How to Stop Procrastinating

If you're anything like me - and I hope for your sake you're not - you probably like to put important things off until the last minute. Maybe there are not enough hours in the day, you're a perfectionist, or you're just flat out lazy. In any case, important things need to get done, and procrastination is something that should be avoided at all times.

The first thing you need to do is find out why you procrastinate. You can't fix a problem if you don't know its cause. So, the next time you find yourself putting off writing that report, take a moment to think about why. Chances are, you're either afraid you're going to fail, you're one of those perfectionist freaks that need to have every minute detail in order before you begin anything, or you're just easily sidetracked when it comes to everything.

The next thing you need to do is focus on the task at hand. This may sound like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many people don't think before they act. For example, if you have a book report due in a month, think about all the things that need to be done. You'll have to read the book, take notes, come up with an outline, and finally write the report itself. Now, thinking about all those tasks might scare you a bit and give you an excuse to watch reruns of Three's Company instead of actually working, but just relax.

After you have your task broken down into little mini-tasks, it's time to start thinking about…well, time. Setting deadlines is extremely important when it comes to avoiding procrastination. Sticking with the book report example, you need to figure out just how long you think each mini-task will take you to complete. Let's say the book you have to read is 250 pages long. Sounds pretty daunting, huh? Well, just take it a page at a time. If you read fifteen pages a night, you'll have the book done in sixteen days. That gives you two weeks to write the actual report. Or, if you don't think you can manage fifteen pages a night, you can read ten and still have about five days left to write the paper. Basically, the object is to set a goal, and stick with it. If you set out to read ten pages a night, you need to read at least those ten pages! You can read more if you want, but make sure you read those ten pages! That being said, don't even think about not reading your ten pages on Friday night, telling yourself you'll read twenty pages on Saturday. This is exactly the kind of thinking you're trying to break!

Another good tip is to seek out distractions and eliminate them. You know what distracts you. Whether it's TV, the radio, your friends, or just simply staring into space. You need to take a note of all the things that distract you, and be sure that when you're doing a task, you eliminate them. If you're having trouble figuring out what distracts you, just make a list of all the things you like to do. So, if you like fishing, and it's a beautiful day outside, but you still haven't read your ten pages, no fishing! Even if you bring the book outside with you to read while you wait for a fish. Your mind needs to be focused on one thing, and one thing only.

Lastly, don't overdue it. Focus on your mini-tasks, and don't think too much about all the stuff you've yet to do. This will just get you depressed or angry, which will probably force you to give up or put things off. Remember, mini-tasks, timed goals, and no distractions, and you'll be fine.