Procrastinate Tomorrow…

Author: Candice DeSormeaux

 

I’m guilty of it. I make a plan, build a list, set a deadline weeks in advance, but still either don’t get it done or I wait till the absolute last minute of the 11th hour to start. For some people, the 11th hour is a magical interval of time filled with inspiration and creative juices that force us to produce some of our best or at least some really good work. But for far too many of us, it’s a time of desperation and immense pressure leading to shoddy, half-hearted results.

Here’s a few tricks for kicking the procrastination habit and getting things done now.

1. Think small – Thinking big may be in, but it’s a procrastinator’s worst enemy. When a task is broken up into its smaller components it makes it a lot more manageable. Thus, before we start a task, take a few minutes and quickly list out the main steps involved. Focusing on completing each step makes the task appear less overwhelming. Thinking small can even be applied in the form of a time factor. So, instead of giving up soft drinks cold-turkey, forever and ever amen, try stopping it for one week or even one month. It’s more likely to stick and you’d be happier with the results.

2. Think lovely thoughts – For procrastinators, it is all in the mind. In fact, our feelings are a fundamental and unavoidable part of why we do and, more importantly, why we don’t do something. Because of the way our brains are structured, when thought and feelings compete, feelings almost always win. Therefore, knowing that you need to do research for a school project due next Tuesday isn’t enough to get it done. Research shows that we procrastinate the most when we’re in a bad mood. On the flip side, happiness increases productivity and makes you more successful. So, throw on your rose-coloured glasses, put on Pharrell’s Happy and spend just enough time topping up on your optimism before you give that project a go.

3. Monitor your progress – You made your list, you finished step one and you pick up a red inked pen and ceremoniously tick it off producing a warm, satisfied feeling inside. That figurative big red tick is a symbol of progress and Harvard’s Teresa Amabile’s research found that nothing is more motivating than progress itself. So simply starting a project can be motivation enough to seeing it through to the end.

4. Seek Positive peer pressure – Peer pressure isn’t always negative when you have the right people egging you on about things that are important to you. In Charles Duhigg’s book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, he writes: “When people join groups where change seems possible, the potential for that change to occur becomes more real.” Surrounding yourself with like-minded, non-procrastinators is a simple way to promote more motivated, intentionally directed action towards a particular goal.

5. Get incentivized – Yes, it’s perfectly okay to reward yourself when you’ve reached a milestone in your project. Bear in mind the reward should be commensurate to the goal attained. By that measure, completing the first paragraph of your thesis doesn’t mean you deserve a shopping spree. Design your rewards within reason and use these as motivation to move on to the other tasks and earning the resulting reward.