5 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Start Feeling Better About Yourself

Let's cut to the chase, everyone procrastinates sometimes. It's not a personal failing or a definitive trait that people have or don't have. When it comes to procrastination, the most important part of improving your habits is developing skills for how to deal with it. Whether you’re putting off starting a fitness journey, studying for an exam, delaying important work tasks, or avoiding household chores, finding effective ways to combat procrastination is extremely important for boosting productivity and achieving your goals. Here are five strategies to help you reduce procrastination and stay on track:

1. Break Tasks into Smaller Steps

One of the main reasons we procrastinate is that tasks can feel overwhelming. When faced with a large project, it’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of avoidance. For this reason, I implemented the "just 5 minutes" rule in my life. While it's not foolproof, most of the time the biggest cause of procrastination is the fear of getting started. If you can convince yourself to give it a shot for a small amount of time (even just 5 minutes), it helps you overcome this anxiety of getting started and feeling like you're taking on this huge task. This is especially helpful when it comes to fitness, housekeeping, education, and work projects. To combat this, break your tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Focus on completing one small step at a time, which can make the entire process feel less daunting and help you build momentum.

2. Set Clear Deadlines

Open-ended tasks can lead to procrastination because they lack urgency. Try to combat this by setting specific deadlines for each task or step. Make these deadlines realistic and hold yourself accountable. You can even share your deadlines with a friend or colleague to increase your commitment. This will also help reduce the stress that comes from feeling like you don't have any plan of how to get these tasks completed since you've already taken a step in the right direction by creating a game plan.

3. Eliminate Distractions

Distractions are a major contributor to procrastination. Identify what commonly pulls your attention away from your tasks—be it social media, television, or even a cluttered workspace—and take steps to minimize these distractions. Create a dedicated workspace, use website blockers, or set specific time slots for leisure activities. By reducing distractions, you can create an environment that fosters focus and productivity. One of my favorite ways to eliminate some distractions is through using the "focus" feature on smartphones. It allows notifications that you need to receive through but blocks the ones you don't so that you don't fall down the rabbit hole.

4. Use the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that can help improve focus and reduce procrastination. It involves breaking work into intervals, usually 25 minutes in length, followed by a short break of 5 minutes. After completing four intervals, take a longer break of 15-30 minutes. This approach helps maintain high levels of concentration while also providing necessary breaks to recharge. Knowing that you only need to focus for a short period can make it easier to start working. While I often use this to get me started on a project, I usually end up getting into a productive groove after the first cycle or two since you start to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride which makes you want to keep going and see it through.

5. Don't Beat Yourself Up

Your mindset plays a crucial role in how you approach tasks. If you feed into the sense of dread and negative thoughts, you are likely to continue avoiding the task that you need to accomplish. Instead, try to cultivate a positive mindset by focusing on the benefits of completing the task, such as a sense of accomplishment or reduced stress. Practice self-compassion; if you slip into procrastination, don’t be too hard on yourself. Acknowledge it, understand why it happened, and refocus on your goals. Additionally, in many cases a task done imperfectly is still better than a task not done at all. Don't let yourself fall into all or nothing thinking or accept "procrastinator" as part of your identity. It is a habit and habits can be changed with tools and practice.

Conclusion

Procrastination is a habit that can hinder your productivity and overall well-being, but it’s not insurmountable. By implementing these five strategies—breaking tasks into smaller steps, setting clear deadlines, eliminating distractions, using the Pomodoro Technique, and cultivating a positive mindset—you can reduce how much you procrastinate. Remember, the key is to take action, no matter how small, and celebrate your progress along the way. Once you start, the dopamine from accomplishing even just one thing will kick in and make it that much easier to accomplish your goals.