Firstly, stop being hard on yourself about it, there is nothing wrong with you.
We are all guilty of falling into this trap, we are biologically hardwired to seek out instant gratification over long term reward.
Psychology has revealed procrastination to be caused by a number of reasons:
• Anxiety
• Trauma
• Fear of failing
• Negative thinking
• Being disorganised
• Lack of self-confidence
Here are some effective techniques to help you end the procrastination cycle:
1) The 2-Min Rule
Work for 2 minutes a day on anything you want in life.
For the days you don’t feel like doing it, just do it for 2 mins. If you still don’t feel like doing after 2 min, you can stop.
Often you will find yourself going on for longer.
2) The Strength of Decision Elimination
Repetitively making decisions over again for the same things creates mental fatigue and drains you.
Save your decision energy for the more important decisions you need to make by: 👇
• eliminating activities that add no value
• automate repetitive daily tasks
• use tools to support you e.g. “Microsoft Do List” & “Evernote”
• repeat decisions that are bringing you closer to your goals
• avoid open ended mental decisions e.g. “maybe”
3. Avoid Distractions, Feed Your Focus
• switch off your alerts
• delete time consuming apps
• make it difficult to access distracting habits e.g. take the batteries out of your TV remote and pull the plug out
ALSO SEE: 7 habits that’ll get you ahead of 98% of people in their 20s
4. Get Organised
Planning your day in advance will provide the structure you need to:
• reduce stress
• improve motivation
• increase productivity
• make better use of your time
This leads to less over-thinking and more doing.
5. Eat that Frog, Prioritisation is Key
Make sure you start your day by addressing the most important & time-sensitive tasks first
Start with the things you keep putting off first. As the day goes on your energy levels will drop and you won’t be motivated to look at it.
Get the difficult things out of the way first, it will:
• help reduce your stress levels
• give you motivation to tackle the easier things
6. Accountability
Let someone you trust know about your plans and give them a date for when you aim to achieve it by.
Ask them to hold you to it, you are now on the hook and you will be motivated to not disappoint them.
7. Pareto Analysis
The 20/80 Rule: 20% of your activities will account for 80% of your results.
Figure out which ones they are and start putting more focus towards them.
8. Temptation Bundling
Combine a behaviour that you know will benefit you long term with a behaviour that makes you feel good in the short term e.g.
– only listen to your favourite podcasts when cleaning
– save your favourite music for when you exercise
By : Limitless Living
