To achieve your greatest potential means giving it your all to make it happen! However, procrastination can sometimes make it difficult to complete tasks. If you are struggling with procrastination to the point where it’s affecting your life, don’t worry. You can build techniques to overcome procrastination and achieve your full potential once you understand what causes it in the first place.
Procrastination affects roughly 20% of the population, according to Psychology Today. While most people put things off now and then, procrastinators consistently postpone critical activities. Rather than dealing with pressing matters, they concentrate on less essential, simpler tasks.
From an outsider’s view, it may appear to be a lack of planning or laziness. However, much research suggests that it’s so much more than that. “Procrastination is an emotion regulation problem, not a time management problem,” explained Dr. Tim Pychyl, a psychology professor and Procrastination Research Group member at Carleton University in Ottawa.
This perspective of procrastination as a form of self-sabotage is supported by a 2013 study published in the APS Observer. Demotivating feelings, such as fear of failure or worry, get in the way and keep people from accomplishing their goals.
This is because procrastinators experience negative feelings when confronted with a task; therefore, they postpone doing it to protect themselves. It’s almost as though it’s a coping method. Here are five ways to beat procrastination. These suggestions can assist you in working through some of the challenging emotions that are preventing you from getting things done.
Recognize Procrastination Patterns
Like any other coping mechanism, procrastination occurs subconsciously, and you may not even know it. So, how will you break the pattern of procrastination if you don’t even realize it’s happening? That is why merely being aware might help you overcome procrastination.
Mindfulness, or awareness of the present moment, was found to lessen procrastination patterns in a study published in Personality and Individual Differences. To practice mindfulness, try to notice occasions when you delay doing something. Pay attention to the thoughts and emotions that arise. You’re more likely to procrastinate less if you recognize when and how you feel when you do it.
Break Down Goals Into Manageable Tasks
Whether you want to write a book, learn a new language, or pay off debt, achieving an important life goal takes time and effort. It can be challenging to know where to begin! Making a timetable with goals broken down into more minor activities will help you commit to completing tasks without becoming overwhelmed.
Dan Ariely, a behavioral psychologist, told CNBC:
“Break down your big goals into small daily tasks. For example, if you wanted to write a book by the end of 2017, figure out how many pages you would have to write each day. Schedule time to do those daily tasks. For example, you could block one hour of time every night for writing.”
Try Using the Pomodoro Technique
Many procrastinators put off doing something until the last minute, believing they perform better under pressure. However, rushing to complete a task frequently results in poor performance. In addition, delaying work does not account for the possibility of mishaps and blunders, which can (and often do) occur.
The Pomodoro Technique can be used to trick your brain into completing tasks on time. The approach, developed by a university student named Franceso Cirillo, divides work into time intervals. Cirillo utilized a timer that looked like a tomato (Pomodoro means tomato in Italian). He’d set the timer to 25 minutes. Then he blocked out all distractions and concentrated only on the task at hand until the timer went off. Focusing on work for shorter periods helps prevent distractions, maintain attention, and make enormous undertakings feel less intimidating.
Allow Yourself to be Imperfect
According to Psych Central, procrastination is perfectionism. It may appear to be a good thing at first; perfectionists hold themselves to high standards. However, nobody is perfect in reality, and perfection is unattainable. You’ll always fall short and be disappointed if you try to achieve the unreachable.
What if you could let go of your need to be perfect or even good at something? What if you attempt something out of curiosity? As the expression goes, trying and failing is preferable to not trying at all. Begin with making a conscious effort to be flawed. After a few of these simple attempts, you may feel more confident in your ability to handle duties or try new things.
Practice Self-Compassion
A 2012 study in the journal Self and Identity reported procrastinators exhibiting lower self-compassion levels. Self-compassion involves forgiving yourself when you make a mistake, fail, or feel insufficient. Don’t ignore your emotions. Instead, treat yourself like a friend, with patience, respect, and understanding. Even when you make mistakes, practice forgiving yourself. Remind yourself of your strengths and congratulate yourself on tiny victories.
Remember to be kind and patient with yourself if you want to conquer procrastination and feel better about yourself overall. Allow yourself to relax. Learning is the only way to progress in life, and the only way to learn is to make errors and grow from them. Even when uncomfortable emotions arise, you will find it easier to handle tasks with a flexible, open mindset.
