Tips to overcome procrastination
By: The Growup Group
Tags: Rewards, Motivation, Ambition, Goals, Procrastination

Procrastination — The only reason you have a pile of unattended work on your head, which you end up stressing about all day, but cannot complete. According to psychologists, procrastinators have a faulty sense of time. They think they have enough time for working. Whereas, in reality, they fall short of time to do a particular task. It is also linked with one’s ability to manage stress. Often the thought of the job being too strenuous overpowers our mind and makes us unwilling to work. We conceive the work as challenging and procrastinate. But the irony is that it increases the stress levels in the long run.

Procrastination is a term we hear often but it can be a simple case of laziness for the majority but may become the reason for anxiety and depression, if not dealt with at the initial levels. It won’t be strange if your mind becomes full of self-critical thoughts. Procrastination is a subject which psychologists deal with every day and provide us with efficient tips to overcome it. It’s prime time we put away all those futile thoughts and adopt to these strategies. You need not browse through hundreds of research papers to do that. Here I have put together the best five tips to beat procrastination and become productive than ever.

1. Take it easy

One of the most common reasons for procrastination is that we overthink the task. In simple words, we are afraid to start with the task. It often occurs with me, I think I won’t be able to do the job as per my expectation. That prevents me to start it, I keep convincing myself that I will surely start with it the next day. ‘Will I be able to do it’ and ‘What if I get it wrong’ are the common questions that strain out mind? The thing is, you don’t have to think about it so much. Your fear may be true and you mess up initially. But once you begin with it, you will feel happy about working and not being lazy again. As for the task is concerned, you are well aware of our abilities, and know that you will complete it.

2. Focus on the long-term goals

You want to complete that artwork. But you are procrastinating thinking it’s just an artwork. It makes no difference if I don’t finish it up. Now, think again that your artwork is complete and is up for sale online. How good is that going to feel? Undoubtedly, you will be thrilled about it. Usually, procrastinators lack motivation. Instead of thinking about their achievements once they reach their goal, they focus on the idea of it not making any difference if the work is not done. They end up thinking of excuses to not do it, rather than the motivation to do it. But if you think about the happiness that comes with an accomplished task, you will find your enthusiasm to do it.

3. Get realistic

You delegate yourself to compete a hundred pages presentation in a day although you know you might not complete it. You could just complete fifty and you lose your inclination towards the task as you could not achieve your goal. This may happen with you if you don’t be realistic with your undertakings. Let’s think of the same scenario again, but this time your goal is to complete fifty pages by the end of the day. You successfully achieve your goal and now, you are eager, to begin with, the next day’s endeavors. The importance of setting viable goals for yourself is clear here. Instead of trying to do everything in one go, divide your work into chunks. That will make it much more convenient for you to work.

4. Revamp your work environment

Staying in the same work environment for too long or choosing the wrong place to work can substantially reduce your commitment to your chores. Good natural light, calm colors, and an organized workspace can brighten up your mood. A cluttered, gloomy, or noisy environment can badly affect your productivity. Certain scents are scientifically proven to assist you to work better, so why not apply that to your work environment? Further, we cannot ignore the positivity that plants bring to a place. You can also keep snacks and water within your reach, to avoid getting distracted to fetch snacks.

5. Reward yourself

You want to watch your favorite Netflix show. But you have work to do. Confused? I have a solution for you. Work for an hour and then reward yourself with ten minutes of your favorite show. It’s not just limited to your favorite show, you can reward yourself with anything — chocolate, a chapter of your favorite book, a call with your friend — the options are endless! The fact that you reached your goal will make you feel happy and a break will refresh your mind. It is an effective method to develop a positive attitude towards work. So, instead of letting things be a distraction for you, learn to use them to your benefits. The only thing to remember is that you need to be true to yourself regarding rewarding yourself.

All of us suffer from procrastination in our everyday lives. We need not feel guilty about it. The thing is, it should not affect our physical and mental health and we should learn to deal with it.

Written by Shubhangi for The Growup Group