How I Beat Procrastination.
I know You're going to read this later. Just read it now instead.
TLDR: Eat The Frog — Project Due dates — Action Dates — Time Blocking — Pomodoro.
I’ve had a problem with procrastination ever since I was a kid.
My parents would sit me down at the table to do homework, and I would either end up under the table, upside down, or both. But never working.
I’ve fought procrastination my whole life.
Here's how I beat it, and you can too.
Eat The Frog.
What is the worst thing you have to do for the day? For me, this usually involves communication.
Email, phone calls, anything that takes me out of my introverted nature.
Do That First.
I mean first thing in the morning before you do any other work.
If you “eat the frog” first, everything else in the day will be easy to swallow in comparison.
Do the thing you want to do least, first.
This always creates incredible momentum for the rest of my day.
Due Dates.
Every project should have a deadline.
When does this need to be completed?
If there is no due date associated with the project, make your own.
Every project has a date.
Action Dates.
You know when the project needs to be completed, so when will you work on it?
If you struggle with procrastination the answer is usually a few days before it’s due.
This is where action dates come in.
I take a project and break down every task that needs to be done for that project.
Then I assign a day that I will do each task.
By creating these micro-due dates where I will complete tasks related to the project. It takes the urgency off of the project due date, and onto the daily task.
This keeps me from putting off work until the last minute.
Because every day has the urgency of the project but the ease of the task.
Time Blocking.
Once a task is assigned a day. It gets assigned a time.
When that day comes I write an hourly schedule detailing when in the day I am going to sit down and work on that task.
My schedule doesn’t rigidly rule me, my schedule is a template for the ideal day I would like to have.
Pomodoro.
Pomodoro is a system of timers and sessions. Focus on one thing for a short period, then take a break for a short period.
It works like this.
- 25 minutes of focusing on the task at hand.
- 5-minute break.
- Repeat 3 more times.
- take a 15–20 minute break.
Pomodoro is usually only something I do if procrastination is very extreme.
Set the timer and when it's break time, procrastinate all you want.
It's easy for me to stay focused for 25 minutes knowing I will have 5 minutes to go down the rabbit hole of thought that procrastination wants to take me.
I’m not saying no to distraction, I am saying “Not Yet”
Conclusion.
Each step in this system is how I get things done every week instead of constantly putting off work until the last minute.
Every day I am making meaningful progress towards my goals and projects.
And if you are anything like me, these steps will help you too.
What tricks have you learned to keep from procrastinating? Let me know in the comments!
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