3 Ways To Overcome Procrastination & Get Things Done

We have all been in a situation where you know what you have to do but for one reason or another, you keep putting it off. Your to-do list turns into a \”will one day do it list\”. This is called procrastination.

In his book Take the stairs: Seven Steps to Achieving True Success. Rory Vaden states that there are three types of procrastination.

The first type is Classic Procrastination: Here you consciously delay what you know you should be doing. Most of us tend to fall into this category.

It may be that you are good in one area of your life but struggle in another. For example, I am good at organizing and getting things ready but I loathe cleaning up. Another area I procrastinate in is working out. Some days I literally talk myself out of doing my exercises.

Rory says the second type tends to be subtle, unconscious and invisible. He calls it Creative Avoidance. With this type, you unconsciously fill your day with menial work and end up being busy for the sake. You tend to put off the important things and drift towards easier and more interesting activities.

In today\’s world where people like to worship at the altar of busyness, this type is quickly gaining ground. Sometimes you may find that you go through your day dealing with small urgent things and ignoring the big important ones.

Experts who offer help to those struggling with working effectively, ask them to maintain a timesheet. Very often, people are surprised at how they are using their time. It is thus recommended that you get into the habit of auditing your day and asking whether you have been efficient or effective in getting things done.

The last type of procrastination is called Priority Dilution. Unfortunately, overachievers tend to struggle with this type.  Here, the culprits are aware of what their goals are but instead of working towards them, they allow themselves to gravitate towards less important tasks.

Since their goals were not set with a focus in the first place, they find themselves being pulled in all directions. Rory draws the distinction that whereas one with creative avoidance takes the unimportant and makes them urgent, one with priority dilution often takes the urgent and inappropriately makes them important.

The Solutions

In her book The 5 Second Rule, Mel Robbins states that procrastination can be a good thing. Like Rory, she believes although there is destructive procrastination which tends to keep you from achieving your goals and often comes with negative consequences. There is what she calls Productive Procrastination. She argues that this type tends to occur in cases where you have projects with no fixed deadline. In such cases, allowing the work to sit for sometime may help with stimulating your creative juices and in the end, this results in a better finished product.

Needless to state, however, whatever category of procrastination you may find yourself in, procrastination is indeed a thief and tends to rob us of our effectiveness. Below we look at three ways in which we can overcome procrastination and take action on what needs to be done.

#1. Answer the WHY Question

We know that procrastination arises when we choose to put off things we know we should be doing in favor of more enjoyable tasks. The solution, therefore, is to begin by asking yourself WHY do I keep putting off this task? Usually, the tasks we put off are the ones that contribute most to us achieving our goals and objectives. The answer to the WHY question may take you to the reason you set that particular goal in the first place.

In her book Playing Big… Tara Mohr asks us to be mindful of how we set our goals. She asks that we avoid setting \”should goals\” which are goals set out of a sense of \”should\” rather than out of authentic interest. She advocates for \”gift goals\” which truly resonate and flow from a spirit of self-care and not of perfectionism. In addition, \”gift goals\” are joyful to both pursue and achieve.

Similarly, Mel argues that destructive procrastination arises because we are dealing with stress in another area which causes us to put off doing the good stuff and instead indulge in activities that help us feel better. For example, one may be stressed about the fact that they do not have enough money to cover the month\’s expenses and instead of doing work to bring in more money, they instead opt to do an activity that will make them feel better and less stressed.

Mel\’s solution is after you have answered the WHY question and discovered why you are procrastinating then forgive your self and allow yourself to get back to working on what you are procrastinating.

#2. Get Organised

This second solution seems a cliché one but it is not. In most cases, organized people are able to beat procrastination because they are guided by their prioritized lists or schedules or routines.

In addition, when you take time to organize your activities, you are able to break big projects into manageable tasks which ensure you can \”eat the big elephant a bite at a time\”.  Procrastination often arises because the task at hand appears overwhelming. I have found time blocking to be effective in helping me get things done.

The way I work on how to overcome procrastination about exercising is I get really intentional with it. I include it on my to-do list on days when I will be working out. I also ensure all my workout gear is ready. It helps when you try to plan and prepare things sooner than you think you need to.

Given the fact that procrastination is a habit, you need to deal with it the way you deal with other habits. This entails taking small but intentional steps to eliminate it. Sometimes you may need to get an accountability partner who will hold your hand until you can stand on your own.

#3. Let Go Of Perfectionism

Nothing breeds procrastination as much as wanting everything to be perfect. Perfect time, perfect solution, etc. But we all know that we are called to excellence and not perfection.

You need to be clear that perfectionism is not the same as wanting to be or do your best at all times. Instead, it is wanting to ensure all things align in your favour before you can get something done. Sometimes this is possible but not all the time.

The problem however is, instead of giving you the best, perfectionism rids you of opportunities you miss because you are too afraid to do or give anything which in your view is not perfect. I read somewhere that in silicon valley, they use the mantra \”done is better than perfect\”. Next time you catch yourself procrastinating because things are not to your standards remember this mantra and then get on with what you have to do.

Finally,

You need to keep in mind that the best way to overcome procrastination is to always dig deep and find the answer to the question of why you are putting off a particular task. Similarly, by organizing your life you will be able to break down projects into manageable tasks. Finally, it helps to remember that we are called to be excellent at what we do and not perfect since only God is perfect.

 

The Organisation Series

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How Small Actions Can Produce Big Results

How To Manage Your Life NOT Time 

3 Ways To Beat Procrastination (You are here)