I was into this whole downward spiral of wanting to get things done, struggling with my mental health, and feeling bouts of guilt- all at the same time a few months back after I decided to quit my full-time job, take a career break and just follow my dreams. Besides my anxiety, panic attacks, overthinking behaviour, etc. I was struggling to find balance. I wanted to come out of that vicious cycle and mainly just overcome procrastination.
These are honestly a few tips and daily practices which really helped me overcome procrastination to a great extent.
KEEP YOUR PHONE AWAY
A no-brainer tip? Yes, simply switch it off. Put it away on flight mode or just keep it away from you on silent mode.
Even though we might not want to admit it, we are addicted to our phones or screen or mindlessly scrolling through social media. Keeping our phones away will really help us focus better, be more productive and have an efficient workflow.
We’ve done that as kids, we set a time to study and then switched off from any digital spaces to focus on our study material so why not use that same tip now and in turn overcome procrastination?
WRITE THINGS DOWN
It is as simple as it sounds if you want to do something and you remember it in between doing or completing another task, simply just write it down. I write these thoughts, ideas, and tasks in my diary, on the notes app on my phone, on my whiteboard, on my to-do list, etc.
It is funny how our mind works. It will want you to do a million other things besides the task you are set out to do. Writing out these random things which come up will help you not mindlessly switch between tasks.
BREAK BIGGER TASKS INTO SMALLER ONES
We mostly also procrastinate because we are too overwhelmed by the tasks we have to complete.
Suppose you have a task which is as general as cleaning your bedroom but in your head, you’ll think of it as hoovering/mopping, wiping the place down, changing your bedding, rearranging your cupboard, rearranging drawers, etc. write them down as separate, smaller tasks.
GIVE UP ON UNNECESSARY OBLIGATIONS
Think of self-inflicting commitments as suggestions that you can either simply take or leave it. You don’t really have to give that, much importance if you don’t want to.
These can be meeting people you don’t want to really hang out with, going to every party for every occasion a family member or friend has, replying to every email that you get, or working hard instead of working smart for tasks which do not really require your attention.
Somehow, time management also comes into play here.
TAKE SMALLER BREAKS EVERY HOUR OR TWO
Sometimes I find myself continuously working without breaks. I get a lot done from my to-do list but I still struggle with being completely productive and efficient.
So, what has really helped me is taking smaller mindful breaks in between tasks. This can just be five minutes to drink some water, look outside the window, do basic stretches, do some quick breathing exercises or do a simple meditation ritual to rewind and make my mind feel lighter.
Take bigger breaks for lunch or other meals but these power breaks in between tasks are very useful. It kind of rejuvenates you and thus will help you overcome procrastination.
POUR OUT YOUR EMOTIONS, FEELINGS, AND THOUGHTS OUT FIRST
Honestly, this practice is so important for me to overcome procrastination. I prefer free writing or journaling to pour my heart out and clear my mind. This reduces anxiety too to quite an extent. This is also important to do to have a clear mind from disturbing emotions induced by the external world.
For the longest time, I was struggling with what someone close to me said to me almost three months back. I would constantly think about it and was caught in a loop of people pleasing. Definitely speaking my mind out helped to get the heavy load off my chest but what helped me overcome procrastination during that time was to dump all my feelings out and write it down. I would even have sobbing sessions while journaling but it helped me leave all the noise in my head outside and focus better on my work.
If you have all these emotions or thoughts stewing in your brain you’ll struggle to truly be productive.
BATCH SIMILAR TASKS TOGETHER
This tip to overcome procrastination also works like magic!
For example: If I have to work on a particular food blog post, it has numerous tasks associated to it than simply just writing the recipe out. So what I do is, I keep similar tasks together on my schedule. I’ll keep one day to just write the blog post, one day to just develop the recipe and another day to shoot the recipe and edit the photos or videos.
By batching similar tasks together it helps the brain to be more focused, have a flow and also avoid switching from one type of task to another.
EAT SOMETHING BEFORE YOU BEGIN WORKING
My life coach told me how having an apple even gives you enough energy that you’d get from a small cup of coffee. I don’t know how scientific that is but that has been working for me. Follow @trulysoulfullyeats to get some quick and easy to make recipes which you can eat before you begin working.
Also, personally for me if I’ve been working without eating anything as small as a handful of nuts even I feel sick or my mind cannot focus properly. You’ll get the needed energy to focus on your work if you have something to eat before you begin work.
Also, it is important to understand that somewhere procrastination is a habit and we need to break that habit. You can always decide and form new habits.
What are some of the daily practices you follow to overcome procrastination? Leave a comment below and we can have a chat about it. I’d love to know your ideas.
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Sending you strength to always be productive xx