Struggling with procrastination is something even the greatest well-organized minds struggle with, at some point in their lives or in some areas of their lives. While they may be extremely productive in the office they may procrastinate the shit out of another area, such as the housework at home, or vice versa. Learn what procrastination is and what causes it to take over our lives and then defeat it with these simple new habits.
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is the delay in getting tasks done. The drive to do such tasks is altered by a person’s perception of said task. This may be due to limiting beliefs or past experiences. Whatever the cause, the effect is the inability to start or complete something.
Here is a free tip, no one is perfect, and that is your imposter syndrome speaking. We all start from nothing and work our way up. The more we practice the better we become.
3 Simple Steps To Beat Procrastination
Now that we have had a quick overview of procrastination and learned that our fixed mindset could cause imposter syndrome, let’s take a look at 3 simple steps to beat procrastination.
Step #1 To Beating Procrastination: Make A Plan
I bet you just read that and thought, hell no, I’m going to procrastinate that right out of my mind!
Yes, it can be challenging, but if you start small and plan it out ahead of time, you will know it is coming, you will not leave it until the last minute, and you will build a routine.
Keep it simple if you are not ready to purchase your first ever designer planner, then just grab a calendar and start filling it in.
I utilize a calendar for many areas of our lives in our home. I have one calendar for school work and meetings, one for our construction business, one for meal planning, and one for doctor appointments. Just a simple blank calendar page works wonders for me.
My daily planner is for my biz and goals as well as the kid’s daily school work and meets. I also have a magnetic dry erase board for my to-do’s around the house on the refrigerator.
That sounds like a lot, right?
It only takes me a couple of minutes to throw each together. The more you do it, the faster you become.
I love crossing and checking things off, and at month’s end, it can help with bookkeeping and seeing how far I have come. Cue motivation!
I wake up at 4 am to start cracking down on my to-do lists because I’m most productive at this time, and I have no distractions from our children or my husband (haha). I also really love how accomplished I feel by 9 am. It’s the perfect way to start my day off on the right foot.
Mornings are the most ideal, so you do not spend the day talking yourself out of it.
Figure out when you are most productive and schedule it into your day. I highly recommend mornings if it works for you. There is no better way to start your day than by knocking off that planned to-do list for the day.
#2 Procrastination Tip: Keep Stacking The Blocks
The best piece of advice is to keep doing it every day. Habits are formed with repetition! To break bad habits like procrastination, you need to have daily focus and daily action tasks to defeat it.
It took you time to learn the habit of procrastinating, so allow yourself some time to unlearn it too. Yes, you can unlearn it, just like you learned it!
Don’t let procrastination sneak back in and break the chain of your new productive self. You have got this, everyone hits a few bumps along the way, so don’t give up.
Keep stacking the blocks!
If you accidentally stumble and miss a day, then remember to forgive yourself. No one is perfect and forgiveness is very important in empowering self-growth and awareness.
Pick yourself up and take action right away. Don’t let it stop you from your progress. Reassess what went wrong and give it another try with a twist.
Self-Assessment: Step #3 To Defeating Procrastination.
Now that you are growing more confident and building new habits, anxiety, stress, and overwhelm will start to disappear. That imposter syndrome we talked about will start to disintegrate.
Take it all in. Allow your confidence to soar and be proud of what you are doing. Acknowledge your accomplishments and use the pride to motivate you to take on the next tasks and goals.
As you have fewer days filled with procrastinating, you will find a happier and more productive you. Keep moving forward and crushing your goals. It will get easier and easier each day that you continue to succeed.
The PSA (Planning, Stacking, Assessing) of Procrastination
Now that you know the 3 simple steps (planning, stacking, and assessing) to keep moving forward and breaking the procrastination cycle, you are on your way to finding your success. The catchy acronym makes it easy to remember the 3 steps to beating procrastination.
Planning will help you think ahead and give you the ability to break things down. Stacking helps you strengthening your new habits into more powerful ones. Assessing is the key to all success in life. Without learning from mistakes and shifting gear, we get nowhere.
I know that procrastination is a huge roadblock for many people, therefore, it is a hot topic on the blog. Everyone procrastinates differently, and it can have many different effects on us.
Take Away Thoughts
If these 3 simple steps to beat procrastination do not help you then please don’t give up. There are many other ways to break a bad habit. Keep searching for the right answer for you!
I would love to know if you think these simple steps are easy enough you might not procrastinate them out of your mind. Have you tried them? Are they working for you? Be open to adapting them to fit your lifestyle just like I do with my calendars and planner!
Take care and chat soon!
I’m up super early, too. With a quiet home and no distractions, I can get so much done. Those extra hours of work have changed my life. Great advice.
Absolutely! It’s like a gold mine of productivity around here too!
Thank you so much for having me. Was a pleasure to collaborate with you!
This is a really helpful post! I like how you use the acronym to make the points much clearer. The bit where you talked about forgiving yourself when you stumble is so important. Thanks for this post!
Taiwo | alifestylenerd.wordpress.com
Thank you! I’m so glad you found it helpful. I love using acronyms to help remember things, it goes along way. Yes forgiveness towards ourselves is so important in life.
This is such good advice! I always try to beat procrastination, but I end up procrastinating more! Looking forward to breaking the cycle and developing more healthy habbits!
Yes, it can be such a hard habit to break. Try replacing the bad habit with a more motivating empowering one and you are sure to succeed. Some days I use the 5-second rule when I just don’t feel like it. Simple to do, count to 5 and just do it! No excuses. Hope you’re having success!
I recently discovered that I do love checking off my to-do lists too…it gives a feeling of accomplishment for the day and certainly, I am being more productive with my to-do lists!
At times I try to write down my to-do list the day before…
Thanks for sharing!
Yes! It’s so empowering to check it off, like a little pat on the block. For a bigger boost start with the biggest item on your to-do list and crush it! It’s so empowering to complete the ones that you may be putting off and gives you a boost in your step for the next one that may give you pause.
These are great tips! I love a good to-do list and waking up early to get things done before my family wakes up.
Yes! That is my most productive time of day by far. It is such a great way to start your day, glad you found your mojo time!
Creating a plan and having a calendar was something that has helped me overcome the procrastinating behavior. Can highly recommend this method to everyone!