Do you remember the time while you were working and then stopped for checking your Instagram, scrolling through reels, reading tweets, planning for online shopping, or thinking about some random thoughts? Yeah, that is procrastination. Procrastination means delaying or postponing something or a task at hand. Procrastination is delaying a certain work for something which is more enjoyable. People generally procrastinate on a boring or dull task. However, it is a concern when people put their important tasks on hold. This may result in failure to do something, or affect productivity. And if you wish to know more about how to stop procrastinating, continue reading the blog to find out more.
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Scientific Ways to Stop Procrastination
Check out these scientific ways for how to stop procrastinating:
- Instead of managing all tasks at once, pick a specific one that you have been procrastinating on and complete it on a priority basis.
- Start now. There is no right time to work on something. You must believe in taking immediate action. This will prevent you from having distracting thoughts.
- Set five minutes to take a decision to work on the task that can lead it forward.
- Pick up a motivational song that enables you to take up the task you have been decaying. Having a power song will set you in the mood to complete your tasks and commit to them.
- Challenge yourself or make a bet with your friend to complete something within a certain time limit. This will give you the boost to commit to the task.
- One of the best ways is to reward yourself. Make a promise to yourself that if you complete a task you will let’s say treat yourself with good coffee, or sweet delicacy, or anything.
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10 Ways to Stop Procrastination
Take a look at these effective ways how to stop procrastinating:
Acknowledge Your Procrastination
First things first, in order to stop procrastinating, one must first recognize their procrastination. Delaying your tasks for some other high-priority work is not necessarily procrastination. However, if you are ignoring your work at hand for some not-so-important thing then you should reflect on your procrastination.
Figure Out the Reason for your Procrastination
You must try to figure out the reason for procrastinating your work. Many people procrastinate because they find a certain task boring or dull. Another reason can be that your tasks are poorly organized which hinders you from overcoming your procrastination. Some other reasons include poor decision-making skills, lack of interest, fear of responsibilities, etc.
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Make an Anti-Procrastination Plan
Procrastination can become a habit that can eventually affect your productivity. However, with a few simple steps, you can change this habit gradually.
- Do not dwell on your past procrastination and forgive yourself for that
- Prioritize your tasks for the day
- Be focused and commit to the task at hand
- Reward yourself for successfully completing a task
Keep A To-Do List
Make a to-do list of all the tasks of the day and make time slots for each of them. This enables you to complete your work in a given period of time and prevents you from procrastinating.
Adopt Active Procrastination
Convert your procrastinating habit to productive. Instead of pursuing a not-so-important deed, try doing something useful like reading something meaningful, doing pre-preps for the next task in the line, setting reminders for deadlines, etc.
Do the Hardest Task First
Since many people are more active on the first of the day, it is advised to complete the hardest task during that time. This will give the sense of satisfaction of completing a burdensome task.
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Give Yourself A Pep Talk
No one knows you better than yourself. Thus, you must motivate yourself to calm down and find your focus to meet your goals. Assure yourself that you can manage and handle all tasks well.
Do not Overpressurize Yourself
Getting overpressurized or stressed would only make it difficult for you to complete your work. Do not be too hard on yourself or get angry if you could not stop procrastinating in the initial days. The best thing is to move on and focus on the other important aspects.
Set an Environment
Pick up a spot where you are less likely to procrastinate and feel comfortable. Having a favorable environment can make a huge impact on your productivity.
Manage your Mobile
The best advice for the last. It is highly recommended to keep your apps’ notifications on silent so you do not get tempted to check your phone time and again. Instead, use it wisely. Use alert or productive apps to prevent yourself from procrastinating.
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FAQs
Given below are some observable effects of procrastination:
Create a feeling of anxiety or pressure
Decrease your productivity
Render you to miss out on the deadline
Make you lazy or irresponsible
Given below are the tips for how to stop procrastinating for students:
Avoid mobile phone distractions
Pick a peaceful study location
Take necessary breaks
Work with study groups
Procrastination could develop from stress in our lives that hinder us from relaxing our minds and focusing on something. This can also be from negatives belief we have about ourselves.
We hope that this blog has provided you with relevant information on how to stop procrastinating. Follow Leverage Edu for more interesting content on Career Counseling.