How To Stop Procrastinating! Learn How To Stop Procrastination, Get Procrastination Help And Overcom

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One of the best strategies you can use to permanently and on how to overcome procrastination is to become comfortable being uncomfortable. Mastering this skill can allow you to do pretty much anything. You can stop procrastinating, begin that exercise regimen, eat healthier, get that degree, speak in public, and overcome specific challenges in your life.

Truthfully, most people choose to avoid being uncomfortable.

I. The Science Behind Procrastination

Just the thought of working hard or experiencing some level of pain is the main reason they fail to change their habits. For example, many people choose to live a sedentary life because exercising takes too much effort. It is easier to simply sit at a desk or lie on the couch all day. Similarly, when people try to push aside their junk food and start eating a healthy diet, they often discover that the new food on their plate is bland, unexciting, and not filling.

Changing what your taste buds are used to is a bit uncomfortable, but to be honest, you can retrain your taste buds if you are willing to push through a little discomfort. As people avoid discomfort, they pay the price of not being able to change things in their lives, not living a healthy life, and not being open to new adventures. The important thing to remember here is that a little discomfort is healthy. If you choose to master discomfort, you can do it comfortably. While this may sound counter-intuitive, it means that you do things at your own pace and a little bit at a time.

If your goal is to increase your activity level, start with walking outside for 30 minutes a day. Do not worry about your pace or how far you are able to go—just walk. When you want to stop, push yourself just a bit further. Begin to sit through the moments of discomfort so you can get used to the feeling and see how it comes and goes. Each time you go back and try to do something, push through one more phase of discomfort to help you gradually learn how to comfortably leave your comfort zone. Do you start to have negative thoughts or complain silently in your head?

Do you start looking for a way out? How do your thoughts change if you stick with the discomfort and push your way through? Learning how to smile while being uncomfortable can help you be happy with discomfort. Smiling sends a message to your brain that you are happy and everything is fine.

It also sends the message to other people that you are confident in what you are doing, which will likely make you feel more comfortable as well. Practicing discomfort is one of the best ways on how to overcome procrastination. It's like building a muscle.

How to Stop Procrastinating Tip #2: Do a 5- to 10-Minute Daily Review

Write notes to yourself on pieces of paper, and put them around the areas you usually procrastinate. Carry around a small notepad and a pen. Throughout the day, when you notice yourself getting the urge to procrastinate, simply put a little tally mark on the paper. These tally marks are not necessarily a good or bad thing. Instead, they act as a way for you to build awareness of your desire to procrastinate. Finally, at the end of the day, you should track the awareness habit as something that you successfully completed.

Like any other habit, you should track the fact that you did it throughout the day. You can even sign up on Coach. If you'd like to learn more about the science behind temptation bundling, check out this presentation recorded by Professor Milkman on this subject.

Procrastination: A Scientific Guide on How to Stop Procrastinating

At no point in the day do I say to myself: That said, I do them happily, because this task is part of the large, really important value of building a great relationship with my wife. She likes to live in a clean, organized household. And I like to make her happy. This means that doing the dishes has become one part of the important goal of maintaining a quality marriage. Simply make a list of your personal and professional responsibilities. Then connect each one to an important value or goal. The big things in life require a solid action plan and a support network to tap into whenever you encounter an obstacle.

This is true for your career trajectory and your personal development. There are a variety of ways to be accountable, like posting your progress on social media accounts or telling the people in your life about your new routine, but I have found that there are three strategies that get the best results. The first is to use Beeminder , which is a habit-building app on steroids.

Instead of relying on self-reporting to track your habits, Beeminder syncs with a variety of apps like Gmail , Fitbit , and RescueTime to make sure you follow through with your commit- ments. If you fail to achieve a target goal, then Beeminder will charge you money. The second option is to use Coach. Trust me—the simple act of knowing that you have to update people on your progress is motivation enough to stick to a habit-stacking routine. Finally, you can work with an accountability partner with whom you share your breakthroughs, challenges, and future plans.

This is a great way to get a kick in the butt whenever you feel a wane in motivation. Every month, we create a thread where members can connect with one another and become accountability partners. You don't need to be crippled by that feeling of overwhelm. Or even pin it on Pinterest, using the graphic we've provided below. A student will procrastinate in school, waiting until the last minute to study for a test or write a term paper. How to Stop Procrastinating Tip 1: This can be done by asking yourself a few questions: What is the worst-case scenario if I ignore this issue? How would this potential emergency negatively affect my friends and family?

What are the not-so-important tasks or obligations that I can put off to take care of this potential emergency? What simple actions can I take today to resolve this issue? How to Stop Procrastinating Tip 2: Do a 5- to Minute Daily Review A simple way to deal with your procrastination is to schedule a 5- to minute daily review session. You should ask yourself these key questions during the review session: What appointments and meetings require me to be somewhere at a set time? Are there any emergency emails that need to be immediately addressed?

Is there an appointment or activity that could take longer than expected? How does each task relate to my quarterly S. Now before we go any further How to Stop Procrastinating Tip 3: See how this works in the real world?

How to Stop Procrastinating Tip 4: How to Stop Procrastinating Tip 5: Here is a quick graphic that provides an overview of this system. Does that mean nothing in Q4 should be a part of your life? The short answer is no. Make seven copies of these blank grids that represent each day of the week. Whenever something new pops up, take a minute or two to think about the nature of the task and put it in the appropriate quadrant. At the end of the week, when all of the grids are full, evaluate how effectively you spent your time and whether your process needs to be reorganized.

How to Stop Procrastinating Tip 6: Whenever you think of something that needs done, ask yourself: Here are a few examples: Rinsing a dish and putting it in the dishwasher after a meal instead of putting it in the sink. Discarding junk mail into a recycling bin right when you receive it. Putting away your clothes after wearing them instead of tossing them on a chair. Returning phone calls immediately whenever you receive a voice mail. How to Stop Procrastinating Tip 7: Picture the following scenario: This pattern repeats itself over the next few weeks.

Want to start writing? Set a goal to write one sentence. Want to run more? Set a goal to put on your exercise clothes. Want to improve your sales record? Set a goal to pick up the phone and call the first lead. Want to improve your grades? Set a goal to spend five minutes reviewing your notes. Want to improve your nutrition? Set a goal to eat one mouthful of a salad. How to Stop Procrastinating Tip 8: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. You can do this with many of the larger tasks on your to-do list, such as: How to Stop Procrastinating Tip 9: When using the Pomodoro Technique, you: How to Stop Procrastinating Tip Build the Discomfort Habit.

How to Master Discomfort. Choose an easy task. Just do a little. Some people fear success as much as failure. Often, they'd rather avoid doing a task that they don't feel they have the skills to do, than do it imperfectly. Another major cause of procrastination is poor decision-making. If you can't decide what to do, you'll likely put off taking action in case you do the wrong thing. For some people, procrastination is more than a bad habit; it's a sign of a serious underlying health issue. Also, research suggests that procrastination can be a cause of serious stress and illness.

So, if you suffer from chronic or debilitating procrastination, one of these conditions could be to blame, and you should seek the advice of a trained professional. Learn essential career skills every week , and get your bonus Time Management: Procrastination is a habit — a deeply ingrained pattern of behavior. This means that you probably can't break it overnight. Habits only stop being habits when you avoid practicing them, so try as many of the strategies, below, as possible to give yourself the best possible chance of succeeding.

An alternative approach is to embrace "the art of delay. This strategy can work particularly well if you are someone who thrives under pressure. However, if you do decide to actively procrastinate, be sure to avoid putting your co-workers under any unnecessary, unpleasant and unwanted pressure! If you're procrastinating because you find a task unpleasant, try to focus on the "long game.

Combat this by identifying the long-term benefits of completing the task. For instance, could it affect your annual performance review or end-of-year bonus? Another way to make a task more enjoyable is to identify the unpleasant consequences of avoiding it. For instance, what will happen if you don't complete the work?

How might it affect your personal, team or organizational goals? At the same time, it can be useful to reframe the task by looking at its meaning and relevance. This will increase its value to you and make your work more worthwhile.

It's also important to acknowledge that we can often overestimate the unpleasantness of a task. So give it a try! You may find that it's not as bad as you thought, after all! If you procrastinate because you're disorganized, here are six strategies to help you get organized:. If you're prone to delaying projects because you find them overwhelming, try breaking them down into more manageable chunks. Organize your projects into smaller tasks and focus on starting them, rather than on finishing them.

In his book, " The Procrastination Cure ," Jeffery Combs suggests tackling tasks in minute bursts of activity. Start with quick and small tasks first. These "small wins" will give you a sense of achievement, and will make you feel more positive and less overwhelmed by the larger project or goal that you are working towards. Finally, if you think that you are putting something off because you can't decide what action to take or you find it hard to make decisions, take a look at our range of decision-making tools to help you to develop your decision-making skills.

Procrastination is the habit of delaying an important task, usually by focusing on less urgent, more enjoyable, and easier activities instead. It is different from laziness, which is the unwillingness to act. Procrastination can restrict your potential and undermine your career. It can also disrupt teamwork, reduce morale, and even lead to depression and job loss.

How to Stop Procrastinating Tip #1: Resolve Any Potential Emergency

So, it's crucial to take proactive steps to prevent it. The first step to overcoming procrastination is to recognize that you're doing it. Then, identify the reasons behind your behavior and use appropriate strategies to manage and overcome it.

How to Stop Procrastinating

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