How To Change Procrastination Habits

Do you want to learn how to change your procrastination habits so you can be more efficient at what you do?

Are your procrastinating habits becoming a big burden to you both at work and in your everyday life?

Do you find it hard to set goals and successfully achieve your set goals as a result of your procrastinating habits?

Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing action or to put off doing something intentionally at the time when it ought to be done.

This could be due to laziness or an unwillingness to work at that moment.

There are so many reasons why people tend to procrastinate.

Whatever their reasons might be, procrastination is a bad habit that must be dealt with immediately.

This is because it can do a lot of damage to your career, your business, and even your personal life.

Hence, if you’re in the habit of procrastinating, read on to find out more about how you can change your procrastination habits.

How To Change Procrastination Habits

Procrastination is a bad habit that can make you unproductive and inefficient at what you do.

Thereby making it difficult for you to achieve set goals.

Given this, procrastination habits must be changed.

Ever heard the saying old habits die hard?

Whilst this saying might be true it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to stop your bad habits.

Hence, there are effective ways you can learn to change procrastination habits.

However, before we consider what these steps or tips are let’s lay some background on the topic.

Let’s discover;

Procrastination and laziness
Why people procrastinate
Disadvantages of procrastination

Procrastination And Laziness

There seems to be a little bit of confusion between these two terms.

Most people tend to think that procrastination occurs due to laziness.

In other words, they tend to think that when a person procrastinates, it’s because that person is being lazy.

There’s no doubt that both terms are quite similar in the sense that they both involve “not taking action”.

However, there is a difference between these two terms and a simple definition between the two terms would help you understand them better.

Dictionary.com defines procrastination as;

“the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention”

It also defines laziness as being “averse or disinclined to work, activity, or exertion; indolent”.

In simple words, procrastination is the act of intentionally delaying the completion of another task until a later time to do something else.

On the other hand, laziness is the unwillingness to take action to do something that necessarily needs to be done.

Hence, while there might be some similarities between procrastination and laziness, both terms are different.

Procrastination is not the same thing as laziness.

More so, procrastination is not due to laziness.

So, if procrastination is not due to laziness; why then do people procrastinate?

Why People Procrastinate

Most people tend to procrastinate despite knowing that procrastinating does more harm than good to them.

They can’t help but procrastinate or postpone taking action or making decisions on their goals.

The reasons why people procrastinate might be due to internal and/or external factors.

Here are some of the reasons why people procrastinate in no particular order.

1. Fear Of Failure

One of the reasons why most people procrastinate is due to the fear of failure.

They fear that they might fail at the particular task or project they are about to embark on.

So, they try to avoid the consequences of failing by refusing to take action.

Hence, they put off doing the task or project until a later time when they feel they’re guaranteed they’ll succeed.

Fear of failure makes people procrastinate on their goals such as starting a business, working on a project, etc.

2. Lack Of Motivation

Most people procrastinate on their goals on a particular task at hand because they lack the motivation, especially intrinsic motivation to complete the task/goal.

This lack of motivation could be due to the lack of interest in the task or project.

More so, the lack of motivation could be due to the simplicity or difficulty of the task at hand.

Based on this lack of motivation, they tend to put off taking action on their goals/tasks and or projects.

Thus leading to procrastination habits.

3.Lack Of Self-discipline

Most people procrastinate as a result of a lack of self-discipline.

Self-discipline is the act of controlling your actions or emotions to do the needful at the appropriate time.

Most people who haven’t mastered the art of self-discipline would find it difficult to get themselves to take action and do the needful at the appropriate time.

More so, they can easily get distracted from their goals.

Thus making them postpone taking action when they ought to.

4. Setting Vague And Unrealistic Goals

Setting vague and unrealistic goals is also one of the reasons why most people procrastinate.

Vague goals are not clearly defined thus making it difficult to ascertain what actions need to be taken to achieve such goals.

More so, unrealistic goals can seem impossible and very unlikely to achieve.

Thereby making them feel reluctant to take action on their goals.

Hence, leading to procrastination.

5. Indecisiveness

Most people tend to procrastinate on matters, tasks, and goals as a result of indecisiveness.

They are unable to take action as a result of their inability to decide on the course of action to take.

Consequently, they refuse to take action or postpone taking action.

Thereby, leading to indecisiveness.

There are other reasons why people procrastinate such as; Anxiety, perfectionism, lack of confidence, fear of criticisms, distractions, low energy levels, among others.

Whatever the reason for procrastinating might be, procrastination makes it difficult for you to get things done at the appropriate time.

Hence, making it difficult for you to achieve maximum results at what you do.

These and many more are the disadvantages of procrastination.

Let’s discover what these other disadvantages are.

Why Procrastination Habit Is Bad For You – Disadvantages Of Procrastination

Here are several reasons why procrastination is bad for you.

It makes it difficult for you to use your time effectively. Procrastination is the thief of time.
Procrastination makes you unproductive and inefficient at what you do. It makes it difficult for you to meet up with deadlines/goal.
It can lead to anxiety and stress and affect your mental health overall. When you postpone tasks, you tend to pile them up.
Procrastination can also lead to low self-esteem. By procrastinating you’ll find it difficult to achieve your goals, thereby making you feel like a failure.

How To Change Procrastination Habits – How To Stop Procrastinating And Get Things Done

After discovering several reasons why people procrastinate and why procrastination is bad for you; let’s find out how to stop procrastinating.

Old habits die hard they say.

However, with the right tips, careful practice, dedication, and a lot of commitment, we can change nad habits.

Hence, here are effective tips on how to change your procrastinating habits so you can be more efficient at what you do.

Make A Decision To Stop The Bad Habit of Procrastination

The first step to effectively change your procrastination habit is to make a firm decision to change.

Yes, it all starts with you.

You have to firmly decide that you want to change.

That is, after realizing that you procrastinate a lot and it’s affecting your life negatively.

It is only after making this firm decision that you’ll be motivated to look for ways to help you overcome procrastination.

Hence, helping you change procrastination habit.

Identify The Why(s) Of Your Procrastination Habits – Why Do You Procrastinate

Another step to take to change your procrastination habit is to identify the reasons for your procrastination.

Why do you procrastinate on your goals or a particular task/project?

Is it due to fear of failure or because you lack interest in the project or the difficulty of the task?

To identify why you procrastinate ask yourself some thoughtful questions and sincerely provide accurate answers to those questions.

These things can also be obstacles (distractions) that stand in your way of getting things done.

By doing this you’ll be able to identify the right approach to tackle the reasons behind your procrastination.

Thereby helping you effectively change your procrastination habits.

Start Creating To-Do Lists

Another effective tip to help you change your procrastination bad habits is to make use of to-do lists.

If you procrastinate a lot on tasks or projects, it could be because you’re quite disorganized.

To effectively deal with procrastination and get things done, you should consider creating to-do lists to help you become more organized.

This will help you organize your tasks in other of importance or based on urgency.

By so doing, deciding on which task/project to start first would become much easier.

Thereby, eliminating indecisiveness that often leads to procrastination.

Hence, helping you change your procrastination habits.

Use Time-Management Apps/Techniques

Another effective tips to help you change procrastination bad habits is to use time-management apps/techniques.

There various time-management apps/techniques you can use to manage your time effectively.

This is so that you don’t have to put off doing some tasks because you ran out of time or didn’t manage your time effectively.

With these apps, you can keep track of time spent on projects and make adjustments on how you spend your time.

You can also use these apps to block distractions and stay focused on the task at hand.

Furthermore, some time management techniques such as the Pomodoro technique works to help you get things done and avoid procrastination.

The Pomodoro technique is a time-management technique that involves breaking down work time into 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes break time.

In other words for every 25 minutes of focused work you do, you get to go on a 5 minutes break before continuing your work.

This time management technique great for maintaining focus, avoiding burn out and exhortation while working.

Applying this technique to your work routine would help you get more done.

Thus helping you avoid procrastinating and changing procrastination habits.

Recognize Your Most Productive Hours And Maximize It To Get More Done

This is another way you can be more productive and change your procrastination bad habits.

At what time of the day are you most productive?

More so, at what time of the day do you feel less motivated to work?

The human body isn’t naturally wired to stay active all day long.

Research shows that we are productive for only two to three hours in a workday.

This can be a huge barrier to staying productive at work.

However, you can master your body to determine at what time of the day do you feel more energetic.

Create a daily work routine around these productive hours.

In other words, do your difficult tasks at your most productive hours.

Whatever it is that would require a lot of time, energy, and focus, ensure to do at your peak productive hours.

One of the reasons why most people postpone tasks or projects is due to low energy levels.

This is because they leave the most difficult task for the latter part of the day when their energy levels are down and they’re exhausted.

This makes them less productive and unable to handle difficult tasks.

Consequently, they put off doing the task at that moment and postpone it.

Hence, maximize your productive hours by doing your difficult task first (mostly in the morning when your energy levels are up)

This would help you get more done and avoid postponing your tasks/projects.

Thus, helping you change procrastination habits.

Breakdown Complex Work/Projects/Tasks Into Smaller Milestones

For you to effectively change your procrastination habits and get more done, consider breaking down your tasks into smaller milestones.

Sometimes due to the complex nature of the task at hand, we might feel overwhelmed and decide to put them off at that moment.

Thus leading to procrastination.

If you don’t figure out an effective way to tackle such a complex task, you’ll keep on postponing the tasks and never really get it done with.

So, if a task/project seems too tedious for you to handle all at once, break them up into smaller milestones.

This would make them seem more manageable and less overwhelming.

Thereby, making it so easy for you to do.

Consequently, helping you get things done and helping you change procrastination habits.

Create A Productive Workspace

This is another effective way to increase productivity and change your procrastination habits.

Your workspace has a lot to do with your productivity.

Most people tend to believe that a disorganized workspace equals creativity and productivity.

This might be true for some people.

Nevertheless, having too many things/objects in an environment gives the brain so many things to focus on at the same time.

Research shows that a cluttered workspace negatively impacts our ability to stay focused.

For example, a cluttered desk equals a cluttered mind.

Hence, to stay focused at work or in your home office and getting more done is to create an organized workspace.

Create a workspace that’s free from clutter, distractions, and helps to keep your energy levels up.

This is so that you can get more done at work and not have to postpone tasks/projects due to exhaustion/burnout.

Consequently helping you stay productive and changing procrastination habits.

Practice Self-Control

Another way you can change procrastination habits is to show more self-control.

Understand that you are in charge of your emotions and not the other way round.

When your body/mind tells you to put off doing an important task and do something else (something more fun instead) understand that you have the power to say no.

Mastering self-control can be quite difficult.

However, with a lot of careful practice, you can find yourself showing more self-control.

Learning and understanding how to control your emotions can help you push yourself to finish up a task even when you don’t feel like it.

In other words, you’ll be able to stop making excuses and motivate yourself to complete any given task regardless of how tough and challenging it might be.

Thereby helping you stay productive and avoiding procrastination.

Hence, helping you change procrastination habits.