Mastering Procrastination: A 3-Step Guide for Lasting Change
Written on
I recently conducted a survey on Instagram, asking individuals what personal change they desired most.
What do you think over 80% of respondents indicated?
They expressed a strong desire to eliminate their tendency to procrastinate on significant tasks.
This issue is widespread. In 2022, procrastination emerged as a major challenge for many individuals. Have you ever contemplated its underlying causes? According to Alice Boyes in the Harvard Business Review:
> “Procrastination arises due to at least three factors: the lack of effective habits and systems (poor discipline), discomfort with certain emotions (such as anxiety or boredom), and flawed thought processes.”
Mastering Procrastination: The Three-Step Method
Honestly speaking, I’m not an expert at completing every item on my to-do list.
I still find myself procrastinating frequently.
However, throughout the years, I have devised a three-step approach that enables me to manage my tasks most days. While I encounter off days, I generally manage to check off a majority of my to-do items.
In this article, I will outline the comprehensive three-step strategy that has kept my procrastination in check. These steps are rooted in scientific principles and come with actionable advice that you can start implementing immediately.
If procrastination is one of your most significant challenges and you're eager to overcome it, continue reading for an impactful action plan that could transform your life.
Before You Begin
The initial question to reflect on is: Why do you want to overcome procrastination? Is it obstructing your career or personal aspirations, or are you feeling pressured by the high achievers you observe on social media?
It's possible that procrastination prevents you from reaching your full potential.
Conversely, it may also be the case that you are already overwhelmed and still aim for more. The modern hustle culture might have led you to believe that you need to function like a productivity machine.
To answer this, you must engage in honest self-reflection and conduct a thorough assessment of your workday. Consider these questions:
- How many hours do I spend in front of a screen daily?
- How much of my work directly contributes to my career advancement?
- What fraction of it helps me grow as a person?
- Am I performing certain tasks solely to impress others?
- How many tasks are essential, rather than stemming from my desire to “prove myself?”
These questions can yield complex answers. Only you can derive these insights.
Once you recognize that procrastination is indeed an issue in your life, you may proceed with this three-step method. The upcoming steps demand significant commitment and effort from you. Without a clear motivation to combat procrastination, following this process will be challenging.
Hence, I strongly recommend engaging in deep introspection and journaling before starting this three-step approach to overcoming procrastination.
Step One: Establish Achievable Goals to Combat Procrastination
Recently, I noted on my to-do list that I would complete two 1500-word articles within three hours. Naturally, when the time was up, I barely finished the first draft of the initial article.
My first impulse was to berate myself.
However, upon reflection, I realized I had set an unrealistic expectation. Although I have over eight years of writing experience, I can’t conjure 3000 words in three hours.
This experience taught me the importance of setting achievable goals. If you're uncertain about how to establish realistic objectives, consider these three questions:
Are you enthusiastic about the goal?
Frequently, we convince ourselves that we must pursue something simply because someone else did. In trying to please others, we stifle our own ambitions and fill our to-do lists with tasks that don't ignite our passion.
If your to-do list consists of items that fail to excite you, ask: Why are you pursuing goals that don’t inspire you?
This contemplation might lead to a lengthy journaling journey, possibly resulting in a career shift, as it did for me in 2021. I realized that none of my workplace demands sparked joy, prompting me to seek a new path.
Your reflection doesn’t need to be that drastic; however, ensure that your goals inspire you. If they don’t, either adjust them to make them more engaging or reconsider their necessity. Can you substitute that goal with something you’re more passionate about?
Is this goal feasible within the specified timeframe?
In the earlier example, I aimed to write 3000 words in three hours, a goal I knew from experience was often unattainable.
If I’m writing about a subject I’m genuinely passionate about, I might meet the word count. However, if the topic requires research, it becomes impractical.
I recognized my goal was unrealistic the moment I wrote it down. Yet, my impulsive side insisted I needed to be ambitious. This unnecessary pressure led me to set a goal that wasn’t feasible.
Research published in Harvard Business Review describes overstretched goals as having one or both of the following traits:
- They are exceptionally challenging to achieve.
- They involve elements that require time to master.
There is no universal guideline for how long a task should take; it relies on your skills and expertise. You are the best judge of your abilities, as this is your to-do list and procrastination habit we aim to address.
Therefore, be truthful when crafting your goals. Only set tasks that you genuinely believe can be accomplished within your established timeframe.
Does the goal provide an adequate challenge?
I often find my to-do list cluttered with mundane tasks vital to my business but lacking excitement. Nevertheless, I know they are essential.
Such tasks include scheduling content, responding to emails, and reaching out to potential clients. If my list is filled solely with dull activities, motivation dwindles.
To prevent this, I balance my to-do list by incorporating a mix of stimulating and tedious tasks.
Developing this habit took time. You can start by being mindful when creating your to-do list:
- Ensure each goal piques your curiosity and presents a challenge that motivates you.
- After establishing your key tasks for the day, fill any remaining slots with the necessary but less thrilling tasks.
This strategy ensures that even with tedious tasks, the excitement of other items helps you maintain focus throughout the day, reducing the temptation to procrastinate.
Step Two: Reward Yourself for Timely Task Completion
This may be a well-known principle in self-improvement, yet it remains one of the most challenging to implement. Everyone understands the importance of rewarding oneself after completing a task, but few follow through.
You need to establish clear boundaries and allocate time for self-care, allowing yourself to enjoy activities you love as a reward for completing essential tasks.
I recently adopted a practice of watching an episode of my favorite TV show each time I finish a time-consuming task on my to-do list.
This creates two advantages:
- First, the anticipated reward motivates me to complete the task on schedule.
- Second, by watching the series in segments, I avoid the trap of binge-watching all 24 episodes in one go.
As James Clear aptly states:
> “The cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and ultimately becomes associated with the cue. Together, these four steps form a neurological feedback loop — cue, craving, response, reward; cue, craving, response, reward — that ultimately allows you to create automatic habits.”
Your rewards can vary based on what excites you. Once you establish a structured reward system, your brain will be sufficiently motivated to complete tasks in anticipation of the forthcoming rewards.
Step Three: Conduct Regular Reviews of Your To-Do Lists
Planning is the initial step in overcoming procrastination. However, plans and to-do lists lack value if you don’t routinely review them.
I establish monthly, weekly, and daily objectives, consistently reviewing them at the end of each timeframe. This practice offers perspective and allows me to identify the most time-consuming tasks. Once recognized, I can choose to automate or delegate them, freeing up time for activities that genuinely excite me.
Reviews also help clarify why certain tasks take longer than expected. They encourage me to reflect on what modifications I can make to streamline these tasks.
Moreover, reviews serve as an opportunity to celebrate my progress. It’s easy to become anxious and self-critical when goals remain unmet. However, reviewing my accomplishments helps me appreciate how far I’ve come.
It’s entirely feasible to fall short of all your to-do items while still making meaningful strides in your career. Regular reviews help you acknowledge this crucial aspect of mindful productivity.
Final Thoughts
Procrastination might be the formidable barrier separating you from your aspirations. It can become addictive. Many find themselves trapped in a cycle of postponing their goals, ultimately abandoning them.
Overcoming procrastination can be the defining factor between realizing your dreams and remaining stagnant. Thus, it’s crucial to confront this habit to pursue your ambitions.
In this article, I shared the three-step process I utilize to combat procrastination. This method has proven effective for me in crafting the life I desire, and I hope it can assist you as well.
To summarize, here are the three steps to conquer procrastination:
- Establish realistic goals that inspire and challenge you.
- Reward yourself for accomplishing a goal within a specified timeframe.
- Conduct regular reviews to assess your progress and acknowledge your achievements.
Before embarking on this journey, it’s vital to understand your motivation for overcoming procrastination. As Friedrich Nietzsche famously stated:
> “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
Did any of these steps resonate with you? I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments.
Join over 1800 readers on my email list to receive uplifting, inspirational stories every week.