How to Overcome Procrastination

There are many different reasons that people procrastinate, and in order to overcome procrastination you need to figure out why you procrastinate.

The first step to overcoming procrastination is stopping what you are doing and taking a deep breath. Then ask yourself why you are putting off whatever task it is that you are procrastinating on. Sometimes you won't know why you don't want to do something, or why you are putting it off.

If you don't know why, take out a piece of paper and write the task down on it. Then for five minutes write down anything that comes to mind when you think about the task. Don't worry about making sense, or try to think about associations. What you are trying to do here is pay attention to your gut feelings, and emotions in relation to this task. After the five minutes are up, put your pen or pencil down and look at what you've written. Hopefully something on the sheet will help you to know why you are putting off doing the task. If not, keep brainstorming until you have a good idea of the reason.

Sometimes you will know why are you are putting a task off, maybe it's a task that bores you, or that you think is going to take a long time. Maybe it's a task you just don't enjoy doing. When you have the reason(s) clear in your mind, then take another sheet of paper and write down the reason(s) at the top of the sheet.

Then instead of obsessing about why you've been putting off the task for so long, take another deep breath. Part of figuring out how to handle your own procrastination is being kind to yourself. We often beat ourselves up for putting things off that we know have to be done when perhaps the better thing to do is cut ourselves some slack. After all you cut others slack. Ask yourself how you would talk to someone who was telling you about something they had procrastinated about doing, and how you would respond to that person. Then speak to yourself in the same way with kind words.

Ok, now that you've taken a breath and have decided to cut yourself some slack, split the task up into a series of steps. Write these steps down beneath your reason(s) for procrastinating. Don't be afraid to split the task up into very small baby steps, even if it is a very simple task. Then ask yourself, "Which one of these small steps can I take today that will get me closer towards completing this task?" Then do that one small step. Then maybe the next day or the next hour, depending on your deadline if you have one, choose another small step, and then another until the task is completed.

I have found that one of the biggest reasons that I procrastinate is because I am feeling overwhelmed by too many tasks that need doing. By breaking up a task into small steps and then choosing to do one or two of those steps which will take me closer to completion of the task, I am reducing my stress by tenfold. It feels good to do something that works towards completing a task, rather than just using up energy worrying about it.

Taking the time to understand why you are putting off doing a task makes far more sense than having a task sitting at the back of your brain while you worry about completing it. This method of getting around procrastination will help you to be more relaxed and stress-free, and to complete necessary tasks on time!