4 Simple Steps to Overcome Procrastination

Amazing Steps to overcome Procrastination to be a productive person.

Jones Elbouga
An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)
3 min readMar 29, 2021

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Photo by Magnet.me on Unsplash

When we procrastinate, we actively choose to postpone or put off doing a particular task, and it’s a common thing! Whether it’s in our business, homework, housework, or exercise, we are all guilty of putting off things we know we need to do. We know that we all do it, but why do we procrastinate?

The main reason we procrastinate is that our brains always seek to gain pleasure and avoid pain. When we procrastinate, our brains are literally telling us to avoid doing the thing we need to do because it’s less fun. In a way, the brain is sort of like a little child, wanting to stay out and play when it’s time to go home and have dinner. If you want to overcome procrastination once and for all, try these 4 simple steps I am about to share with you.

1. Self-Discipline

As mentioned before, the procrastinating brain is sort of like a small child wanting to avoid the boring stuff in life and just stay with the fun or easy stuff. But if a child is behaving in a way that is opposed to their needs, we don’t yell at them and tell them they are bad, we need to find a way to reason with them, you need to treat yourself in the same way.
Is there something that you are missing that you need? Perhaps you are tired because you haven’t been giving yourself any time off from work or responsibilities. Maybe your procrastination is a sign you need to take a break, maybe you just need to reconnect with your purpose. Your reason why you must do this. Maybe you just need to remind yourself of the positives and negatives that will come if you don’t complete this task. Attend to these needs, and you may find that your productivity goes up naturally.

2. Set Small Goals

In order to overcome procrastination, we need to manage overwhelm. For many of us, if our goals are too big, we won’t even start them! Because of this, it’s important to make sure we set small, achievable goals and make ourselves accountable for achieving them. If you ever find yourself in overwhelm, think of the saying:” How do you climb the staircase to success? One step at a time.”
Break down your task into small chunks. Many small actions that you can take will lead to the completion of your goal. Write them all down on a piece of paper in order of importance, and cross them out when you have them completed. The small reward of crossing of the task will bring a sense of achievement and will make it more likely you will follow through with the rest of the tasks.

3. Make it Fun

Another way to overcome procrastination is to make sure that we include the desire for pleasure in our plans to complete the task at hand. If you are avoiding work, find a way to include some play in the task. Put on music while you clean the house, burn a nice candle and enjoy the scent while you study, how you achieved it isn’t important, it’s simply important that you make it pleasurable.

4. Set up a Reward System

As well as making the task itself more pleasurable, it’s also a good idea to also add in a reward system for when you get the job done. This can be something as simple as a cup of tea or a 20-minute break. Again, the reward itself is not important, it’s giving the brain a guarantee of pleasure once the task is done.

Conclusion

We all experience the struggle of procrastination from time to time, but with these simple steps you will find yourself becoming much more productive. Have you ever struggled with procrastination? How did you overcome it? Share your tips in the comments below.

Dr. Youness

Thanks for Reading.

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Jones Elbouga
An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)

Write about: Personal Development, Self, Health, and Books Review.