7 Simple Steps to End Procrastination
Putting things off until the last minute is never conducive to a peaceful mind. Instead, you end up with a headache, anxiety attack and heartburn, not to mention a TO DO list that’s a mile long because you’ve been putting it off all week long. If you’re tired of the stress produced by your procrastination, try these 7 simple steps to stop your procrastination today.
1. Write a daily TO DO list. If you aren’t already writing a TO DO list every day, start now. Not everyone likes TO DO lists, but they help you see what needs to be done. They also give you a visual of what you’ve already completed.
2. Condense your TO DO list. Lots of people make the mistake of making a TO DO list that is a mile long. Don’t make this mistake. If your TO DO list contains more than 20 tasks, condense it down to about 10 tasks or so.
3. Forget about what isn’t important. When condensing your TO DO list, cross off any tasks that are small or meaningless. Your TO DO list should never include things like brushing your teeth or making your bed. Those are considered everyday tasks and do not belong on your list.
4. Delegate. There will always be some tasks that you don’t have to do yourself. Dole out more responsibility to your family and ease some of your own load.
5. Treat yourself for a job well done. If you worked really hard at completing a task then received no recognition for it, you probably subconsciously thought it must have not been very important. These negative self-messages generate laziness that makes you want to procrastinate later. Start treating yourself for completing a major task on your list.
6. Take a look over your shoulder. When you’re working on a large task, it’s always important to stop for a minute and check your progress. This will always motivate you to keep working hard.
7. Live like there’s no tomorrow. Another biggie is telling yourself that you can just do it tomorrow. What if you didn’t have a tomorrow? What would you get done today? Live like this every day.
Don’t Let Procrastination Steal Your Dreams
What is the one thing you would like to accomplish in your lifetime, most of all? Are you taking great strides towards reaching that dream? Why not?
Did you know that of all the people who have dreams for themselves, very few ever see those dreams come to fruition? There are two main reasons for this: procrastination and laziness.
Procrastination and Anxiety
Procrastination and anxiety hold hands. If you’ve ever procrastinated, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you are procrastinating now, then you know what I’m talking about. You can’t have one without the other. Here’s why…
Procrastination, putting things off, always causes anxiety. Why? When you put something off, it’s always hanging over your head. You know that you have something to do but haven’t done it yet.
Leaving things until the very last minute is never a good thing. It stresses anyone out! The pressure of knowing that there is something that must be done will cause anxiety in a heartbeat. Knowing that you could have (and should have) done the task a week (or two!) ago stresses you out because you know you had plenty of time to do it.
Furthermore, procrastination puts you in a time crunch. Putting things off for another day means you will have to double up on your tasks for that day, or put them off for another day. It’s an endless, vicious cycle and when you get wrapped up in it, it’s difficult to get out of it.
If you spend more time procrastinating than getting things done, it’s no wonder why you’ve had anxiety attacks. Do you feel that tightness in your chest? Heavy breathing? Racing heart? Sweaty palms? These are all anxiety symptoms brought on by procrastination.
Stop hurting yourself. Stop procrastinating and your anxiety will surely cease. If you don’t believe me, then try it and see for yourself what will happen.
How to Overcome Procrastination
Procrastination-oh, it’s a dirty, bad little booger, isn’t it? Yet somehow it manages to sneak up on all of us at some point. So how do you overcome procrastination? I have some great tips to share with you.
Read more
-
Subscribe
