10 Tips To Avoid Procrastination
6. Break bigger tasks into smaller chunks
Breaking to-do things into smaller pieces will not only make the goal achievable but also reduce the stress that comes along. For example, if you have to file your tax return by the next month, plan for it right now. Break the whole process into small parts. Set 1 day of the week to look into it. Say, in the first week, you only collate all your financial documents, in the next week, you fix an appointment with your financial advisor, so on and so forth. This way, the pressure that you feel to fulfill the work (which makes you procrastinate) will be totally gone and you’d feel like working towards it.
7. Gulp down your fear
This brings us to the next thing, fear. Fear is one of the causes of procrastination. Because you fear a person, a situation or an outcome, you think it’s best to postpone work related to them to some other time and that continues forever. The best way out is to face your fear and work on it. If you have to make a call to your boss regarding something, call him right away. Don’t contemplate on what he’d say or entertain your fear. Go beyond it.
8. Give yourself a buffer time
When you set a plan for a task, make sure you give yourself some extra time to come back to the task after it has finished. Just in case, you need to do an extra thing or two, you’d get that space. If you happen to make some mistake while doing your work, you’ll get some time to fix it.
9. Never lose focus
When you are doing something, do it with total concentration. Don’t let anything come to your mind. If even for a second you feel that you need to take a break, there are chances you’d once again procrastinate. Hence, avoid distractions. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t take breaks at all. You can time your breaks but never give into your impulses.
10. Reward yourself
Every time you finish a task, reward yourself with something; be it a simple thing like organizing your desk at the workplace. For every small task, reward yourself with a little gift or some extra music. Bigger tasks mean bigger perks. This will serve as a reinforcement and gradually you’d let go off your habit of procrastination.
A little bit of procrastination is an integral part of everyone’s nature. But if procrastination is thwarting your professional progress, it’s a serious concern and you have to take steps against it. It will help you in the long run.
