How To Finally Break Up With Procrastination + Get Together With Productivity

Personally, I am a recovering procrastination addict. I would procrastinate various things from house chores to even paying bills. 

Would you believe I procrastinated writing this post on reducing how we procrastinate?

Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished by a certain deadline. - Wikipedia 

What does procrastination actually cost us?

Procrastination is the thief of time. 

This can't be the first time we're hearing this statement.

This very popular proverb/idiom simply means 

Putting off an action leads to time-wasting. If something is necessary, it is best to act quickly to accomplish it. 

You might be thinking that we have all the time in the world but you forget that time never stops, you can't get even a second of yesterday that has passed. Once it's gone, it's gone forever. This is giving us an insight into how precious time is and that a mere act or habit such as procrastination costs us something so precious.

If we are aware that procrastination leads us to time-wasting and less productivity in our daily activities, then why do we still do it ? Why are some of us, chronic procrastinators? 

There are various reasons why we procrastinate, these reasons range from being distracted by others things to hiding behind the thought that we are multitasking. We all have our reasons. I would be taking you through different ways to stop procrastinating and start being a productive 

Here are 7 full proof ways to break your relationship with procrastination and begin a new era with productivity.

1. Acceptance that you procrastinate 

If this isn't step one I don't know what would be.

Whenever we indulge in some bad habits it usually takes us a while to come to terms with ourselves that we actually do them. Once you realize that you procrastinate,its quite essential that you know the kind of procrastinator that you are.

I would be analyzing four different types of procrastinators, it’s advisable to know what type of procrastinator you are , because this would help speed up the break up process.

  Type A : The Avoider

Mr. and Mrs. Avoider simply put off tasks because they are scared of failure.Hence the fear to take on the task or that they won't be able to finish it brings about this feeling of anxiety when they think of the task and this makes them avoid it more.

A common phrase for this couple is "I can't do it because....."

Are you an avoider ?

  Type B : The Perfectionist

Fear of failure is very common to the perfectionist, but failure in the sense that the job isn't done to perfection not that the job wasn't completed. The perfectionist pays too much attention to minor details and this leads them to stressing about getting every detail right.

The thought of having to pay attention to every detail leads the perfectionist to not starting anything at all or getting stuck in the middle of a task.

Are you a perfectionist ?

  Type C : The Dreamer

The dreamer has it all planned out, he has the best ideas and even the means to get them accomplished. So what's the issue here ? That's all the dreamer has, he's got the idea but no plans to carryout or attempt those ideas. He more or less has this mentality that he shouldn't have to work hard to get the tasks done. So he keeps planning but doesn't carry out the plans. He can spend all his time dreaming and never actually doing anything.

Are you a dreamer ?

  Type D : The Crisis maker

I feel majority of us fall under this category. In summary the Crisis maker never fails to utter these words "I work best under pressure". They believe that doing the work at the last minute would bring about great results and that working at such an hour comes with excitement that helps you perform better. I'm still guilty of this act because from time to time I might put off important tasks with the belief that as I'm approaching the deadline I would be motivated to complete the task properly.

Now that you have basic knowledge on the different kinds of procrastinators, what type do you fall under ? Are you ready to finally break the bond between yourself and procrastination ? This is where self determination and will power come in. Decide now!

2. Learn to set realistic and achievable goals/tasks

Everyone talks about setting goals, making plans, and having tasks that lead us to those specific goals but they don't always tell us that you can't just set a goal that does not seem realistic, measurable, and achievable.

Setting realistic goals tends to reduce stress and anxiety in achieving or completing our tasks and goals. Hence leaving no room for procrastination.

Here are 7 steps to setting SMART goals (Summary) 

•     Write your goals down
•     Set short term milestones 
•     Be very specific
•     Measure your actions as well as your progress
•     Start with just one goal
•     Schedule in time for your goals 
•     Set goals you actually want to achieve

3. Identify and avoid your distractions  

I'm so sure immediately you saw this point you could recall what your distractions were. 

Be it Twitter or Instagram through your phone, Netflix through your laptop, even games through your PS4. You are fully aware that these things are distractions. Basically, anything that keeps you from performing a very crucial task you have at hand is tagged as a distraction.

Once you identify such distractions you have to begin to avoid them at all costs. I'm sure you're wondering how you avoid such distractions that you've tagged as unavoidable. 

Begin with performing small actions such as turning off your notifications if you need to work with any of your devices, leaving a noisy room if you can't concentrate in noisy places. It all begins with you and how you approach your distractions.

4. Learn to stop making excuses

This is a wake-up call for Mr. and Mrs. Avoider. 

I'm sure we're all guilty of hitting the snooze buttons on our alarms from time to time if not all the time. Besides hitting the snooze button, statements like 

"I don't......"

" I can't....."

" It's too...."

"I'm not ...."

are very common to us

EXCUSES! 

Don't ever confuse emergencies with excuses. 

They are two different things. An emergency is more or less an unforeseen circumstance that requires immediate attention. Stop making excuses and start working on those tasks.

Always remember the reason you wanted to complete or start that task or achieve that goal, this helps us get motivated so we don't let excuses cloud our minds.

5. Manage your time wisely 

Irrespective of the fact that procrastination is more of an emotion management problem than a time management problem. Learning to manage your time wisely would help you a lot.

6. Make a to-do list and stick to it

The "and stick to it' part was necessary. It's not just about putting down tasks and goals to achieve, but it's about actually sticking to the list and trying to complete the tasks at hand. Mind you, mental to-do lists are not allowed in our relationship with productivity.  

Making a to-do list requires you to have basic knowledge on some things such as prioritizing, and planning ahead.

Prioritizing is more than just placing important tasks at the top of your to-do list. Here you decide what's important and then do the important things. It's about making the right choices, being wise enough to know you can't do it all and acknowledging the fact that the less you do, the better you'll be able to do them.

Planning ahead lets you structure how your activities would go. It also ensures that you are accountable for the tasks you decided to tick off your to-do list. It's best that when you plan ahead you schedule out time for short breaks (from 5 - 20 minutes) in between your tasks.

7. Actions speak louder than words 

Last but certainly not least. This is definitely the deal breaker in our relationship with productivity. Procrastination never really puts in any energy into the relationship. There weren't any vibes, but when it comes to productivity there's so much to be done.

Letting your actions speak for your words is key to being productive. I would advise that you also find your peak hours in order to perform anything. Some people are early birds and like to get all their work done before anyone wakes up while others are night owls that concentrate better at 2am and then there's the very common group of people who are in between.

Find out when you're most productive and place all your energy in such hours.Don't forget that taking a short break is necessary.

Plan ahead, prioritize, and get to work. you can't stay in bed all day and waste a whole 24 hours. 

It's not me, it's you

For the fact that you've reached the end of this post, it means you're finally ready to get rid of procrastination and get together with productivity (No...productivity isn't a rebound). 

Productivity means working smarter and not harder. This is only the beginning, you're now on the road to becoming a very productive person!

Don't forget to leave a comment and share this post with someone you care about.

Lots of love,

Alero.