Congratulations! 🎉 If you're reading this, you’ve already taken the first step:
Seek Awareness
To overcome your procrastination, you must first be aware of your procrastination and the role it plays in your life. It’s impossible to come up with a solution if you don’t know the root of the problem. So, awareness is key to figuring out how to stop procrastinating.
For many, procrastination protects them from feeling like they’re not good enough (i.e. if you never try, you won’t have proof you can’t do it). However, knowing what you’re afraid of or delaying can help keep you from falling into the procrastination trap.
According to Jane Burka and Lenora Yuen “understanding the hidden roots of procrastination often seems to weaken them” for many students [1]. So, it’s in your best interest to uncover WHY you’re procrastinating.
Okay, so you’ve looked at why you’ve been procrastinating. What’s next?
Focus on Your Motivation
(read about how Everything You Know About Motivation is Wrong here.)
To combat the fears you uncovered in the Awareness section, you need to look for reasons to stay motivated. But these reasons need to be personal and have real meaning to you.
In other words, “I’m afraid of disappointing my parents/boss” is not the sort of motivation we’re looking for. Instead, think about your own reasons for wanting to do well. Do you want a job in the field? Do you want a raise? Would you like to start your own business some day? Do you want to be more intelligent? Focus on the goals you have for yourself, not the goals other people have for you.
Now, you know why you’ve been procrastinating, you’re focused on your personal reasons for wanting to complete the task, what else can you do to stop procrastinating?
Change Your Self-Talk
There’s nothing less motivating than repeatedly telling yourself you “should” do something. “I should have started this last week,” “I shouldn’t be scrolling through Instagram right now.” Berating ourselves doesn’t motivate us into action. It actually does the exact opposite. So, if this is what it sounds like in your head, it’s time to change it.
Try talking to yourself in ways that remind you of your goals and motivations like, “I will stop scrolling through Instagram right now, and start my project. My raise is important to me” (or whatever your motivation is). Pay attention to what you say to yourself, and how you say it.
Get Engaged
(No, not that way)
One of the best things you can do for yourself is get more engaged in the task. And I don’t mean “just get through it,” I mean aim to really understand what you’re working on. Look for a way to make the task more interesting to you, a way to make it more engaging.
If you need to write a paper, for example, try to find an angle that’s actually interesting to you. If you need to complete a boring project, set up a challenge for yourself. For example, break down the task, assign time estimates for each section, and then bust out your stopwatch and try to beat your estimates.
Focus on making the task more interesting for you based around what interests and motivates YOU.
Alright, let’s round up what we’ve learned…
To Sum It All Up:
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Seek Awareness – understand what you’re really trying to avoid.
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Focus on Your Motivation – focus on your own goals for completing the project (or whatever it is you’re trying to start).
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Change Your Self Talk – talk to yourself kindly and in ways that remind you of your goals.
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Get Engaged – look for a way to make the task more interesting to you.
References
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Burka, J. B., & Yuen, L. M. (1982, January 1). Mind games procrastinators play. Psychology Today, 16, 32.
