5 Actionable Ways to Stop Pesky Procrastination

Can’t stop procrastinating no matter how hard you try (or to plan to try)?

If you’re searching for ways to increase your productivity, check out these 5 actionable steps to help you take action and get a move on.

As any ultimate procrastinator knows too well, there’s always something ‘more important’ to get done, rather than the genuinely important task at hand. This is why your environment is crucial to your success in getting things done.

Situate yourself in a particular area that is not going to tempt you to start impulsively cleaning, or sneakily check if that new episode of your favourite show is now available to watch on Netflix.

Your set up is so influential to your productivity, so really think about it. Whether it’s somewhere in your home with limited distractions, or if you choose to expand your study or workspace to the library or a local café, sometimes it’s this change in location that can inspire a fresh outlook on your task that your old space was lacking.

Going back to social media, it can be really difficult to resist the temptation to simply flick to your open ‘Facebook’ tab or have a quick scroll through Instagram (don’t even try to tell me it was already open when you unlocked your phone).

If you’re notorious for not being able to resist checking every phone notification that comes through, it’s as simple as flicking that ‘Do Not Disturb’ toggle and flipping your phone face-down on your desk. If that doesn’t do it, move it away from arm’s reach so that you’re not faced with temptation.

Many of us choose procrastination over productivity, as we imagine the difficult task ahead is just too overwhelming to complete. A good way of tackling this preconceived notion is to break your work up into bite-sized chunks. The ability to really visualise each individual step that you need to take to achieve your overall goal can really help in its overall progression, as well as allowing you to focus on one part at a time.

Putting all of your focus into each mini-task will help with your efficiency and will leave you feeling accomplished each step of the way.

Setting goals is a step that will complement your mini-tasks nicely. When you put a deadline in place for each mini-task, you are holding yourself accountable to those goals. Motivation comes hand-in-hand with accomplishment – when you achieve a task by its allocated deadline, you feel accomplished, which motivates you to keep going.

Need a quick fix? Use this simple to-do list to banish that pesky procrastination once and for all!