Procrastination, or the act of putting off a task, often impacts our ability to complete tasks on time or to achieve our goals. For more information on the cycle of procrastination and why we often procrastinate, check out our article “What is Procrastination?”

Procrastination can be hard to fight against, as there are several causes or triggers for this behaviour. Below are just some of the ways we can begin to fight against procrastination. 

Notice when you Procrastinate 

Notice Thoughts and Feelings: To attempt to change our habits, we first need to identify and then understand the patterns of thinking and feelings that contribute to our behaviour. This can be achieved by paying attention to the thoughts and feelings that arise when you are procrastinating. 

Excuses: Begin to notice some of the justifications you provide to yourself for procrastinating. Are you waiting until you will be in the mood or motivated to begin working on a tedious task? Are you convincing yourself that you will have plenty of time to get things done? Noticing our excuses can help us to further identify thinking patterns and feelings.   

Try to Make the Task Less Daunting 

Are you overwhelmed by the task at hand? Do you question your abilities, or second guess yourself? Do you feel like throwing in the towel and giving up? In these situations, it’s important to ask yourself, what will make this task less daunting? If it’s too large, breaking a task into smaller sub-tasks may help it feel less overwhelming. Additionally, asking yourself the following questions may also be helpful:

• Have I overcome a similar situation in the past?
• What kind of skills have I used previously?
• Am I looking at the whole picture?
• What would I recommend to a friend if they were in a similar situation? 

Identify Realistic Consequences 

Delaying or procrastinating the completion of a task may pose serious consequences for an individual's academic or work career, their family life, or their social life. Examining these consequences can help us gain motivation for completing the tasks, as leaving them incomplete or submitting them late may cause us guilt, disappointment, or shame. Alternatively, focusing on positive consequences of getting these tasks done can help us increase satisfaction, self-esteem, and feel accomplished. 

Get Organized 

Make a list of high priority tasks that require your immediate attention versus low priority tasks which can be completed later or in between the high priority tasks. Becoming more organized and having a clear set of tasks to complete often makes it easier to initiate tasks. Trello is an app that is designed to keep all of your tasks on a board and makes it easier for you to organize and prioritize your projects in a fun and easy way. Additionally, Toggl is another app for organizing your tasks. 

Make Use of Mental Energy Spikes 

Observe your energy levels and mental capacity during the day. Do you feel more energetic and motivated some days compared to others or at a specific time of day? Make use of these times to get things done. During more energetic parts of your day, try to work on tasks that require the most mental energy such as tackling a big project for work or school. Alternatively, perform routine tasks like checking emails when your mental capacity is low. 

Set Time Goals 

Setting deadlines for tasks is more likely to motivate you to get the tasks done on time, whereas allowing time to pass without a concrete deadline may contribute to procrastination. Try creating your own deadlines. However, make sure that these deadlines seem reasonable for you to meet or else they may contribute to feelings such as shame or guilt, which may prompt further procrastination. Additionally, limiting yourself to working on an activity for 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 hour at a time, without distractions, allows you to accurately estimate how much time the task will require.

Examine Language 

What we say to ourselves on a daily basis can either motivate us or leave us feeling defeated and doubtful. Using phrases like “I have to”, “I need to”, or “I must do this”, highlight the lack of control that we experience over a task and can contribute to our discomfort. Try replacing these with positive phrases such as “I chose to”, “I would like to”, “I am planning to”, or “I’ll do it anyway.” 

Minimize Distractions 

When working on a task that requires your attention, it is best to turn off all notifications on your phone and put it away in order to make you less tempted to reach for it. Additionally, try to ensure there are not other distractions in your environment such as television, other people, or distracting music. 

Be Mindful of Environmental Associations 

To avoid procrastinating, it's important to be aware of the places in your home that you associate with specific activities. For example, your bed is a place where you rest and relax. Therefore, if you tend to perform school or work related tasks on our bed, you are more likely to procrastinate as it signals to your body that this is a place for rest. When you create a functional workspace for yourself, your body is more likely to reciprocate the activity level associated with your work area. 

Start the Engine 

Starting an unpleasant task can be difficult. It is recommended that in order to start our engine, we should do our best to have everything open and prepared at our workstation and to make ourselves commit to the task for at least 5 minutes. This rule often starts the engine and keeps the motor running by making us more engaged as we continue to be immersed in a task. 

Reward Yourself 

Indulging yourself after mastering a task, either whole or partially, is one of the most vital parts of breaking the procrastination cycle as it simultaneously motivates us and helps us to build new positive habits. 

As discussed earlier, feelings such as guilt and shame can easily lead to procrastination. Therefore, practicing self-compassion and forgiving yourself for past procrastination behaviors can help decrease the urges to procrastinate. 

For more help with procrastination, consider contacting us to see how we can help.

Written By:  Angela Povar, M. Psy.  

Edited/Reviewed by:  Chantal Legere, M. Psy

References

Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.-a). Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle: Using Time Effectively, Not Just Efficiently. Mind Tools. Retrieved November 5, 2020, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_91.htm

Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.-b). How Can I Stop Procrastinating?: Overcoming the Habit of Delaying Important Tasks. Mind Tools. Retrieved November 5, 2020, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm