How To Stop Procrastinating — The Ultimate Guide to Overcoming Procrastination

Ahamed Aqeel
3 min readAug 23, 2021
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We all procrastinate. It’s something that we have to learn how to overcome if we want to be productive, but it can feel like a daunting task at times. This blog post will discuss the psychology of procrastination and provide tips for overcoming it, so you can get more done!

What is procrastination

Procrastination is generally defined as the act of putting off a task that you need to do in order to start or complete another one. A person who has a strong procrastination habit may put off tasks that are hard or unpleasant to do. A person who doesn’t procrastinate may sometimes put things off but tends to do their best work when faced with a deadline or to get a task done. Procrastination is when you do not do a task but put it off until a later time in the future. This helps to avoid having to do it now, which is not definitely the best solution when you need to do it.

What causes procrastination

We procrastinate because we lack motivation. We don’t feel like doing the task at hand or we think it’s not important enough, so time passes by and before you know it, you never got around to working on what matters.

Some people procrastinate because they’re afraid of failure. People with a high number of perfectionist tendencies are more likely to have this fear, which manifests in thoughts like “I can’t do it” or “It won’t turn out the way I want.”

Strategies to Overcome Procrastination

Plan for the day ahead

Plan out your tasks for the day ahead of time and set a goal or deadline for when you need to complete them by. So you can stay on track while at work. This will help keep procrastination tendencies in check!

Break down tasks into smaller pieces and beat them one by one

procrastination can be mitigated by breaking down tasks into smaller pieces, giving ourselves deadlines and finding ways to make the task more rewarding.

Make tasks more enjoyable

Find ways to make tasks more enjoyable. procrastinators procrastinate because they don’t feel like doing the task due to lack of motivation or enjoyment. So try to find ways to make tasks more enjoyable with things such as a favorite snack or by listening to music

Remove distractions

It is hard to focus when we have things distracting us. Close your Facebook and turn off any notifications on your phone. This will help us stay focused on the task that we have in front of us right now, instead of being tempted by other things we could do instead.

Need a break? Take one!

Take breaks when necessary, Don’t work so hard that you get burnt out! Breaks are good for your health and productivity levels because they allow us to take our mind off from what we’re doing in order to recharge. That’s why many people find taking short walks outside help as well as reading books or watching movies (or any activity!)

Reward yourself for your hard work

Reward yourself! This can be with anything from taking time for your favorite hobby, indulging in something you’ve been craving or even watching an episode of your favorite show; just make sure it doesn’t involve procrastinating more than what was already planned out for the day.

The Positive Side to Procrastination

While it may seem like a negative thing to do, there are actually a lot of benefits to procrastinating. You will be able to complete many more tasks if you put off doing them until a later time. That means you’ll have more time to do the tasks that you are actually excited about doing. You’ll be able to check off your to-do list much faster! You may be able to gain inspiration for the projects that you want to work on! And lastly, you’ll have more time to spend with your family and friends, which will make your life a whole lot more enjoyable!

Conclusion

I hope that this post will help you to be more productive and effective at whatever it is that you are trying to do. Take what I’ve written here, apply it, it’ll be worth it in the long run!

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