Procrastinators of the world unite! Tomorrow. Procrastination is one of those weaknesses that can really bite you where it hurts if you don’t get it under control. How do you convert procrastination into a strength? There are several ways to do so.
A selection of them is presented below. Try different ones and see which works best for you. You can also try several of them in combination if you need to.
Break tasks into bite-size pieces
Procrastination often comes from being overwhelmed. Instead of tackling a big task as a whole, break it down into multiple smaller tasks. Break it down as far as you possibly can. Instead of a cookie, you want cookie crumbs. Once you break it down, work on the project one “crumb” at a time.
Prioritize
Another way to handle overwhelm is to prioritize what needs to be done. Which is the most important thing? The second? Third? Make a list and then tackle it from the most important task to the least. If you can’t finish a task on time, ask for help or an extended deadline. Do this early, and it won’t be seen as procrastination.
Find someone else to hold you accountable
Humans are great at rationalizing, especially regarding ourselves and our actions. Other people are much more likely to hold you accountable than you are to do it yourself. Find someone you know who will hold you accountable if you don’t get your project done on time.
Use time chunking
Time chunking is a productivity hack for everyone, but it especially helps with procrastination. You divide your time into chunks and allocate each one to something. This doesn’t just mean work time, either; time to waste -or procrastinate -is acceptable too.
Give yourself chunks of time to procrastinate or goof off. You can work for an hour and then spend fifteen minutes surfing the internet, for example. This lets you work with yourself instead of against yourself.
Reward yourself for meeting deadlines
Everyone responds well to rewards. It’s one of the most predictable things about people. So, start rewarding yourself when you meet deadlines. Begin with small rewards for small deadlines and work your way up to larger deadlines and greater rewards.
Make sure that the reward matches the type of deadline. Don’t decide to reward yourself with a vacation the first time you make your normal weekly deadline, for example.