Procrastination is defined as the action of delaying or postponing something. Sometimes that means being late, sometimes it means being on time but not doing a very good job. Usually, when someone is procrastinating, they’ll find every excuse not to do what needs to be done, often busying themselves with other activities to avoid guilt.
1. Get Organized – Sometimes, people put things off simply because they’re overwhelmed, and everything just seems like too much. When you get organized you can eliminate busywork and focus more on what really needs to be done.
2. Develop Clear Goals – Everything you do should relate to your goals. When you write goals, make sure you can measure them by being very specific about what success looks like.
3. Create Step-By-Step Actions – Once you’ve created a goal, break it down into components with step by step actions that lead you to the result that you desire. The small steps that help you get there should not be overwhelming.
4. Create a Schedule with Deadlines – From the steps, put them in your calendar with time limits and deadlines. Make sure that you do give yourself enough time, but don’t give yourself too much time.
5. Eliminate Distractions – No one can multitask. You’d be shocked to learn how many hours you waste in a day trying to do more than one thing at a time. Studies show that multitasking wastes about 40 percent more time than focusing.
6. Systemize and Automate – Some tasks that you do regularly can be automated. All tasks should be systemized so that you do them the same way each time. It’ll make you faster and help you avoid trying to get out of it.
7. Form Habits – Just like people have bad habits, people can have good habits. Turn the things you need to do into habits by doing them at the same time, in the same way, so that you look forward to it.
8. Celebrate Success – When you meet a goal or even part of a goal, take the time to celebrate it. Reward yourself or others who were involved in fulfilling the goal.
9. Let Go of Perfection – While you do want to do things to the best of your ability, no one is ever going to be perfect. Often the perfection you’re shooting for just doesn’t exist. Let it go and get done.
10. Follow Your Schedule – Once you set up a schedule, follow it for a long time before changing it. You can check your metrics to find out if it’s working and adjust but try not to deviate from your schedule too much.
The best way to eliminate procrastination is to stop doing things you dislike doing and let someone else do them or bite the bullet and just do the thing according to schedule without thought or judgment.