I feel like – in many ways – my weeks have ebbs and flows. Some weeks I’m super into my workouts (fine, this is rare), others it feels like a total chore. Sometimes, I’m feeling really social and then the next week all I want to do is be inside curled up with a book and my thoughts. Not to be excluded from this equation is my productivity. One week, I’m killing it and getting a million things done, I’m ahead of my schedule and have everything checked off of my to do list, the next week…not so much.
The other day, I was completely plagued by procrastination. Like, so much to do and zero intentions of doing anything. Instead of doing the things I was supposed to be doing, I was color-coordinating my closet and binge-watching old reruns of Friends (that’d I’d already seen a billion times). I took a moment to pause and wondered why and how I had gotten myself into this procrastination rut. It was then that I decided to get out of the cycle once and for all; I made a list of all the reasons I was procrastinating. I thought deep about the reasons that usually surround my procrastination and made a game plan for each. So far, the plans have helped BIG TIME, so I thought I would share my top 5 anti-procrastination hacks with y’all…because hopefully I’m not the only procrastinator in the building.
1. You Procrastinate Because of Your Fear of failure
The Solution: It’s a normal human instinct to strive for success. And I’m not an exception. Because of this, we tend to convince ourselves to not try something if we think we’ll fail. A lot of times, if I want to try something new for the blog or go to a new type of workout class—I put it off, or end up canceling last minute because of this. My new mantra when I’m in this situation: you can’t fail unless you try, and you can’t fail if you give it your all. Even if my new idea ends up not working for the blog, or I look like a total loser trying spin, 10 out of 10 times I’ll be happy I gave it a go.
2. You Procrastinate Because You Have Too much on your plate
The Solution: As odd as it may sound, the more stressed I am, the more likely I am to procrastinate. Is that a normal thing? If I feel like I can’t wrap my mind around all the things I have to do, I sort of go into shutdown mode and tend to steer my concentration towards something that isn’t as productive. To avoid this, I started to make lists and break everything down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Doing this before bed also helps me to have a restful night’s sleep and wake up feeling like I can conquer anything. Writing it all out and setting daily goals for yourself makes it all seem achievable instead of a looming burden. Also, when a simple list won’t cut it, it’s time for a brain dump.
3. You Procrastinate Because of The Challenge
The Solution: Often times, when you know something will be difficult and take full concentrate and a solid chunk of time, you put it off. I used to operate by doing the easiest tasks first, and leaving the hardest for the end of the day. But I found that this just led me to continue putting off the big projects to the next day. If you tackle the challenge first, you will not only feel a huge weight off your shoulders, but you can also coast through the easier things on your to do list in the afternoon.
4. You Procrastinate Because of All The Distractions (aka my life)
The Solution: Environment plays a big role in how productive I am, so to not get off track, I have started to make more of a conscious effort to keep my work space de-cluttered and distraction free. This means everything from not having my phone right next to my computer, not being signed into Gchat 24/7, no looking at Snapchat (or recording) every second, and keeping my desk organized and occupied only by work-related materials. This is HARD, but it’s a must when you gotta get stuff done.
5. You Procrastinate Because of Other worries (personal/work/anything)
The Solution: Internal factors can also make you procrastinate. If something unrelated to the task at hand is bothering me, it’s almost impossible for it to not be at top of mind and therefore keep me from getting things done. When this happens, take a twenty-minute walk to clear your head or even take a nap (my personal fav)! Making an effort to clear your head instead of just trying to push your thoughts to the back of your mind makes a big difference.
