Procrastination is a phenomenon familiar to everyone. A reason people procrastinate is because they believe they can easily complete something in a short amount of time, when it’s closer to the deadline. It’s a result of having very little motivation for a boring or unpleasant activity.
Joseph R. Ferrari, a psychology professor at DePaul University in Chicago, has studied procrastination throughout his professional life.
He says about 20 percent of the population are procrastinators. Not everyone is a habitual procrastinator. Some of us just engage in occasional delaying tactics, lateness, or putting off things we know we need to get done today until tomorrow.
Vivian Giang, contributor for Business Insider, collected insights from Psychology Today, WebMD, and LifeHack on how to kick procrastination to the curb.
Manage Technological Distractions
Email can be a huge distraction especially when it’s constantly bombarding you so don’t open an email if you don’t have time to read it.
Instead, try setting aside some time to check your email, whether it’s at the beginning, middle, and end of the day or every hour. If something comes through needing a response, then respond. If it can wait, then let it.
If a social network is distracting you, sign out and close the browser window. Try scheduling yourself 30 minutes a day to unwind and check your social networks.
Model Yourself after a Non-Procrastinator
Ferrari suggests finding out who your most productive colleagues are and teaming up with them. Surround yourself with non-procrastinators and try to model yourself after the people that get a lot done.
Stay on Task
If you return from a meeting or lunch with a full inbox of new assignments, finish what you’ve already started and need to get done. Deal with all the new assignments after you’ve completed what you’re already working on.
Schedule Your Time in Smaller Increments
If your deadline is far off, it becomes a generality. Planning in smaller time increments will less likely lead to putting off a project until the last minute.
Set Deadlines
Create a schedule with clear due dates for each task, and use visual cues as reminders such as setting reminders in your calendar or putting post-it notes on your computer screen.
Map Out Deadlines
Use one calendar to keep track of all the deadlines you need to meet. Giang says if your task today affects your task tomorrow, you will experience an urgency to act.
Ask for Help
Ask a colleague to review your work. Knowing they are expecting it can help get you started.
Change Your Mindset
Stop looking at yourself as a procrastinator. Instead see yourself as someone who gets things done.
Get Out
Switch up your work environment, take a walk and come back reinvigorated to get back to work.
Reward Yourself
Hard work should be rewarded whether it’s after work drinks with some friends, or a meal at your favorite restaurant. If you spend too much time on something, you may start to resent it.
The best piece of advice we came across: Stop waiting for the perfect time and just do it. It’s never too late to break the cycle of putting off important tasks. Create a reasonable, workable schedule and make an effort to stick with it.
What ways do you kick procrastination to the curb?
