There will always be
some undone work which keeps bothering
our mind. Mostly we procrastinate unconsciously. We know that it is important
to get things done, but we keep on postponing it without a strong reason. We don’t
do things because we don’t feel like doing, it means we are just lazy.
Our unconscious mind
controls most of our life. It also has a grip on what we procrastinate on. As
we already know our unconscious mind is lazy and it always finds short ways to
get things done. It also likes postponing things just to feel relaxed in the short
term.
So, how do we bring conscious attention to our procrastination and get things done easily?
1. Why?
To get a solution to
any problem you must know what the problem is. So, you should first understand
why you are procrastinating.
Are you
procrastinating because you are lazy? Are you procrastinating because you are
afraid to do something? are you procrastinating because of your lack of
belief? Or Are you procrastinating because of a lack of resources to complete the
task?
You should be very
clear about why you are doing what you are doing. Suppose say you are
procrastinating because of the lack of resources. You just can say "I have
to go and do it, that is how I will combat procrastination". No. Things
won't work that way. In this case, you have to first get your resources
procured.
Therefore, always
understand why you are procrastinating and then start from there.
2. Define the priority of the
task
You have to make
your mind understand how important it is to get that task done. I would always
recommend writing down what it means to work on that task and get it done.
You can use pen and paper or any electronic device to just feed the importance of
the task.
For example, suppose
you have a goal to lose weight. You are keeping on procrastinating on that. Now
what you can do is, take a notebook and write down how important it is to lose
weight for you. How happy you will feel once you lost your weight and how you
will fit into your old clothes so easily.
Just write how much
change it will make once you reach your goal without procrastinating on it!
3. Review your task
Sometimes, we also
procrastinate because of the chaos in the work. There might be a huge pile of
work undone. It will be hard for us to even start if we see a huge load of work
in front of us.
Before diving in and
starting the task, you should always review on how the task looks. Is it huge?
Is it exceeding your capacity? Are you undervaluing or overloading yourself?
You should check all
these criteria before getting started with the task.
4. Break down your goal
Always, use theS.M.A.R.T goal method to set a goal (Click here to read the article on how toset a goal).
We procrastinate
because we don’t set a goal in a proper way. If we correct and clear when
setting a goal, we are less likely to procrastinate on it.
It is always better
to break down larger goals into more efficient and easily achievable elements. This will ensure that you will procrastinate less and get things done
more.
5. Start small, but start
Take small steps
first. Don’t leap and get stuck. It is always better to start small.
As per the last point, you should break your goals down into smaller steps. These smaller steps
will give you an encouragement to start and reach your much bigger goal.
It is always better
to start small than not starting at all.
6. Reward yourself
It is important to
stay motivated while chasing the goal. This motivation is what ensures
that you will not procrastinate. To always keep yourself motivated you should
reward yourself.
Rewards boosts
dopamine, this dopamine gives out a goal feeling. Once you start rewarding
yourself, you will get addicted to it and you will complete the task without
procrastinating just to reward yourself.
7. Don’t be hard on yourself
Any goal you work on
should only take you to the next level. You should always have a positive
feeling towards the goal. So, in this case, if you beat yourself up just to
achieve the goal then you will hate that goal itself.
If you
procrastinate, then just work on that. You no need to curse yourself along if
you did not complete that goal. Then you will the whole point of achieving the
goal.
8. Use the pleasure predicting
sheet
The pleasure predicting
sheet is nothing but a table. This is where you record what you have to do and
how much satisfaction it gives when you complete it. Doing this exercise will
increase your motivation to get satisfied by doing a particular task more.
Below, is an example
of the Pleasure Predicting sheet
9. Be Accountable
Accountability is
one of the important traits to reduce procrastination. You can have an
accountability partner to increase your motivation. Being accountable will give
you a sense of responsibility. No one like to put down others. So, having an
accountability partner will yield more success.
You can also be
accountable to yourself. If you have a good level of self-motivation you can be
your own accountability partner.
10. Journal
I keep on talking
about journaling because it is the one tool that has helped me in every way.
Most importantly,
journaling has helped me build new habits. I was a master in procrastination,
but once I started doing journaling I became so motivated to get things done.
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