Tips for Overcoming Procrastination and Staying Motivated

Reducing procrastination and maintaining motivation can be challenging tasks.

Procrastination can be avoided through various time management strategies that help manage anxiety and stress, highlight immediate results (both positive and negative) of acting timely, and associate temptations with consequences as effective techniques.

1. Remind yourself of your goals.

If you have a specific goal in mind, reminding yourself regularly can help keep you on the path toward it. Break your goal down into manageable tasks by setting daily, weekly or monthly goals related to its realization.

Schedule work according to your productivity cycles. For instance, if creative tasks become harder for you to focus on during afternoon “slump times”, perhaps performing them first thing in the morning when your concentration levels are more productive would be beneficial. Furthermore, reflect on why success in getting into college is valuable to you and use that desire as motivation towards achieving your goal.

Procrastination can have a dramatic impact on your life; if you can overcome it, however, life will improve immensely. But it doesn’t come easy and may take time for us to change our habits and beliefs about ourselves. If you are still having difficulty, visit a mental health provider to gain more information on anti-procrastination techniques and strategies.

2. Set a timer.

Setting yourself a deadline to work on something is extremely motivating. Think back to all those paper due dates in school: we had all semester to write them, yet most often finished them up just days before their due dates because time was ticking away.

When you have a large project like writing a book on your to-do list, such as setting a timer every 15 minutes can help keep yourself on task and prevent procrastination from setting in. Setting a reminder could keep yourself moving.

Setting an alarm gives you a sense of control, knowing that whatever may arise during those 15 minutes won’t have been wasted. Furthermore, setting a timer allows you to get an estimate for how long a task typically takes you; which may prove useful later. If estimating is difficult for you, ask someone else or use Parkinson’s Law by setting goals and working backwards from there.

3. Write it down.

Taken regularly, taking breaks can refresh your energy and help make tasks simpler to tackle. They may even improve focus; try placing your phone on silent and sitting somewhere different when studying or working to gain new perspectives and new energy.

Procrastination is more than an occasional delay; it’s an ongoing pattern that can lead to poor health and mental illness, according to Joseph Ferrari, a psychologist at DePaul University in Chicago. Ferrari and his colleagues discovered that those who procrastinate at work, in relationships or at home typically have higher anxiety levels and difficulties controlling impulses than others.

To overcome procrastination, you need to understand its source. Once you know this information, the right tools can help overcome procrastination; for example, breaking tasks down into smaller ones and setting small first step (e.g. 2 minutes). Furthermore, improving decision-making environments by eliminating distractions and prepping ahead may also help.

4. Take a break.

Procrastinating can often seem like an endless cycle, with each task you put off becoming even harder to tackle later on. This can create stress and anxiety which in turn cause physical symptoms like stomach ailments and insomnia (learn more about this topic with our course on Stress and Productivity).

There are various strategies you can employ to break free of procrastination’s grip, such as breaking tasks down into smaller parts, taking breaks to rest and recharge, eliminating distractions and eliminating fears while creating self-reward systems.

Procrastination habits should be identified to enable you to create an action plan to overcome them. It’s crucial that you determine exactly what tasks are putting off, why, and at what frequency. Once this information has been established, anti-procrastination techniques tailored specifically for you may become available – for instance if perfectionism is an issue, try the 2-minute rule which requires working for two minutes on a task before giving yourself permission to stop (you can always revise later), or the Pomodoro technique which consists of working 25 minute blocks with 5-minute breaks between.

5. Celebrate the small and big victories.

Keep this in mind: procrastination isn’t simply due to laziness; often its origin lies within anxiety. If procrastinating due to fear is keeping you away from work or school, address those feelings immediately and consider seeing a therapist if necessary.

As soon as you’ve read through this guide, use its tools to get started on your work – and don’t forget to celebrate any successes along the way! Remember it’s okay to take breaks (or even full vacations) provided they keep progress forward rather than backwards.

Procrastination can be challenging to beat, but it can be done. Next time you feel like postponing work, remind yourself that its consequences would far outweigh any effort put in now. If you’re serious about getting your life on track again, breaking the cycle of perfectionism, procrastination and paralysis is well worth fighting for! Good luck and best of luck to all!