The core of procrastination

One of the main habits for people who procrastinate is having a long to-do list, checking off one or two items by the end of the day, and then shuffling it around as to move incomplete things to another day. In response to this, some people may say that it does not matter when the task gets done, as long as it gets done. But psychological researchers find a big issue with this, that is, they believe that if you shuffle tasks around based on what you did accomplish, it can cause real lack of progress. This is at the core of procrastination.

What does research say about procrastination?

In a study, researchers rated college students on procrastination and tracked their academic performance and general health. They found that initially, the students who procrastinated had lower levels of stress, since they swapped or put off tasks and assignments for more amusing activities. But in the end, they found that those same students performed worse academically, and reported higher levels of stress and illness. 

In the moment, procrastination may seem like the best answer to our solutions and a way for us to delay tasks that we don’t want to do in the moment. In the long term, doing this can result in even higher levels of stress than initially doing the tasks would have caused.

What Causes Procrastination?

The causes of procrastination could be related to many factors.

• Perfectionism. 
• Lack of motivation
• Fear of failure
• Fear of criticism or negative feedback
• Self-defeat tendency
• Abstract or poorly defined goals
• Rewards but in the far future
• Anxiety
• Depression
• ADHD
• Low self-esteem
• Task aversion

To better manage procrastination, you need to learn why you procrastinate and how it affects you. Understanding the psychology of procrastination helps you to improve awareness of deeper issues rather than simply say improve your self-control. Many psychologists have found that procrastination has less to do with time management. Rather, it is about delaying a task while knowing the consequences of doing so. It can definitely help to use time in your schedule wisely to accomplish your tasks or assignments; however, a large focus should also be on managing emotions. This way, you can ensure that you are doing the things that work best for you. 

How to Overcome Procrastination?

Everyone has their own list of things that motivates them and allows them to be productive. therefore, you should make sure that what you’re doing works best for you specifically, even though they may not work for someone else. For one person, listening to music while trying to write an essay can be extremely helpful and allows them to focus. For others, complete silence may be the best way to tune into a single task. Try to experiment with new things every now and then to see what works best, and don’t get discouraged if one doesn’t work!

These are tips you can try for if you want to stop procrastination:

Making prioritized to-do lists.

Actually the to-do list is a to-do today list. It is preferable to make sure the most important tasks are done first. 

Creating an organized and effective personalized schedule

Create a schedule for what works best for you. In other words, have a spreadsheet of daily activity schedule,.The schedule should focus on specific tasks on each day. Better yet, highlight those you have accomplished for reward later.

Start with a small step.

When you start with a small step, it is easier for yourself to get over the initial hurdle of actually getting started. It is more likely to feel accomplished and more motivated to continue the rest of the task.

Don’t be afraid of imperfection 

Many people avoid or delay tasks when they either doubt their abilities or want to achieve perfection. It is important to understand that perfection actually does not exist in this world. To stop perfectionism, one way is to face the worst case scenario and figure out your solution; another is to adjust your standards to be more realistic; still other ways include self-talk strategies to 

Try to improve decision-making skills

You will likely put off a task if you cannot decide what to do, in fear of making the wrong decision. 

Commit to a task

When you leave too much time for a task, it is very likely that you will be distracted and procrastinate; By the same token, leaving too little time has similar effects, that is, too much stress to complete a task could lead to procrastination as well. Therefore, leave the right amount of time for a task. This way, when you start, you can finish it in a timely manner.

Split large tasks into smaller ones.

Large and difficult tasks could cause avoidance because it literarily suggests you should get it all done in one shot. Apparently that  is impossible, and hence stressful. When you can break the bigger tasks up, it helps to decrease that aversion. More specifically, each task should take no more than 60 minutes to complete.

Set up a reward.

Positive reinforcement helps with motivation. Once you finish a task, you can have your favorite ice cream or go out with friends.

Give yourself immediate consequences of procrastination.

Late consequences do not usually motivate people enough; however, it could be very different when you set immediate consequences. It becomes the earlier deadline and for example, the consequences could be your partner keep all your money to themselves if you do not finish your paper on that day.  

Have a procrastination buddy

You and a friend can support and check-up on each other to make sure you’re being productive! When you hold each other accountable, chances are you do not want to procrastinate and look bad in front of your friend.

How Can Therapy Help to Manage Procrastination?

Finding ways to stop procrastination can be an exhausting and challenging process, especially when you do it alone. Having a therapist can help you leave time in your week to talk about your personal challenges, such as doing your tasks. Better yet, you can even dedicate time to figure out a plan that works best for you. 

Taking care of your mental health can also be a big factor in the way you deal with prioritizing responsibilities. In particular, talking to a therapist can help you to figure out not only what works best for you but what allows you to be the most productive. In addition, therapy can help you to improve thinking patterns, adjust your mindset, and release emotions. More importantly, therapy can assist you to change procrastination and the way you prioritize the tasks in your schedule. 

If you are a student, finding counseling or wellness services in your school or on campus can also be beneficial for providing support. Besides, they can point you to other important resources. For others, there are different groups, support, buddy programs, and counseling services that can assist you to achieve your goal of reducing procrastination.

Special thanks to the contribution of our intern Tammy Krikheli