Eight ways to overcome procrastination

Procrastination isn’t only linked with laziness – it can be caused by fear of failure and anxiety. So here’s eight ways you can overcome procrastination.

To stop the stressful feeling of not getting things done, try these solutions to get you back on track.

1. Understand how it affects you

How does procrastination affect your life? Try to think about the habits that often cause it.

This insight can prevent you from feeling inadequate and can help you understand the causes of your procrastination.

2. Plan your time

Create estimates of how long it will take you to complete a task and then compare your accuracy across multiple days.

This can become the start of an effective platform for working. It can also improve the quality of work and relieve stress.

3. Change your perspective

Find something about your task that you enjoy and focus on that. Look beyond the monotony and identify personal goals.

Identifying these personal goals can improve engagement. Also, reassessing a task can make it seem less intimidating.

4. Work in a productive environment

Choose who you work with and where, wisely. Try to avoid places that have distractions which promote procrastination.

This removes a number of obstacles that can hamper getting tasks completed.

5. Be realistic

Set reasonable targets so you can measure your success. But try to be patient, as success won’t happen overnight.

Beware: unrealistic goals can feed procrastination, so bear that it mind when trying to achieve difficult tasks.

6. Swiss-cheese tasks

Dedicate small chunks of time to a big task. You can then try to achieve as much as possible in those small spaces of time without feeling any pressure.

7. Counter obstacles

Create a list of possible obstacles that might crop up when you’re completing a task. You can then plan countermeasures to effectively overcome the procrastination.

8. Give yourself rewards for progress

Create a reward system to celebrate certain goals. You could also arrange small punishments if you miss them.

This provides you with the incentive and drive to complete your tasks.

If you are struggling to overcome procrastination, a life coach may be able to help. To find a life coach in your area, please use our advanced search tool.

Read and comment on the original Entrepreneur article.