{"id":4944,"date":"2016-02-22T15:44:07","date_gmt":"2016-02-22T15:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/release.staging.redbooth.com\/content-hub\/?p=4941"},"modified":"2016-04-29T13:34:13","modified_gmt":"2016-04-29T13:34:13","slug":"9-ways-to-finally-stop-procrastinating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/9-ways-to-finally-stop-procrastinating\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Ways to Finally Stop Procrastinating"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another day is here and you <\/span>still<\/span><\/i> haven\u2019t started \u2014 let alone finished \u2014 that major piece of work you\u2019ve been meaning to do. <\/span><\/p>\n

Now the deadline is looming like the grim reaper and your anxiety levels are rising by the minute. Sound familiar? You tell yourself there\u2019s always tomorrow. But, why not start today?<\/span><\/p>\n

Procrastination is a habit that is just as ingrained as biting your nails or tapping your fingers when nervous. Being a serial procrastinator is not only bad for productivity but is also detrimental to stress levels and self confidence. This results in unfulfilled goals and feelings of guilt.<\/p>\n

The key is to rid yourself of the fear of failure and negative thoughts. Here are 9 ways to stop procrastinating on those dreaded tasks and just get the work done.<\/p>\n

1. Change Your Environment<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re finding it impossible to find your groove in your usual workspace, it\u2019s time to change it up. Go to the park, a coffee shop, or even move to a different room. Physically removing yourself and working in a different environment may be the remedy you need to get into the right headspace and crank out the work.<\/p>\n

2. Write Two To-Do Lists<\/h2>\n

If you have one long list of all your tasks, it is natural to want to complete the nice, easy tasks first and avoid more challenging ones. To combat this, create two separate to-do lists. Focus on the important tasks that you want to put off first. Once these have been checked off as complete, move on to your list of simple tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Break It Down<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s undoubtedly overwhelming to stare at a blank page and wonder how on Earth you\u2019re going to write a 2,000-word masterpiece. A great technique is to break a task into smaller components so you can complete it in chunks. That way, it\u2019s much more manageable and wards away feelings of anxiety and panic.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Create a Detailed Plan<\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve broken your task into smaller parts, it\u2019s time to make a plan. Using the deadline as a guide, give each mini-task its own completion date. Work out what resources you need and whether you\u2019ll need assistance from other people. Print your plan out and have it next to you as a constant reminder of what needs to be done by when. Don\u2019t forget to tick off each small task as you go. It\u2019s a great motivator to keep going.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Eliminate Distractions<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s all too easy nowadays to do something \u2014 <\/span>anything<\/span><\/i> else \u2014 to avoid doing something you don\u2019t want to do. Create a new habit of switching off from social media, email and phone calls when completing important tasks. If you get distracted easily when working on your laptop, consider using an online distraction management tool such as <\/span>Freedom.<\/span><\/a> This solution blocks websites and apps so you\u2019re not tempted to spend <\/span>another<\/span><\/i> 30 minutes browsing Wikipedia.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Get Inspired<\/h2>\n

Has someone already accomplished the very thing you\u2019re trying to achieve? Look to them for inspiration and find out exactly how they stay motivated. You may feel you\u2019re the only one struggling with procrastination but the fact is that everyone procrastinates from time to time. The difference is that some people push through and get things done no matter what. Use these people\u2019s stories and be your own success story.<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Give Yourself a Positive Motivator and Negative Consequence<\/h2>\n

Instead of having negative thoughts towards a task you particularly detest, think about what the implications of not doing it may be. Will your reputation be tarnished? Will you lose out on winning future work? <\/span><\/p>\n

Attaching a consequence to an action, or inaction\u00a0can be a powerful motivator. Similarly, allow yourself a reward once you have completed a task that was especially challenging. If you are rewarded with something that is valued by you, this will enhance feelings of positivity and personal satisfaction.<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Get a Support Team<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s easy to procrastinate when there\u2019s nobody around to\u00a0check on what you\u2019re doing. This is a common plight of freelancers and anyone who works by themselves. One way to ensure procrastination doesn\u2019t rear its ugly head is to enlist the help of others and tell them what you want to achieve. Make sure they check in on you often and will provide the encouragement you need to meet those deadlines.<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Stop Trying To Be Perfect<\/h2>\nProcrastination goes hand in hand with perfectionism. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

Procrastination goes hand in hand with perfectionism, and it can be harmful to output. Sure, it\u2019s important to do things right and take pride in your work, but there comes a point where what you\u2019re producing is more than good enough. Ask yourself whether it\u2019s worth spending another day or two on that same task, or whether you should leave it be and move on.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not going to happen overnight, but it is possible to take steps to stop procrastination in its tracks and hop aboard the productivity train. Be brave and don\u2019t let fear hold you back from getting things done <\/span>today. <\/span><\/p>\n

Let us know if any of these techniques work for you and whether you have any other tips to wave goodbye to procrastination in the comments below!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Another day is here and you still haven\u2019t started \u2014 let alone…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":5058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[173,175,174],"class_list":["post-4944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-productivity","tag-organization","tag-productivity","tag-time-management","option-evergreen","option-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}