7 Proven Ways to Fight Procrastination
Table of Contents
1. create a master plan for your day
Each Sunday, I like to do a brain dump of everything that lies ahead of me for the week. I will note anything from the content I need to write or shoot to e-mails I need to reply to.
From here, with my newfound sense of direction, I can create a clear schedule for the day ahead. I pick 3-4 tasks to work on each day in order of priority and execute
Knowing that I complete four big things on average each day, I know that I shouldn’t have more than 20 items on my list. Then, what doesn’t make it onto the list gets pushed to next week!
By working in order of date and priority, I’m never behind on tasks.
2. pre-plan your day
related post: why you need to set a schedule…even in the summertime
At the end of each workday, take some time before bed to think about what lies ahead of you the next day. This allows you to wake up intentionally and also with a plan of action.
Overall, you will waste less time scrambling for direction, making decisions, and recalling what tasks you have remaining.
3. do the hardest thing first
Mark Twain once said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
As gross as this sounds, all that means is that rather than ruminating on things we find difficult or disinteresting, it’s best to just attack them first and get them out of the way.
One of my favorite systems is called the Ivy Lee Method. It requires you to write down a small list of tasks (no more than 6) and rank them from most difficult to easiest. You then move through your list in that order.
Once you get the most daunting task out of the way, you now know that every other task facing you for the rest of the day can only bring you incremental satisfaction.
It’s only up from here my friend.
4. the five-second rule
Do not give yourself time to sit back and reconsider. a lot of procrastination comes from pondering the things that we know we have to do. For example, getting out of bed – we hit snooze and say “ugh, I’ll get up in 5 minutes” then 5 minutes turns to 10, 10 to 15 and suddenly you’re in bed for an entire extra hour!
related post: here’s a quick way to stop procrastinating
Don’t give yourself the opportunity – when you know you have something to do, count down in your head from five. Once you hit zero, you must get up and act!
Physically moving is one of the most obvious ways to signal to your brain that a change in behavior is coming
By taking away the opportunity to overthink tasks by making quicker decisions, you will see how much buffering time you cut down.
5. Break down your big tasks
Break big tasks down into smaller, actionable steps
Writing involved tasks in your planner such as “write blog post” or “post new youtube video” are not the most effective because they require so many intermediate steps and moving parts.
For example, every time I write a blog post I have to do research, outline, edit, create graphics, add links, (and there’s more, this is a non-exhaustive list).
Writing down large umbrella tasks without including their parts as separate “to-dos” puts you at risk of forgetting important steps. It also creates room for overwhelm because no matter how hard you work, it will take you an extremely long time to feel the gratification of checking a task off at the end of the day!
By creating mini-tasks you can actually track your progress and give yourself the opportunity to feel much better about what it is that you’ve accomplished.
6. Let go of your need for perfection
Don’t allow yourself to add unplanned subtasks to your list.
Unless your additions are are urgent/time sensitive, stick to the list you’ve made!
Remember: something doesn’t need to be perfect to be done
7. Stay on Task
If your goal for today was to write an outline of your work and tomorrow to write the first draft, then you are still on the path to completion. Work according to intention and discipline yourself to stick to a set plan.
Doing more than you set out to may help you feel accomplished in the moment but it also derails your plan in the grand scheme of things.
This will really sink in when you look over at your to-do list and you haven’t accomplished anything that you planned because you decided to take a different route.
Trust in the vision that you set out for your day and work! Watching yourself progress on the path that you’ve set for yourself is a surefire way to continue on a path of productivity.
8. reward yourself!
Treat yourself honey!
Delayed gratification builds character! If you have a goal to work out each morning, tell yourself that you are not allowed to indulge in your delicious breakfast until you get it done. This way you have a carrot at the end of the stick pushing you to complete the task
You will then begin to associate this feeling of positive reinforcement with the task that is currently facing you!
In this case, you will associate the happiness you feel from the endorphins your workout released and the taste of food with the hard work and exercise, creating an urge to show up for this task repeatedly.
