How long have you been scrolling on your phone, watching your favorite series, or doing anything that isn’t part of your to do list or schedule? If you’re reading this right now, you may find it difficult to focus on your task. What you’re doing is procrastinating. It may be because of a few things such as anxiety, fear of failure, lack of self control, lack of motivation, or decision fatigue. What is decision fatigue? It is the act of feeling tired or stressed due to the endless amount of decisions you’ve had to make throughout the day. This is one of the biggest factors of procrastination. But delaying a task isn’t a great habit to have. Especially if you have long term goals. Do not fret, there is a way to overcome this.
How to Avoid Procrastination
Indeed, procrastination doesn’t get you anywhere. Being self aware about your habits is one thing, but overcoming and learning from it is another thing. The question here is; how does one overcome procrastination and how can we avoid it? Here are a few helpful tips that you can incorporate in your life to help steer you away from any distractions from your goal:
- Organization
Simple as it may be, this one habit of organization can help you more than you think. With a journal, planner or even a calendar on your phone or laptop, you can easily organize your life. By having one of these tools, you can list down all your goals for the day, week, or even the month. Crossing out a task is fulfilling, and it’s definitely a great motivator if you’re feeling a little distracted.
- Identify Your Distractions
The main reason why you may be procrastinating, is due to the many distractions around you. It may be too much phone consumption, TV consumption, or any of the like. What you can do is try to go to a room without your phone, or the TV. Without these distractions, you can easily work on your task without fidgeting on your phone or switching the remote.
- Keep A Clean Space
If you’re surrounded with clutter, you may be easily distracted by the mess. This can be not only your room, but also your work space. Before committing to a task, make sure that your space is clean. This way, your eyes won’t wander elsewhere and you wouldn’t have the urge to clean istead.
- Take Breaks
Committing to a certain task can be quite difficult. If you don’t allow yourself to rest, doing a task may feel like a chore. It is important that you take breaks in between, so that your mind and body can breathe a little. Too much of one thing is bad, as they say. So allow yourself to take a short 15 min break to do something else. Reward yourself by taking a quick walk, making a snack, or anything other than that one task.
- Surround Yourself With Productive People
When you’re alone, you can freely do what you want in your own space, at your preferred time. This is a good thing, yes, but this can also be a recipe for disaster. When you are alone you can be easily distracted by many things. If you find it difficult to focus, it may be a good idea to surround yourself with people who are productive. Seeing people be productive can be a great motivator!
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