If you want to increase productivity and be more successful in everything you do, then you MUST overcome PROCRASTINATION, the saying – “procrastination is the mother of all evil…” is so true. In this post – What is Procrastination? we’ll take a look at what it is and how we can beat it.
Procrastination – is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished by a certain deadline. It could be further stated as a habitual or intentional delay of starting or finishing a task despite knowing it might have negative consequences.
Why Do We Procrastinate?
Ok, definitions are great and all, but why do we procrastinate?
Let’s look at this in a scientific light. The thought of putting in the effort but still failing makes you anxious, so you choose to avoid and procrastinating instead. In this way, when your project fails you can rationalize that it wasn’t a true test of your abilities anyway-if only you’d had more time.
The best way to understand this is by imagining that you have two selves: your Present Self and your Future Self. When you set goals for yourself — like losing weight— you are actually making plans for your Future Self. You are visualising what you want your life to be like in the future. Researchers have found that when you think about your Future Self, it is quite easy for your brain to see the value in taking actions with long-term benefits. The Future Self values long-term rewards.
However, while the Future Self can set goals, only the Present Self can take action. When the time comes to make a decision, you are no longer making a choice for your Future Self. Now you are in the present moment, and your brain is thinking about the Present Self. Researchers have discovered that the Present Self really likes instant gratification, not long-term payoff.
So, the Present Self and the Future Self are often at odds with one another.
This is one reason why you might go to bed feeling motivated to make a change in your life, but when you wake up you find yourself falling back into old patterns. Your brain values long-term benefits when they are in the future (tomorrow), but it values immediate gratification when it comes to the present moment (today).
How to Stop Procrastinating Right Now
Below I’ll outline ways in which you can stop procrastinating.
Option 1: Make the Rewards of Taking Action More Immediate
If you can find a way to make the benefits of long-term choices more abrupt, then it becomes easier to avoid procrastination. One of the best ways to bring future rewards into the present moment is with a strategy known as temptation bundling.
Temptation bundling is a concept that the strategy suggests that you bundle a behaviour that is good for you in the long-run with a behaviour that feels good in the short-run.
The basic format is: Only do [THE THING YOU LOVE] while doing [THE THING YOU PROCRASTINATE ON].
Examples of temptation bundling:
- Only listen to audiobooks or videos you love while exercising.
- Only watch your favourite show while ironing or doing household
Some specific exercises you can follow to figure out how to create temptation bundling ideas that work for you.
Option 2: Make the Consequences of Procrastination More Abrupt
There are many ways to force yourself to pay the costs of procrastination sooner rather than later. Like if you have planned to eat cleaner tomorrow and you don’t, then nothing will happen immediately. However, if you plan to eat cleaner as a competition between you and your friends then you feel obligated to prove yourself so you’ll do it.
Option 3: Design Your Future Actions
One common tool psychologists use for procrastination is called the ‘commitment device.’ Commitment devices can help you stop procrastinating by designing your future actions ahead of time.
For example, you can stop wasting time on your phone by deleting games or social media apps. Similarly, you can reduce mindless Netflix watching by hiding your remote and only taking it out when free. You can add time blocks on certain apps so you are aware when you’ve gone overtime. These are all examples of commitment devices that help reduce the odds of procrastination.
Option 4: Make the Task More Achievable
One of my favourite ways to make habits easier is to use The 2-Minute Rule, which states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” The idea is to make it as easy as possible to get started and then trust that momentum will carry you further into the task after you begin. The 2–Minute Rule overcomes procrastination and idleness by making it so easy to start taking action that you can’t say no.
Another great way to make tasks more achievable is to break them down. For example, the Pomodoro technique. This is when you work for 25 minutes non- stop then take 5-minute breaks. This time management system encourages people to work with the time they have available- rather than against it. After about 4 pomodoros you take longer breaks of 15-20 minutes.
Making your tasks more achievable is important for two reasons.
- Small measures of progress help to maintain momentum over the long-run, which means you’re more likely to finish large tasks.
- The faster you complete a productive task, the more quickly your day develops an attitude of productivity and effectiveness.
Being Consistent: How to Kick the Procrastination Habit
We’ve looked at certain tips on how to stop procrastinating on a daily basis. Now, let’s discuss some ways to make productivity a long-term habit and prevent procrastination from sliding back into our lives.
The Daily Routine Experts Recommend for Peak Productivity
One reason it is so easy to slip back into procrastination time after time is that we don’t have a clear system for deciding what is important and what we should work on first. This is yet another example of the system often being more important than the goal.
One of the best productivity systems I have found is also one of the most simple. It’s called The Ivy Lee Method. You can read more about this on my article about ‘Focus.’
Here’s what makes it so effective:
It’s simple enough to actually work. The primary critique of methods like this one is that they are too basic. They don’t account for all of the complexities and nuances of life.
It forces you to make tough decisions. I don’t believe there is anything magical about Lee’s number of six important tasks per day. It could just as easily be five tasks per day. However, I do think there is something magical about imposing limits upon yourself. Basically, if you commit to nothing, you’ll be distracted by everything.
It removes the friction of starting. The biggest hurdle to finishing most tasks is starting them. In the beginning, getting started is just as important as succeeding at all.
It requires you to single-task. Modern society loves multi-tasking. The myth of multi-tasking is that being busy is synonymous with being better. The exact opposite is true. Having fewer priorities leads to better work. Study world-class experts in nearly any field—athletes, artists, scientists, teachers, CEOs—and you’ll discover one characteristic runs through all of them: focus. The reason is simple. You can’t be great at one task if you’re constantly dividing your time in ten different ways. Mastery requires focus and consistency.
Regardless of what method you use, the bottom line is this: Do the most important thing first each day and let the momentum of the first task carry you into the next one.
In summary, procrastination is not something that you can defeat in one go, it takes many attempts and needs for you to develop good habits. Practice daily, be aware of the signs of procrastination and have alternatives in place to take your mind away from the urge to procrastinate. First few times it will be hard but with dedication comes good rewards.
