Firstly, why even should one avoid procrastinating? Putting off things habitually can have disastrous effects. Putting off something for a very long time just strengthens you dislike towards it. You can choke on a test due to last-minute cramming, anxiety kicks in during important presentations, diseases pop up because you didn’t start your diet or exercise regime in time. Not only is your health, wealth, job and career at stake, but research has also shown that procrastination leads to reinforcement of poor self-esteem.
Well, warding off procrastination may seem hard at first. I mean all of those amazing web-series and TV shows, engulfing books, mesmerizing DIY videos, never-ending chats and the one thing that you ought to do is work? Who wants to get on to those emails, study those fat books, prepare those presentations, clean the whole room, cook the same boring food or even get out of bed just to sweat it out? To most people, warding off procrastination is synonymous to utilizing all the will power you can muster up and mind you, it is hard to come by. But what if you didn’t have to use your willpower in the first place? Here are the nine easiest ways to procrastinate procrastination.
- Focus on the process.
Processes work pretty much like habits. Once you start, you can easily maintain the flow and keep your “zombies” (mindless habits that kick in automatically as a response to cues) happy. When you are focusing on the process, you stop asking yourself “How much longer?”,”How much left?”. It’s the thought of the product that makes one procrastinate the task. Sending in 5 reports seems like a mammoth of a task but once you get in the flow, and focus on writing those, the pain caused by the thought eases away. Focus on working for 30 minutes straight instead of saying “I need to finish XYZ task before tea”. Try saying to yourself “Quit wasting time and just get on with it, once you get going, you’ll feel better about it.” - Stop living in a Fantasy
Tasks take time. You realize that deep down, but you tell yourself “It’s a one hour job” when you know it could easily take 3 hours. This causes you to push things to the last minute. Diversions and distractions and other urgent tasks can easily crop up at the last minute. Accept the reality and begin work in time so you don’t have to dedicate 3 hours at a time and can instead complete the task in 6 days by working for 30 mins each day. - Cancel out the Distractions and make a plan.
Let’s say that you’ve finally begun to concentrate on the process. But a distraction can arise anytime and there’s a cue for you to procrastinate again. The doorbell rang and your cousins came over, a Facebook notification saying “You have memories to look back to”, a song playing in the distance, a bird on your windowsill, a quick errand to run before you “actually” start working, an acquaintance came by and started chatting… the list goes on. Few of the best ways to avoid distractions are to switch off internet connections and to find yourself a comfortable, quiet place to work in. Having a plan is to build a ritual like putting your phone on “silent” mode, closing the door of your room before you begin work, etc. - Change your reaction to a cue.
Imagine your procrastination hobby to be like a book. You love the book but it doesn’t quite give you the ending you need. You don’t have to re-write the whole book but just some parts of it. The key to getting the ending you want is to change your reaction to the cue. This is the only place where you might have to use your will power. Recognize the cue and observe what you do to procrastinate things. When you first learn to swim, you are thrown into the water and it takes all the strength to stay afloat but subsequently you learn the technique, your response to water changes and swimming become effortless. It becomes a habit. Just like that, a small tweak can transform procrastination into a productive habit and save your energy and will-power. - Add a new reward.
Now that we’ve established why we procrastinate, let’slook into the things that you’d rather be doing. Would you rather scroll through Instagram? Or sip coffee in the gallery? Whatever it is, use it as a reward for when you complete the process or a part thereof. Allow yourself to watch a movie after having finished a huge task. Rewards can range anywhere from allowing yourself some social media time to buying a pair of new shoes after having done something huge. Bigger the reward, bigger must be the achievement. - Believe you can do it.
When tasks get difficult, you may fall back into your old habits. What is important is to maintain the belief that your new system is going to work. Hang out with people who will reinforce your can-do attitude. After all, your tribe must match your vibe. - Make check-lists.
To have a clear picture of the tasks that need to be accomplished, weekly and daily checklists are the best. Ideally, one should make his checklist the evening before to help your subconscious get accustomed to tasks on the list, and to figure out how to go about them. Not writing the tasks down, makes them lurk around the edge of your memory and slowly, they slip out of your mind and also, taking them off your mind by writing them down, takes off the added pressure of remembering the tasks apart from completing them. Mix physical and mental activities, time-consuming and not-so-time-consuming ones, tedious and effortless ones. This removes monotony and keeps your brain from getting drained. - Mark a quitting time.
One of the most important factors in preventing procrastination and making time for yourself is to designate a time for both finishing each task and for calling it a day. As time goes by, and with more practice, one gets better at gauging how long each task will take. Cal Newport, used 5 pm Quitting Time through most of his student career. He ended up getting his PhD from MIT. In other words, this method works for undergraduate and graduate students in rigorous academic programs along with working professionals who need some time for themselves or their hobbies. - Eat the ugly frog first.
There are a lot of tasks we don’t like but do them only because we have to. These are our “frogs” and the one we dislike the most is the “ugliest frog”. Finishing the “ugliest frog first in the morning”, i.e. working on the most important and disliked task first, takes it off your mind once and for all. Your mind is more relaxed and easier it is for you to work on things.
There are going to be times when you need to make changes in your plans because of unforeseen events, but remember the law of serendipity. Lady Luck favours those who try. Planning well is a part and parcel of trying. Keep your eye on your goal and try not to get too unsettled by occasional roadblocks. Although these practices take a bit of effort at first, you will soon get into the flow. Hope you keep procrastination for another day. 😉
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