Procrastination. We all deal with it from time to time; whether it’s procrastinating on going to the gym, or procrastinating preparing a presentation that you don’t particularly look forward to.

We all do it, but no one likes it. Especially when it becomes a habit, it can be a serious problem.

Therefore, our newest Wyser in our course called: ‘productivity mastery’ is dedicated to procrastination, and especially how to overcome it. So, if you want more to listen to a more extensive explanation, make sure to hit the button below!

Step 1: Recognize that you’re procrastinating

It may almost sound too obvious. But, recognizing that you’re procrastinating in the first place is key to overcome it. Although it sounds easy, we can easily trick ourselves into thinking we do not procrastinate. Some common ways you can recognize procrastination, are:

• You often do not meet deadlines, or have to rush your work.

• You fill your days with low-prioirity tasks, putting off a high-priority task.

• Even thinking about the task makes you feel uncomfortable.

Step 2: Recognize WHY you are procrastinating

Uncovering the root causes of procrastination is key to overcome it. In order to recognize WHY you are procrastinating, you need to reflect on your thoughts and feelings, and be completely honest with yourself. It may take a while to find, but only when you uncover the cause, you can effectively overcome it. Some common reasons are:

• The task itself:
  When a task is unpleasant or time-consuming, we’re especially prone to procrastinating working on it.

• Being unorganized:
  When you’re working in an unorganized or unstructured way, you’re especially likely to procrastinate. Not having a good overview of the task that lies ahead can cause underestimating the time it takes to complete it.

• Fear of failure:
  This might sound surprising, because you might think that people who are prone to fear of failure would start earlier, to make sure they don’t fail. But, procrastination has a lot to do with feeling unpleasant about a task. People who fear failure or who are perfectionists might feel unpleasant working on a task, as they fear not doing it perfectly.

• Poor decision-making:
  If you can't decide what to do, you'll likely put off taking any action in case you make the wrong choice.

Step 3: Use strategies to counter procrastination

• Stop ruminating about your mistakes:
  Although we almost always regret having procrastinated in the past, it does not help to ruminate too much about your past decisions. When you make mistakes, self-forgiveness can help you to feel better about yourself, and reduce the likelihood of procrastination in the future. So instead, look forward after you realized you procrastinated, and see what you still can do. 

• Organize your schedule:
  Break down your tasks into manageable chunks and specify a time for doing them. As I just told, working in a structured way can really help to avoid procrastination. Sometimes it feels like there is so much to do that you don’t even know where to start. When this is the case, breaking the task down into manageable chunks really helps. 

• Ask someone to check up on you:
  This could be a friend, family member, or a digital tool. Having someone to keep you accountable can be a great motivator, and will help you avoid procrastination. 

• Focus on the long-term outcomes:
  Try to focus on the long-term benefits of completing the task. It can also help to identify the unpleasant consequences of avoiding it. And think about the meaning and relevance of the task - this will help to increase its value to you.

• Celebrate successes:
  Make sure to reward yourself each time you have worked productively. Regularly celebrating your successes will increase your motivation, and will decrease the likelihood of procrastinating again.

Hopefully these tips will help you better manage procrastination. But, remember that no person is the same, and procrastination differs in its expression, causes, and outcomes. Therefore, it’s about finding out what works for you. For example, if asking someone to check up on you every once in a while causes even more fear of failure, then don’t worry and just pick whatever strategy works best for you!