Procrastination often makes our tasks overly complicated. One way to sidestep procrastination is to find simple, accessible ways to allow yourself to start taking productive action.
No matter which method you choose to get yourself unstuck, always remember you have full control over your own actions. Resistance won't stand a chance.
Here is a quick list of ideas I've come across that might help you get past your blocks, delay, and procrastination:
- Turn on some upbeat music. This is a go-to strategy for me. Music enables us to move away from anxiety and stress.
- Change your environment. Alter something in your workspace, whether it be the lighting, seat height, or temperature. Do something that might improve your chances of moving into productive action.
- Disconnect from any sense of judgment. Instead of thinking about what you or anyone else thinks about what you are creating, just create. The judgment can come later after you're done.
- Envision the positive feelings you will have when you actually do what you'd like to get done. Will it be relief, joy, or pride? Anything will feel better than the stagnation and negative feelings that procrastination brings.
- Increase your focus. Figure out how to hone in on what needs to get done. Be like a bee finding its next flower.
- Devise a plan or next action step. Sometimes we stay stuck simply because we have not envisioned where the next step might take us. Start imagining what will happen next and then get moving.
- Decide to be creative. Instead of trying to figure out how to get your work done in the “safest” way possible, decide instead to push your limits and stretch your efforts. Try on a new writing voice, perspective, framework, or style.
- Pretend you are guiding someone else into action. It might help relieve your own stress to imagine yourself training someone else to get things done. When you try this thought experiment, you might just treat yourself a bit more kindly and reasonably than you otherwise would have.
- See your next step as just one step in a larger process. When we make too much of any one action, we can lose sight of the fact that there will be many more needed down the road. Don't let yourself get too hung up on any one part of the plan.
- De-emphasize the importance of what you are doing. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to make sure I did not feel I needed to make my dissertation my “magnum opus.” Make sure you keep the expectations of your work reasonable so you can actually get it done.
- Get someone else's perspective. Bouncing your ideas off someone else may inspire you to do deeper work or to get the work done quickly.
- Read The One Thing. This book describes the importance of knowing your priority goal. Knowing your priority helps to reduce the impact of distraction and delay.
- Set a timer. Once you've prepared yourself to work in “real time,” you'll be more inclined to take productive action.
- Make a commitment to someone. Share your intentions with someone else and have that statement of commitment boost your productivity.
- Calculate the time you will save. Procrastination makes us forget how valuable time really is. When we are mindful of time's passing, we're less inclined to waste it. The next time you have the impulse to put something off, quickly transform that impulse into a decision to take care yourself and your time by taking productive action instead.
Most of the ideas listed above will take you less than 5 minutes to put into play. Which ones will you try today? Do you have any ideas for moving forward post-procrastination I've neglected to mention? Share your tips for combatting procrastination in the comments!
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