Procrastination is a great enemy of success and an epidemic to which we all fall victim several times throughout our lives. Research indicates that procrastination chronically affects approximately 15–20% of adults and that around a quarter of adults believe it is a key characteristic of their personality. So, how can we tackle the urge to procrastinate in the year 2023? Read on to find out more.
Signs You’re Procrastinating
It isn’t always so easy to identify if you’re procrastinating, but if you’re doing any of the following, it probably means you are.
- You spend your day completing low-priority tasks.
- As soon as you start a high-priority task, you get up to make a drink or snack.
- You prioritise small, menial tasks that aren’t as important as the big ones you need to do.
- You are reading this article or books about procrastination instead of doing something important.
- You ignore an item that has been haunting your to-do list for a while.
- You feel you’re never in the right headspace to get on with a certain task and endlessly await the arrival of a better time to do it.
6 Ways to Stop Procrastinating
Do the Annoying Tasks First
If there is an annoying task looming over you, don’t let it loom all day or all week. Do it first thing in the morning to get it out of the way early. As tasks arise, tackle them head-on to prevent them from piling up and giving you a reason to procrastinate.
Remove Distractions
Scrolling on social media, messaging pals and switching on Netflix all pose huge distractions and perpetuate procrastination. So do yourself a favour and lock away all distractions from sight. Heck — turn off your Wi-Fi if you need to, or get a loved one to confiscate your devices so you can focus.
Switch up your Environment
Your environment is everything when it comes to being productive versus procrastinating the day away. If you know that you don’t work well in a busy cafe, don’t choose a busy cafe to get a high-priority task done. Obvious as it may seem, when we face a mammoth task we’ve long put off, we aren’t always able to think logically.
Get Yourself An Ally
Ask a friend or family member to check up on you to see if you’re being productive. In the absence of people to check up on you, there are various online tools, such as Procraster, to help keep you on track. Knowing you might disappoint someone else if you don’t get on with what you need to do can be a greater driver than the idea of disappointing yourself.
Plan, Plan, Plan!
The best psychology books say that waking up without a plan for the day is a surefire way to procrastinate. Make a plan ahead of time for what you need to get done, setting out your priorities, goals and deadlines to keep you focused and on task.
Give yourself Rewards
Sometimes, all we need is the promise of a nice treat on the other side of completing a dreaded chore, such as a baked good or a pub-outing with friends. Whatever the perfect endpoint is to motivate you through a difficult task, promise it to yourself on completion.
Conclusion
Bottom line — everybody procrastinates. So don’t beat yourself up over it; you can’t always lunge enthusiastically at every task that comes your way. Acknowledge that procrastination happens, try to unpack why you are procrastinating and apply some or all of the tips above to make the chores you face that bit more surmountable.
We hope that 2023 is a year of minimal procrastination and maximum productivity!
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