How to Stop Procrastinating

Let’s be honest.  We are all guilty of procrsatinating at one time or another.  The issue is how often we do it.  Are you the type who procrastinates rarely, maybe for a good reason?  Or are you the type who will almost go out of the way to procrastinate the smallest task?  Either way, have a read through some of my personal tips.

Personally, I fall in the middle of the spectrum.  I procrastinate school tasks horrible, yet anything to do with work does not get put off until later.  I somewhat procrastinate housework.  Sometimes I’ll do all the dishes, but other times there may be three or four sitting the sink.  However, I won’t let the sink overflow with disgusting dishware.

Everyone is different, so regardless of how or why you procrsatinate, you will need to try multiple things to find a combination that works for you.  Here are some things to keep in mind when a less than pleasant task has to be taken care of:

• Think of the consequences: If I don’t do my school work, chances are I’ll fall behind in my classes and then have even more work to do, with a smaller amount of time to do it in.  That is a scary thought, but maybe not enough to get things done.
• Think about the other things you’d rather be doing: But don’t go do them!  Keep in mind that you’re not going to be able to do the things you enjoy if you have a pile of work to take care of later on.  From this, you need to learn some time management.
• Plan your time accordingly: Don’t just abandon the things you know need to be done.  Work and play must be balanced.  When you’re given a task, your best bet is to deal with it right then, if possible.  If not, take care of what you’re currently doing and then move onto the new task.  This way, it doesn’t go forgotten about.  This keeps things orderly, which is also helpful.  Do things in the order that they happen.
• Avoid more work: This goes hand in hand with what I had just mentioned; do things as they occur.  Did you just use a plate and now it needs to be cleaned?  Clean it now.  What’s it going to take, less than a minute?  Maybe 5 minutes if you had multiple plates or some pots or pans.  This avoids it getting put off for later.  Once things are pushed until later multiple times, the chance of that task getting done slims greatly.

For some people, none of this will matter.  The best thing you can do is give yourself some rules and structure.  Don’t push things off on other people.  Waiting until you have even more time isn’t a good idea.  Keep in mind that procrastinating is not a good thing and that you want to stop.  You’re reading this, so obviously you want to stop!  With that in mind, you should be able to mix and match some tricks that work for you.