3 steps to stop procrastinating

How can I stop my procrastination?

As much as we’d all like to think we’re not procrastinators, those of us who have a habit of putting off important tasks in favor of less meaningful ones know how difficult it can be. However, there are some tricks you can use to turn your bad habits around.

The first step to stopping procrastination is to identify what it is you really want to change. At the end of one task, do you find yourself moving on to something else that’s easier or more enjoyable? Do you have trouble starting at all? If so, either task may be the problem.

What should I be doing instead of this?

When we’re faced with a difficult task, our energy and determination often run out before we finish what we’ve started.

1. Determine what you can commit to

The first step is to determine what you can commit to. If you suspect your procrastination is tied to something more specific, like long-term projects or specific tasks, think about the smaller steps that would help get you closer to your goal. Once you’ve identified these, find out when they will need to be completed.

2. Make a commitment to yourself

While it may seem obvious, it’s easy to forget to make a commitment to yourself. However, if you don’t have any sort of plan (written or not), it’s unlikely that you’ll follow through with your goal. Self-commitment is crucial to setting and achieving your goals, as the quotes below illustrate:

“I know I can do it because I’m the guy who wrote it.”

“I don’t give up. I just find new ways to fail.”

“Do what you say you’re going to do, or shut up.

3. Write down the steps to do what you committed to doing and when you are going to do them

The final step is to write down the steps you need to take to do what you committed to doing, and when you are going to do them. As an example, let’s say you’ve decided to write six blog posts per week. Although this may seem like a lot of work, it’s more manageable than having a hard time starting something, not knowing what to do next, and wondering where your motivation has gone.

Procrastinating is a habit and changing habits is very difficult. The most important thing is to start. If you wait until you feel like doing it, you will never do it.

Here is an example of how I dealt with procrastination:

A few weeks ago, I put off cleaning the house because I feared it would take a lot of effort. I realized this was an irrational belief and replaced it with a rational one: “This project will probably take a lot of effort, but it will also be fun and worthwhile.”

Then I identified the situations and rewards that caused me to procrastinate. I knew I would feel better after cleaning the house, but I also knew it was hard to start.

So I decided to motivate myself to:

1. identify why it was important to me / why it matters.

When I thought about the bad feeling of living in a messy house and how much better I felt when the house was clean, I identified both intrinsic (feelings) and extrinsic (rewards).

2 .self-commitment

So here’s what I’ve resolved to do on a weekly basis:

I will live in a clean house every Sunday ; ) On Monday (3.) I write down the cleaning plan in the form of a mind map and vacuum the desk I am working on, on Tuesday I have a clean desk and implement the next item from the plan, i.e. I vacuum the floors. On Wednesday, I clean the bathroom. On Thursday, I do the laundry. On Friday I clean the windows, and on Saturday I spend 2 hours doing other things. On Sunday, I rest. For that, my apartment provides me with a space for concentration and creative work (without remorse).

Here is a summary of the 3 steps to stop procrastinating:

1. Determine what you can commit to

2. Make a commitment to yourself

3. Write down the steps to do what you committed to doing

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