When you postpone things until the very end
Then you have to hurry .. to fix and to mend
You begin to curse, to comprehend
Coz there isn’t any more time, left to lend
You promise yourself you will pull up your act
And when the time come to renew your pact
You slid and slide into the same distract
It’s repeating again and that’s the fact
You’re in the endless zone of procrastination my friend
It’s like a disease that can long extend
Unless you take control of your self and mend
Here are few ways I would like to recommend
Brain hacks to stop procrastinating!
1. Create an accountability
Depending on the task you have, declare it to someone who can become your cheerleader. Make them your accountability partner. Or declare it to your social media group.
I’ve created accountability for the task of creating videos by declaring it on my channel. This helps me to push myself and get things done consistently
2. Choose the smallest task first
From your list of things to do, identify what is easiest to complete then finish it first. For example, you want to do the laundry but you feel like checking your Facebook. Tell yourself you will check Facebook once you put the clothes into the machine and switch it on. But just before you pick up your phone, strike the task of laundry off your list. Physically. The action of striking it off your list will motivate you to take on the next task.
3. Create an 2 minute rule
Newton taught us that the objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Remember? David Allen talked about 2 min rule in his book - Getting Things Done. The hack here is that when you start doing something with an intention of doing it just for 2 minutes, you will find it easy to continue to do the task beyond that time.
So if you want to write a blog, just write one para. If you want to run, just put on the shoes and get out of the door within 2 min.
The key here is to just get started because most of us do have starting trouble.
4. Make use of technology
Use technology to help you stop your tech addiction. Apps such as Offtime or Breakfree can help you cut out from distractions arising from our smart phones
Alternatively you can also use apps such as Focus Keeper to help you stay focus on a single task.
Understanding what is making your procrastinate and distract from the tasks at hand can help you create mechanisms to counter it.
5. Master goal setting
Sometimes simple things such as planning, organising and prioritising can help you stay focus and on track. The general pattern is that when you are disorganised, you can feel overwhelmed with the things you have to do. This leads to perfectionism mentality and failure to meet your standards will cause you doubting your own capabilities.
So mastering goal setting can help you prevent procrastination.
Do you have any other tricks that worked for you? Do let me know.
You can view the video version of this article here