How To Overcome Procrastination For Good
I think it’s fair to say that everyone has suffered from procrastination at some point in their life.
Some more than others.
You need to do something that is important, but it's so boring or difficult that you would rather do anything else… or nothing.
Then the regret of wasting your time rushes in like a tidal wave.
Followed by stress, anxiety, and panic, because now you still have to do that important task, and now the deadline is approaching rapidly.
You become overwhelmed, and it breeds unhealthy behaviours.
Time is ticking, so you rush and take shortcuts. You pull all-nighters, sacrificing sleep and personal time with your loved ones. And in the end, the quality of output isn’t what it could be.
And it alllll could have been avoided, if you just didn’t procrastinate!
But don’t worry, because I have developed a strategy to escape procrastination.
The Procrastination Trap
There are traps, or triggers, that will pull you into this state.
One of the biggest triggers for me has always been perfectionism.
When I was at uni about 10 years ago, studying full-time, I was also working 80-hour weeks.
Do the math and you’ll work out that there really was not a lot of spare time for study OR sleep.
And so I truly felt it if I fell behind because of perfectionism. I would become so hyper-focused on getting important things perfect, that I would waste time getting nowhere, and fall behind on other things.
Through introspection, I identified this, and I developed a strategy to overcome perfectionism, although now I would say I have perfected time and task management because of it.
Breaking The Trap - 4 Ways To Overcome Procrastination
Disclaimer: this strategy won’t work if you haven’t done the prerequisite - creating a task list. This means:
Prioritising your tasks by their importance and urgency.
Structuring your tasks - monthly, weekly, daily, and hourly
Scheduling work blocks and tasks to complete on an ongoing basis
Now that you’ve completed the prerequisite, here is the strategy:
1) Task-shifting
Start with your most challenging task in a work block. If procrastination creeps in, move down your list to build momentum with easier tasks. Checking the easy things off your list will give you the mental boost you need to revisit those tougher tasks and get them DONE.
2) Preparation is key
Schedule work blocks in your day, and finish each work block by setting up the next one. Prepare formats, dates, and details and be very specific about how you do it - this in itself will help you avoid procrastination.
3) Set Time Constraints
Schedule other tasks after your work block to put time pressure on yourself and force yourself to get things DONE.
4) 2-minute rule
If a task takes less than 2 minutes, do it immediately!.
Following this strategy has helped me become efficient with how I work, so that I get everything done, and create time for myself to do other things I enjoy, or think about new projects I want to start.
This is the beauty of staying focused and avoiding procrastination.
Procrastination is a habit that can be changed. Start small, implement this strategy, and notice when you fall into the trap. You won’t be perfect, but if you persist, it will become easy.
"Do it, and then you will feel motivated to do it."
- Zig Ziglar
Don’t put it off - start today and take control of your time. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you stop procrastinating.
Yours in running and in life,
Daniel Lucchini