Finally Stop Procrastinating in 3 Easy Steps
In a deadline driven environment procrastination will often rear its ugly head because, if you have a lot of projects to work on, it’s easy to put things off until the last possible minute. Don’t get caught up in the procrastination cycle! Use these 3 steps to stop procrastinating for good.
1. Aim Low Then Grow: Just like it’s easier to save money if you set up automatic transfers to your savings account, it’s much easier to avoid procrastination if you aim your sights low and then grow along the path. Start each project by divvying the one larger goal into easily digestible parts and then focus on the smaller, more immediate goals and grow the scope of your focus over time. This ramp up is a great way to gain momentum and avoid procrastination.
2. Reframe Present Stakes: If you’re having a hard time focusing on a project because you know it’s not due for a long time, take a moment and reframe the present-day stakes. Sure, the project itself isn’t due for weeks or even months but, if you break it down piece by piece, day by day, you can see how the little piece you need to work on today could lead to the project’s complete unraveling if it doesn’t get done. Talk about motivation!
3. Reduce Hassles by Automating As Much As Possible: Taking the first step is often the most challenging and most important part of any project. If you have one big goal you’re heading towards even the small things can be intimidating. The best thing you can do is reduce the smaller hassles by automating as many tasks as possible. If it’s a collaborative project schedule out all of the meetings in advance and stick to them. If it’s a large project divide it up in advance and schedule out regular reminder emails for each piece of the project as deadlines approach. Automation makes everything easier!
You’ll never get ahead if you’re always procrastinating. Deadline driven environments make procrastination that much more tempting but, with these 3 easy steps, you can finally avoid falling into the procrastination pitfall and get your projects done well and on time!