9 Essential Tips On How To Stop Procrastinating

9 Essential Tips On How To Stop Procrastinating

The problem with being a chronic procrastinator is the stress it causes because you know that you put things off which you should have done.

It’s a conflict between desire, and the motivation needed to accomplish the goal of that desire.

Checking out our Life Daily tips on how to stop procrastinating could be the greatest thing you do today!

Overcoming your procrastination is easy to do when you put your mind to it.

As Napoleon Hill, the author of many books on self-motivation, defined it: “Procrastination is the bad habit of putting of until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday”.

We couldn’t have put it better, so, stop procrastinating, and browse these tips NOW:

1. Create a to-do list

As old-fashioned as it may seem in this age of digital diaries and the like, a simple handwritten to-do list with check boxes can really help.

Try to prioritize with the most urgent items at the top. As you work through your day check off each of the items. You’ll feel great as you watch your ever-diminishing list of tasks.

2. First – finish the hard stuff

Finishing the largest items on your list will make you feel extra productive and give you the impetus to do other things you’ve been pushing to the side.

If the main task is huge, make a list of the parts of it that you can complete today. Don’t worry about completing the entire thing, but take the necessary steps now so that doing so in the future will be easier.

3. Do two-minute tasks

If you have something that you don’t really want to do, ask yourself “will this take less than two minutes to finish?”

If the answers is “yes” then do it! Just force yourself to use the next 120 seconds to do the task that you usually push off for hours or days.

4. Create a timed work frenzy

If you start daydreaming, set a period of time to do nothing but work. Take, say, ten minutes and go into a working frenzy. Force yourself to work productively for ten minutes.

It could be that you’ll get into working mode and keep going at a high pace even when your frenzy is finished.

5. Give yourself a break

Sometimes when you just can’t focus and are working half-heartedly – give yourself a brief break. Allow not more than fifteen minutes, set an alarm, then take a nap, read a book, or call your friend. Just be sure to stick with your deadline; don’t ignore the alarm when it finally goes off.

6. Not everything needs to be perfect

If you’re waiting for the perfect time- or the perfect anything else – you’re putting off completing your task. Think “quantity over quality.”

If your project requires perfection, stop and move on to your next task. When you’ve finished everything, you can go back and finish perfecting your original task.

7. Try to motivate yourself

Most procrastinators claim to work better under pressure – but what if your projects don’t have any deadlines? Just make your own. Set a time by which you must complete your project.

8. Work with a friend

If you just can’t work on your own, find a friend or family member to help you. work. Telling someone what you need to do will motivate you to finish your project. Get them to check which stage you are at from time-to-time, to give you the motivation to reach your target.

9. Try to focus on the end goal

Imagine the sense of relief and the feeling of accomplishment when you have completed everything you needed to do. Focus on all the free time, relaxation, money, or whatever, that you get when you finish. This will help you to keep at it as you work towards your goal.

If you follow the above tips on how to stop procrastinating, your life will get much easier.

As the actor, Christopher Parker, pointed out, “Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”

Are you a procrastinator? Do you have any tips of your own that could help others? You can share them easily by using the comments feed below.