Procrastination is perfectly normal, and everyone struggles with it from time to time. When procrastination becomes habitual, though, it can be harmful, leading to anxiety, poor work quality, and a lot of lost time. If you are struggling with procrastination, consider some of the following suggestions to motivate yourself and get back the time you are losing.
Work in Small Sessions
Starting any large task, whether it is a long essay or an ambitious project, can be intimidating, and working up the courage or motivation to even start is a daunting task. Take away some of the stress associated with overwhelming amounts of work by breaking up that work into manageable chunks. Remember, unless you are working on a very tight deadline, you don’t need to do everything all at once. Commit to one small achievement at a time, like working for five minutes or writing three sentences. If, once you have completed that, you have built up the momentum to keep going, you should do so. If not, take a break until you have more motivation and know that you have made more progress than you had five minutes ago. This strategy works best for larger projects with relatively far-off deadlines.
Give Yourself External Motivation
Sometimes, the promise of being done with your task just isn’t enough to motivate you. If this is the case, give yourself some additional encouragement. Maybe you plan to work on your project before your usual lunchtime, and you set the goal of completing the project before you eat lunch. This way, even if you are tempted to keep procrastinating, the promise of a break can encourage you to keep working, especially if you are hungry and looking forward to lunch. Of course, please don’t starve yourself. This technique is meant to encourage you to work, not punish you for not working. This strategy works best for smaller projects that can be finished in a single session of about half an hour to a couple hours.
Set a Timer on Breaks
Taking breaks while working is important to keep up your productivity as well as protect your own health and well-being. Unfortunately, if you’re not careful, it’s easy for a ten-minute rest to turn into fifteen or twenty minutes, or for a half-hour lunch break to turn into a full hour. Taking longer-than-expected breaks later in the day comes with an additional risk; if you are prone to procrastination, you may consider quitting early and putting off the rest of the day’s work until tomorrow since there isn’t much working time left in the day anyway. If your breaks tend to get too long, cutting into your productive time and encouraging you to procrastinate, try setting a timer for the exact amount of time you intend to rest. Don’t rely on just watching the clock yourself, since that makes it too easy to say “five more minutes.” You can use your phone or even a regular kitchen timer. It may seem simple, but an external signal that you should get back to work can be much more effective than just telling yourself your break should be over soon. If you need some extra motivation to end your break, try putting your timer in a different room from the one you are resting in so that you have to get up to turn it off.
Record the Time You Spend Working
You might be aware that you procrastinate, and your productivity suffers because of it, but it can still be challenging to act on it. Visualizing how you are using your time can help make you fully realize how much time you are losing to procrastination, and therefore motivate you to fix that in a way that just being generally aware of your problem cannot. The method you use to record your habits is up to you, so be sure to use something that works for you. If you enjoy craft projects, you could try something like a physical color-coded chart (but don’t be tempted to spend too much time on it as an excuse to procrastinate). If you aren’t confident that you can or will keep up with a relatively complicated project and would prefer something you can update quickly each day, a simple spreadsheet will work.
Speak to a Healthcare Provider
If you are really struggling with procrastination and it is significantly disruptive to your life, you may want to consider speaking with a healthcare professional. Certain disorders like ADHD can make someone more likely to procrastinate than the average person. There is a lot more to ADHD than procrastination, and having a habit of procrastinating does not necessarily mean you have ADHD, but if you have concerns, it may be worth it to speak to your doctor. They might address your concerns directly, or they might get you in contact with a specialized professional. Even if you don’t have any specific disorders, you can still benefit from speaking to a therapist or psychologist who can help you to identify causes of procrastination and develop healthy habits.