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Stop Putting Off Success: Tackle Your Procrastination

Posted by Lenny Farber in Articles
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Stop Putting Off Success: Tackle Your Procrastination

 

 

Everyone has the potential to succeed. But while the possibilities are infinite, achieving your long-term goals seems far off. Everyone is working hard, but why does it seem that you find it challenging to succeed in different areas of your life?

There are many obstacles to success, and one of the worst is procrastination. Even the most motivated person can lose their drive when faced with the grip of chronic procrastination.

But the good news is that there are various ways to tackle procrastination. Let’s discover ways on how to stop procrastinating and create your success.

Understanding Procrastination

Procrastination is the act of delaying tasks you’re supposed to do. We often do this when we find the important tasks unpleasant and favor small tasks or even an activity that feels good. But what procrastinators forget is that every minor bout of delaying tactics can lead to serious consequences.

How to Tackle Procrastination

What’s the one thing you are dreading doing? Every day, we wake up thinking about the one thing we definitely do not want to do. Most of us tend to put it off, and then, before we know it, the entire day is wasted. 

Tackling procrastination involves immediately clearing the board for all of the other (less dreadful) things you need to get done that day. Prioritize your list of tasks by how they will affect your life if they go undone.

Procrastinators also think in a certain way that prevents progress. Our brains rely on our thoughts to produce actions. If we are constantly telling ourselves that we don’t want to do something, that belief only intensifies. Among the simplest strategies for tackling procrastination is to tell ourselves, “Do it now,” as it’ll change our way of thinking.

Identifying Your Procrastination Triggers

The initial triggers of procrastination are likely felt in different stages of task completion. The moment you start the assignment, it can kick in! Below are just some of the common procrastination triggers:

  • The task is boring. It doesn’t intellectually stimulate us, and the thought of working on it feels daunting.
     
  • The task at hand is too hard.
     
  • There are no instant rewards. When recognition for our hard work feels far off, we tend to avoid the task.
     
  • We don’t find meaning in it. When the assignment doesn’t reflect our values or personality, we don’t find meaning in doing it.

Strategies to Overcome Procrastination

To get past procrastination, tackle it first with awareness. Reflect on your actions and determine how procrastination functions in your life. For example, when you work and you’re near your phone, there will always be the temptation to scroll on social media.

How do you address this? You need to put your phone away when you don’t want to be distracted as you start working on something.

We discuss more strategies on how to increase motivation and tackle procrastination in the following sections.

Developing Productive Habits

Starting and sustaining productive routines that break procrastination habits can be challenging. After all, task avoidance can feel like a huge giant that is hard to overcome.

The best way to solve this is to start integrating productivity systems into your routine. A good example is the 2-minute rule, where you tackle a task immediately if it’ll only take two minutes or less. Another excellent strategy is time management, where you create a timetable of your tasks for the day.

Overcoming Perfectionism

Dealing with perfectionism is a surefire method to stop procrastinating. When perfectionism surfaces, we’re pressured to do everything to a T. 

We then feel the fear of failure, we end up delaying the task. That’s why we need to reframe failure as a learning opportunity and let go of perfectionism to reduce procrastination and boost productivity.

Ways to Tackle Procrastination: Points to Remember

Let us summarize the strategies for tackling procrastination:

  • Difficult tasks first. The day should begin with the most important and challenging assignment.
     
  • Shift your thoughts to “do it now” to overcome mental blocks and build momentum.
     
  • Determine what triggers the bad habit. Recognize what prompts your procrastination and take steps to minimize distractions and resistance.
     
  • Embrace imperfection by viewing failure as a learning opportunity as it will help you in overcoming procrastination and enhancing productivity.

Procrastination and Success

With the 4 steps to tackle procrastination, you can finally build good habits and focus on carving a path to success for your online business. If you need advice on how to make improvements to your business operations with the intention of eventually selling it, call your trusted business broker WebsiteClosers.com at 1-800-251-1559 for a free consultation.

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