There’s a dearth of time in today’s fast-paced world. You have your head down, trying to tick off the endless tasks on your to-do list with other jobs piling up dangerously. The unwritten rule, that you have to be always energetic and on your feet, is oftentimes, a recipe for disaster. It has also been found that the constant pressure to complete tasks is a major cause of procrastination. So, how do we define procrastination? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, procrastination is “to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.”
Simply put, procrastination is, not doing something that you’re supposed to get done. You just can’t seem to bring up the will to perform a task. Your day is filled with trivial activities that may not be actually necessary. And you regret not doing those priority tasks. Your mood plummets and it becomes more difficult to get things done.
Procrastinating can take a toll on your mental health as well, indirectly. Those long lists stretch your nerves and stress levels can reach an all-time high while trying to meet those deadlines at the last minute! This can tarnish your self-esteem and inner motivation, making you feel unaccomplished and less productive.
Here are a few quick tips to drive those procrastination blues away!
Create a vision
Each person has their own vision. A novel tip is creating vision boards that contain every step and detail about the final destination. Only having a target and toiling towards it, without enjoying the journey, is going to lead to burn-out.
Instead, try setting small milestones so that you make the journey pleasant and easier to achieve. The dopamine boost at regular intervals greatly improves your chances of crossing the finish line. Work at your own, healthy pace and experience the magic of accomplishment!
To-do lists
Getting organized and prioritizing your tasks into a to-do list sets the right tone for your journey. Having limited tasks and setting urgent ones at the top of the chart, paves the way for an excellent start.
The overwhelming choices and decisions that you have to make daily may hinder your thought process. Hence, setting achievable goals without congesting your day is of paramount importance.
To-do lists help amazingly well in this accord. Set out some time during the night to organize for the next day. Write it out with color codes, if possible, for visual effect and stick it somewhere clearly visible. In addition to to-do lists, there are several apps that fulfill the purpose.
This way, you’re all set to begin the next day!
Be mindful of self
It is extremely important to be mindful and being emotionally intelligent. You have to be aware of your strengths and limitations and design your day accordingly. Don’t forget to set aside some time for self-care.
You may get flustered with losses. What you can do in such situations is reflect on your mistakes, think over the shortcomings and create solutions or change directions as required.
Don’t beat yourself up about a few hurdles. Learn from them and give yourself enough time to take care of yourself, physically and mentally, so that you can tackle them better.
Having an insight and taking time out to relax and rejuvenate works wonders while attempting tasks and will drive those procrastination blues away!
Maintain healthy relationships
This tip is more relevant at your workplace. A good, healthy, and professional relationship with your colleagues at work can help immensely if you’re caught in the web of procrastination.
Your mates will guide you or even help you with some of the tasks and it becomes an easy atmosphere to work in; not one where you dread going!
The ‘temptation bundling’ technique
You may often find yourself procrastinating about things that don’t interest you or are too tedious (according to you). For example, exercising daily, replying to pending emails, and doing household chores.
Here is how you can use temptation bundling to your advantage. This technique follows the simple logic of ‘doing something you want (temptation/need) and clubbing it with doing something you should (procrastinate on).
Taking cues from the above examples, if you’re procrastinating about exercising daily (should) or doing chores, try listening to your favorite audiobooks or podcasts (temptation) while exercising or doing chores!
These tips and hacks are basic and highly effective in pulling you out from the loop of procrastination and trailblazing your way to a productive life!
