Soooo, you’re supposed to be working right now, but instead, you’re here, reading an article about why you are procrastinating. Well since you are here already, you might as well read the rest of the article because I will tell you exactly why you are putting off your work and feeling terrible about yourself.
We all procrastinate. Unfortunately or not, procrastination is a skill that many of us have mastered over many years of school and work. Whether it be finishing a work project, writing a school essay, or simply just taking out the trash, there always seems to be something we have to do that we are unwilling to do at the moment.
So why are you procrastinating right now and how do you stop? In this blog post, we’ll uncover why this bad habit keeps coming back and what you can do to fix it.
There Is No Urgency To Complete Your Work
Let’s say you have an essay you need to write that’s due in… two weeks. Eh, two weeks is a lot of time so you decide to put it off and go on TikTok.
Lo and behold, two weeks later you find yourself pulling an all-nighter and writing 2000 words for that very paper you decided to put off two weeks ago.
Why do we do this? The answer is that we don’t place any urgency on our work. To prevent this from happening and to avoid immense stress the day before the due date, you must create urgency for your work well before it must be done.
So how do you do this? If I have a big project that is due in a long time, say a month, I would break it up into smaller pieces and create milestones that I must achieve by certain dates.
Going back to the previous example, if I had to write a 2000-word essay in two weeks, I would break it up into four chunks and force myself to write 500 words every three days. This way, I won’t find myself scrambling to put out 2000 words in a matter of hours and instead be much happier with my time management.
One personal tip is that I like to use a timer to force myself to get work done. If I had to write 500 words I would set a one-hour timer dedicated to only working on my essay and nothing else. This not only allocates time for me to do my work but also separates when I must do focused work and when I can relax.
You Don’t Have A Reward System
Let’s be honest. The biggest reason why you are procrastinating right now is because you don’t want to do the work that you have to do. If it’s some nasty job, like taking out the garbage or cleaning the toilet, it’s understandable. However, many times we don’t want to complete our work because we don’t want to be working at all.
If you feel that way, what you need to stop procrastinating is a reward system. All you need to do is simply give yourself a treat or a break after you finish your work.
Personally, for me to not procrastinate on writing this blog post or any other, I promise myself a nice, delicious, Lindt Lindor truffle (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, search it up and buy one). Since I love these chocolates, I am motivated to finish my blog article in a more timely manner so that I can enjoy my chocolate sooner.
By using an external reward system, you don’t have to rely as much on intrinsic motivation and you can create a habit by linking an action with a reward. It works remarkably and is wonderful to motivate you to get work done.
Here are some possible rewards you can try after you finish your work.
Take a break: After you work for the set amount of time, take a walk around the office building or outside. If you have a dog, you can walk your dog. Otherwise, you can simply sit in another room and relax or watch TV for a little bit. Remember to keep your breaks short — 5 to 10 minutes — so that you don’t interrupt your workflow.
Eat your favorite snack: This may not be such a good idea if you are watching your weight but otherwise, it is a fantastic idea. Food is a great motivator and the thought of eating something tasty after work is done helps to stop procrastination.
Listen to music: Listening to music is a great way to take a break because it allows you to jam out for a few minutes. After your music-listening session, you will feel happy again and full of energy to complete your next work task. Even if you only get to listen to a couple of songs, music can give you a mood boost when you need it.
Your Work Environment Is Not Right
Have you ever sat down and decided, “There’s just no way I can do work here.” If you have, it means that your work environment is not right.
Too often, our work environment is set up such that it is not suitable for work. There are simply too many distractions that will interfere with our work and slow down our productivity, leading to procrastination.
So the first step to creating a good work environment is to clear your desk of all clutter. Tuck wires into the desk, throw all trash away, and clean up any papers or random items that don’t belong on your work desk. By the end of your cleaning process, you should only be left with the bare essentials needed for work. This may be your laptop, monitor, and maybe a notebook and pencil. But anything else not required for work should be cleaned up and out of sight.
Second, you need to work in a space where you don’t take breaks, sleep, or browse Reddit. Oftentimes, you see people set up an office space in their homes for this reason. If you don’t have an office space, make a makeshift one by just putting a table and a chair in a spot that is convenient. As long as the place you work is not in your bedroom and is free of other distractions, it is good enough.
Lastly, you want to keep your phone as far away from you as possible. Unless it is required for work, it will just serve as a distraction because you will find yourself constantly picking it up to check email, messages, and TikTok. The solution? Keep your phone in another room or buy a lockbox so that your phone will be locked away without you having to think about it.
Final Words
Procrastination is something that everyone struggles with. But with the right systems in place and a good work environment, you can significantly reduce the amount of time spent procrastinating and increase the amount of time spent working.
Overall, you will feel more productive and satisfied that you were able to complete your work faster. If that’s not a win-win, I don’t know what is. So get back to doing your work and get it done this time!
