My Plan To Beat Procrastination
A solution to this worldwide productivity trap
In the dance of time, procrastination emerges as a formidable partner, luring us into a seductive embrace, whispering promises of leisure and comfort.
It is a cunning companion, stealthily stealing precious moments and delaying our progress. With every passing day, its grip tightens, leaving us feeling trapped in a web of missed opportunities and unfulfilled dreams.
Within the intricate tapestry of procrastination, I find myself entangled in its even more intricate threads.
It tempts me with distractions, beckoning me towards the allure of social media, the comfort of Netflix, and the endless scroll of newsfeeds.
This is my personal plan to beat procrastination, featuring methods that I find work best for me.
I urge you to find your own structural plan for different things, but if it work for you, then do it!!
Organization
The first step is to establish a foundation of organization.
I will create a system that keeps me on track and ensures that tasks don’t slip through the cracks.
By simplifying my large goals into small sets of checklists, tasks will be direct and precise. With a complete organisation of my day beforehand, finding the time to procrastinate will be much harder.
I’d personally use technology such as online checklists and calendars as help. This only makes the information more accessible.
A great bonus to this is sharing my plans or calendars with friends and family so they know when to not disturb me!!
Act before you think
The term ‘Think before you act” has been quite popularised over the years as a motto for staying rational.
On the other hand, I would like to turn that around.
I often find that I’m prone to stopping myself before I do a task. This damaging act occurs because I think too much about it, resulting in my brain being able to convince myself to procrastinate in the end.
To conquer this, I try to do the crucial tasks immediately the moment it comes up and I have the chance.
One example of this is instantly standing up the second my alarm rings. This is something that we can all do to practice the “Act before you think” maxim.
As you continue to utilise this mindset, your repeated tasks will eventually become a habit, and acting before you think will become a natural instinct.
Another helpful tip that I practice daily is turning on my “focus” or timer app (it measures the amount of time we work or study for) immediately. This tricks my brain into thinking that I must start working right away since I’m used to doing my tasks with my focus app on.
Rewards
Rewards is a daily practice overlooked by many.
We reward ourselves everyday, whether it be working on a project you enjoy, or indulging in a good meal after the day.
Some think that a reward that comes at the end of the long-term goal is enough to suffice their motivation. This may be the case, but not always.
Humans crave an immediate reward. Thus why many choose a chocolate cake they can buy that second rather than the idea of losing 20 pounds in the years forward.
In hindsight, I aspire to always plan my rewards beforehand, making them short and sweet the way I like them.
For some, it could be buying themselves their favourite drink, for others it could just be an hour of leisure.
Usually, the reward should be a smaller scale than the process of the task needed to earn it. Therefore, the harder the task, the larger the reward.
In conclusion, I will use these 3 key components of my plan (organisation, action before thought, and rewards) to consistently beat the allure of procrastination.
I am confident that by implementing this plan daily, and by winning the small battles, I will gain control over time and be victorious in this villainous trap within the pursuits of productivity.
I hope you have found this useful.
Now leave your devices and start that task you’ve been avoiding!!
