Procrastination, ugh, it’s the worst, right? Why do we do it? We all know better. Those unsurmountable tasks that loom large on our to do lists and our minds. We know we “should” be working on them, but what about that show on Netflix? The snack in the fridge? Social media? Anything, really…anything other than the overwhelming thing I have absolutely no desire to do. Procrastination is one of those obstacles that I struggle with on a daily basis in almost every area of my life. It is something I would love to overcome, but like anything else, it is one step forward three steps backs for me with procrastination. I have even been procrastinating writing this post on procrastination!
I decided that this year I will knock out all of those projects I have been procrastinating for far too long, and I have some big ones; divide up 30 years of photos to share with my ex-husband, finish sorting through my dad’s belongings that sit in my basement from when he passed away over three years ago, and finally clean out and box up my teenage sons’ keepsakes. This is not going to be easy, because not only are these projects overwhelmingly large, they are emotional. When fighting your own procrastination, remember to be kind to yourself, sometimes we forget the emotional piece to this struggle, but it may be the biggest key to unlocking your productivity.
So today, I am going to share with you 10 ways to stop procrastination. This is the plan I am going to use to conquer my three big projects this year, and maybe they’ll work for you too. So let’s get started…
- Get Real With Yourself – Think about why you’re procrastinating this particular project. Is it overwhelming? Is it emotional? Do you not know where to start or how to do it? Are you hung up on it being done “perfectly?” Once you determine why you’ve been putting it off, own it. For me, my projects are not only big, but they are emotional. They are going to be painful; it’s going to hurt looking through old photos, belongings, and keepsakes…a lot of old memories are going to come up. So for me, I will have to work in small doses to get through it. Think about why you’re stuck, and how to overcome it.
- Get Organized – It’s hard to complete a project if it’s all over the house or you don’t have what you need, so before you begin, get organized. For me and my photo project, I got all of the photo albums, loose photos, framed photos, CDs, SD cards, etc. all in one place. I ordered photo organizers and flash drives from Amazon, and I have storage containers for the framed photos. I already feel accomplished just gathering everything together and ordering the needed supplies…a few steps in the right direction!
- Small Steps – Once you’re organized, break your large project in to small attainable sections or goals. If your organizing your kitchen, break it down a cabinet at a time. Writing a book? Break it down by chapter. For me and my photos, I am breaking into types of photos…albums, loose, framed, digital.
- Make A Plan – Now that you have broken your project into small chunks, make a plan of how much you hope to do at a time and in what order. In my photo example, I can devote about 90 minutes at a time to my project so I am breaking it up accordingly. For my photo album step, I plan to go through three photo albums each time I work on it. With 30 photo albums stacked up in the basement, I hope to knock that part of the project out in 10 sessions.
- Give Yourself A Deadline – This step is critical…as Walt Disney once said, “everyone needs deadlines.” Having a deadline can be the difference between an awesome plan on paper and actually accomplishing something. Now that you’ve broken your project into small steps and created a plan, you will have an idea of how long it will take to accomplish it. Come up with a deadline for yourself and then add a cushion. Life ALWAYS gets in the way, even of the best plans. Overcoming procrastination on a difficult project isn’t about setting ourselves up with unrealistic expectations, it’s about setting ourselves up for success and building our confidence for difficult tasks in the future. So create a realistic deadline and put it on your calendar! For my photo project, I have given myself the deadline of Valentine’s Day.
- Build In A Break – When working on an overwhelming project, be sure to build in breaks. It’s not as difficult to get started if you know that in 30 minutes, you get a 15 minute break to scroll social media, eat a snack, or listen to music. Again getting these paralyzing tasks completed is about overcoming them even if that requires some breaks here and there to get through it.
- Remove Distractions – When you’re not on a designated break, be sure to remove all of the distractions. Put your phone in another room, turn off the TV, and if you have kids, consider working on your project once they are in bed or are otherwise occupied. Once you get on a roll, you won’t want a distraction to break your momentum.
- Get Inspired – If you’re still struggling, look for inspiration. Find someone who has done what you want to do and get inspired by their success. Want to organize your house? Check out Marie Kondo or the Home Edit team on Netflix to get you pumped up!
- Be Accountable – Tell someone what you plan to accomplish or share it on social media to make yourself accountable. Now that I have shared with all of you that I plan to complete my photo project by Valentine’s Day, I feel like I need to get it done. It’s amazing how motivating a little accountability can be.
- Reward Yourself – And once you’ve completed your project and conquered your procrastination, celebrate your success with a reward. You can even pick out your prize and put a picture of it on the fridge or bathroom mirror to motivate you every day to keep working towards your goal.
So now it’s time for me to go to the basement and dig into my 30 years of photos. What are you going to do? Watch some more Netflix or get going on something you’ve been putting off for far too long like me? Together, we can do this, I believe in you!
Smallest Steps 