“I don’t procrastinate because I’m lazy, I do it because I’m a perfectionist!” How many of you have found yourself saying this on multiple occasions? I totally relate with you if you have. Putting off work comes almost naturally to a lot of us, and no matter what the reason behind it is, it is a huge hurdle in accomplishing your goals. We bring to you today creative ways to give that ‘last minute’ some rest, and employ the time before that to get some work done!
30 minutes to alter our lives
t.A.T.u. was not kidding with this song lyric. They say the first meal of the day is the most important, and so are the first 30 minutes. I know it is very tempting to pick up your phone first thing in the morning and take a “5-minute” tour into instagram which soon turns into endless scrolling. But look at it like this, if you’re someone who constantly struggles with procrastination, being productive for the first 30 minutes of the day can boost your efficiency for the entire day! But this has to be serious work, without any distractions. Even if you have to force yourself to work for the first 15 minutes or so, do it. You’ll notice that once you settle into the work-flow, it’ll be much easier to handle distractions even if they are there.
Put your money where your mouth is!
As gangsta as that sounds, this is pretty good advice. Often, you may not feel accountable if the only person you’re answerable to is…yourself. Coordinate and organize your tasks with a work buddy, and tell other people too. Ever had your parents nag you into productivity if you tell them about an assignment? Then you’ll know what I’m talking about. Even better, place a bet with a friend. Tell them you owe them something, anything, if you’re unable to finish a task by a specified date and time. Trust me, if you’re anything like me, you’d HATE owing anything to anyone and that will drive you into getting the work done. Mischief Managed!
Forgive, but don’t forget
Brace yourselves, because this is about to get real. We know that people who procrastinate don’t do it on purpose. You feel real guilty afterwards and find it difficult to forgive yourself. And yet, pick up any research on the topic and you’ll find that forgiving yourself for procrastinating in the past is related to less procrastinating on a similar task in the future! This happens because showing self-compassion leads to feeling lesser negative emotions, which in turn allows you to be more productive! Come on, I know our default setting is to hate ourselves, but is loving oneself really that hard?!
Psychoanalyze the heck out of procrastination
Ah, good ol’ Freud to the rescue. What I mean is simply to try and understand why you are procrastinating. You might have noticed yourself putting off a certain task more than others. What unconscious reason is behind that? Is it a fear of not giving a perfect output? Is there confusion about where to start? Question this aloud and when you have an answer, tell yourself rationally what’s the worst that could happen. By the end of your little free association session, you might realize that the monsters in your closet really weren’t as bad as they seemed!
You lose some, but you get some!
No matter how advanced we might become, we are animals after all, and our brains work very much like that! Sometimes you need to just bargain with yourself- take into account the profits and losses. Treat yourself like you would a child, or a dog. Literally. Give yourself treats or rewards to look forward to upon finishing a task. Make it something simple but undeniable. Ideas? ICE-CREAM. Working on the concept of behaviorism and conditioning, the idea behind such an act is to associate finishing a task with feeling good. If you start to like finishing work, you’d obviously stop putting it off! Unleash the beast that works for treatos!
Dear future self
With all the time that you have when NOT doing your task, imagine your poor future self, who will have to deal with the consequences of your procrastination. Feel some compassion? If even that isn’t enough, then write a message to this future version of you, explaining why the future would be better if you just got the work done with. This written understanding of the negative and positive consequences of your actions, as well as the connection between your present and future selves, will drive you into Productivity Land where Procrastinating is Banned! Hah, I know I’m bad at rhymes.
Procrastinating is an Art
You need to procrastinate better, man. Yep, you heard me right. That guilty, half-hearted, emotionless scrolling you do through instagram when you’re sitting in your uncomfortable work chair with loads of files in front of you? That ain’t procrastination, my friend, that’s you sneaking in distractions under the pretense of working. What happens next?
Neither do you enjoy yourself, nor do you get the work done. Instead, do things that you actually wanted to do instead of work. You hear me? Go ahead and watch 3 episodes of that K-drama you’ve been engrossed in, or play some music and dance it out. Take a shower, get some popcorn and watch anime to your heart’s desire. Do this so well that if there was a championship for procrastination, you’d win it. And voila! You notice that you need a break from procrastination. What are you waiting for! Jump onto the work ship and sail along!
Tell us below your go-to tricks when you wanna get yourself on the move and to stop procrastinating!
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