TIPS REPORT 52: DEFEATING PROCRASTINATION

 This report includes nine powerful tips and three actionable steps you can take right away. It also includes a list of suggested readings for those who are looking for even more information. 

This article is from a Series of 52 tips Report on the subject of self improvement. If you want to receive a file with all 52 Reports at once, you can subscribe to my e-mail list.

TOP TIPS

Sometimes you need to hold off on a task, job, or project because something more pressing comes up. When you continually push it off, you may be struggling with procrastination. There are many reasons people procrastinate, from perfectionism to overwhelm, but defeating procrastination is possible with these nine tips.

 

1. Figure Out Why You Procrastinate

Understanding ‘the why’ behind your procrastination aids you in overcoming it. Some of the reasons you may put off completing a task include poor organization, feeling overwhelmed, fear of failure, fear of success, and perfectionism. Consider what is driving your procrastination so that you can defeat it.

 

2. Write Out a To-Do List

You may feel overwhelmed at everything you need to get accomplished. You may have less to do than you initially thought. Writing everything down can help you gain a better scope of what you truly need to do.

 

3. Prioritize What You Need to Do

After listing everything out, prioritize what needs to be done and add how much time it will take next to the task. If there are deadlines, you should add those. The goal is to be able to identify where to place your focus first. You may even find you have some you can put off or ignore.

 

4. Break Projects Down into Bite-Sized Tasks

When you have a large project in front of you, it may seem like a mountain. You move a mountain one pail of dirt at a time. It helps to break your project into smaller, more manageable tasks that you can quickly check off.

 

5. Do Away with Distractions

Completing tasks take twice as long when you are being pulled away. Turn off all notifications on your phone and computer. That includes social media notices and email. If you need background noise, find some soft music, but avoid turning on the television.

 

6. Take Care of the Hardest Job When You Are at Your Peak

Do you get more done in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Take advantage of your peak time of alertness to tackle those jobs you have been putting off. You will have more energy and can get invigorated by accomplishing much.

 

7. Tie a Reward to an Accomplishment

Some people love rewards for getting things done. If you do, pick a task or project and set a reward for accomplishing it or getting so steps completed. You might indulge in a movie, playing a video game, or social media time.

 

8. Find an Accountability Partner

Knowing you have to answer to someone about your progress can be a great motivator. Look for someone who can encourage you when you get sidetracked, as well as give you firm reminders to get back on task.

 

9. Just Get Started

Getting started is often half the battle. Instead of just thinking about starting a project, set your timer for five minutes and work on it. Once the timer goes off, you are more likely to keep working, which means you are much closer to getting the job done than five minutes earlier.

 

FAST-ACTION STEPS

 

a) Ask yourself why you procrastinate on some jobs but not on others. You can then work on alleviating the blockers and learn how you can accomplish more.

 

b) Take a piece of paper and brainstorm everything you need to do. Then, assess what you can do and what you can delegate. This frees up time for those items only you can handle.

 

c) Decide on some different rewards you can give yourself, write them on slips of paper, and place them in a jar. You can have the extra fun of choosing a surprise reward once your task is complete.

 

FURTHER READING

 

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TIPS REPORT 51: MAINTAIN FOCUS UNDER PRESSURE

 This report includes nine powerful tips and three actionable steps you can take right away. It also includes a list of suggested readings for those who are looking for even more information. 

This article is from a Series of 52 tips Report on the subject of self improvement. If you want to receive a file with all 52 Reports at once, you can subscribe to my e-mail list.

TOP TIPS

We all face pressure at different points of life. It may manifest as tight deadlines, creating a sales presentation for a new client, or a demanding boss at work. Home life also brings pressure in different forms, such as meeting your family’s needs, handling a special needs child, or caring for a sick loved one. How you maintain your focus while under different levels of pressure begins with the following nine tips.

 

1. Focus on Completing One Task at a Time

Pressure causes you to lose focus. Soon you find yourself working on eight different projects and accomplishing none. It helps to list the tasks you need to do and then choose one of them to complete. Then, move on to the next. Before you know it, you will have the whole list complete.

 

2. Stop Procrastinating

If you are a procrastinator, you set yourself up for undue pressure. Many times, pressure comes from a lack of action. Now is not the time to put things off; instead, you will increase your anxiety and stress. Just pick up that first task and get started.

 

3. Take Regular Breaks

You may think of this as counterintuitive. Once you get into a rhythm, you want to get things done. Yet, you will face overload and burnout without the occasional break to re-focus and decompress. There are many techniques to help you focus that give you opportunities for breaks, such as the Pomodoro technique.

 

4. Slow Down and Breathe Deep

The extra pressure you experience releases stress hormones for your fight or flight mechanisms. Deep breathing tells your body to stop emitting those hormones. Concentrated breathing techniques aid you in redirecting your mind to those tasks you are working on at the moment.

 

5. Make Sleep a Priority

Lack of sleep makes things seem worse, and stress causes insomnia in some people. You then find yourself in a vicious cycle. The more pressure you are under, the more you need to value your sleep. It helps if you create a bedtime routine to help your mind wind down, including shutting down electronic devices before bed.

 

6. Maintain Your Exercise Routine

Sleep helps your mind and body repair themselves. Exercise helps your body handle stress better by releasing hormones to make you feel better. Being under pressure is not a reason to stop exercising. Instead, it is a great reason to keep up your routine or establish one.

 

7. Accept Mistakes and Move On

You may make more mistakes when you feel pressure and then feel more frustrated. It’s helpful to rethink your attitude toward making mistakes and consider them an opportunity to learn and grow.

 

8. Ask for Help

It’s okay to ask for help and support when the pressure gets to be too much. Talk with your coworkers, boss, partner, or friend about what you need and how they can support you. It is much better to swallow your pride than make a huge mistake while in a stressful situation.

 

9. Learn from the Pressure

Constantly working under pressure is not good for your well-being. Eventually, you will burn out if you don’t learn from each experience. Consider past times of undue stress and look for patterns. Develop a strategy to prevent this from reoccurring.

 

FAST-ACTION STEPS

 

a) Think about what pressures you are currently under and develop a strategy to handle them. You might need to write down everything you need to accomplish and then prioritize them.

 

b) Use a timer to remain hyper-focused on a task for a set period. Once the timer goes off, walk away and take a break for 5-10 minutes to reset your brain for the next work session.

 

c) Go to bed earlier to give your body much-needed rest. You may want to turn off all electronic devices and turn down the lights so that your mind can calm down before hitting the sheets.

 

FURTHER READING

 

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