I have to face the truth…how about you? I am a procrastinator. I’m not really sure why, but I know that it’s a habit that I want to break. I have been procrastinating at hanging pictures back on the wall after our paint job. I have been procrastinating at going through my paper piles and I have definitely been procrastinating on dealing with all the zucchini we are growing. What are you procrastinating on?

Procrastination is something that most people struggle with. Some of us are better at it than others. To figure out how to beat it, we have to look at why we procrastinate. Here are some reasons that people often procrastinate. Do you recognize any?

Reasons We Procrastinate…

1. The things we procrastinate on are not urgent, and so we think that we can put them off until later. However, because we put these tasks off for a later time, they make our lives chaotic. The mail piles up on the desk and we miss paying an important bill. We put off a dental appointment until we have a cavity or two. And we don’t get regular oil changes for our car and it ends up in the shop.  Each thing we procrastinate on seems small until it snowballs into a bigger issue.
2. We often procrastinate because of indecision. When we’re afraid we’ll make the wrong decision, we just put those decisions off. This is why my pictures are still not hung months after we finished painting. I’m afraid to put unnecessary holes in my newly painted walls if I don’t hang the picture in the right place.
3. We may procrastinate if we don’t have the resources to deal with the problem. Money and time are 2 major resources that might be in short supply. You don’t have the time right now to clean the garage, so you leave it for later. Or maybe you just don’t have the money to buy new furniture, even though the old stuff is falling apart.
4. Not knowing where to start first can cause procrastination. This can definitely put us on hold when we have too much to do. You need to clean off the desk and pay those bills now. You need the garage cleaned pronto. And the vegetables in the garden are going to spoil if not picked today. You feel totally overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin and so you do nothing.
5. Many of us are distracted by other, less important activities like social media and email. Watching YouTube videos is so much more enjoyable than washing the dishes. And so the tasks pile up over time until they bury us.

So how do we get out from under the mess that we have created? Here are 5 ways that you can move past the indecision and procrastination and get the momentum going.

5 Ways to Stop Procrastinating…

Just get started

Like Nike, we need to just do it. Begin by making a list of all the things you’ve been procrastinating on. Then take a few minutes to prioritize them. What is the number one thing that you need to do right now? What is the second most important task you need to do? Keep going through your list and numbering them from 1 to _____ until they are all numbered. Don’t worry about the details, just list them in order of most important to least important.

Break each job into manageable tasks

For each job that you need to accomplish, break it into bite-sized pieces. So if you need to pay the bills but they are hiding under a massive pile on your desk, you could first sort through the pile and pull out any bills that are hiding. That might take 5 minutes. Then spend 5 minutes sorting and opening the bills. Bill payer or check writing might take another 10 minutes. And finally getting them addressed, stamped, and to your mailbox might take another 10 minutes. In 30 minutes you can have your bills taken care of and crossed off your list.

I created a printable that you can use to list your 10 top procrastinators along with a breakdown of the tasks to complete them. You’ll find the printable at the bottom of this post.

Use Time Blocks to get more done

Set aside blocks of time to work on a specific job. You might only have one day a week to create a 2-3 hour time block. Or you might set aside 1 hour each day. When you work a time block, you should try to remove all distractions and just focus on one task.

So maybe this Saturday you’ll spend 3 hours working in your garage. You won’t be able to clean the whole garage, but you can make a focused effort to get some of it done. Then next Saturday you do it again.

Slowly, over time, you will make consistent progress. The key however is to not do anything else during your time block. Don’t start a load of laundry or work in the garden. Keep yourself to this one task. And remove all distractions. Put your phone down!

Create Daily Routines

When you set up routines, you are more likely to stick to a schedule and that can help you accomplish more. Develop a morning and evening routine to deal with your everyday activities. Your routines could include sorting through the mail every day. No more piles building up. Or it could include cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. No more dishes teetering on the counter.

To create a routine, decide what things need to be accomplished in that time period, and then set a plan to do those activities. For example, in the morning you may need to feed the pets, eat breakfast, take a shower, and have a quiet time. Make sure that you accomplish those routine tasks before you do anything else.

Build in Rewards

Sometimes we might need a little incentive to get us moving. So think of a reward that you would enjoy and use that as a carrot to move ahead. After you pay the bills, treat yourself to a 30-minute coffee break. When you’ve finished cleaning the garage for the day, plan on dinner out. The rewards need to be short term when you first get started. This can get you more motivated to start a job or activity and to finish it up.

There are many other ways that you might break the procrastination habit, but these 5 techniques are tried and true activities that can get you started.  Once you have momentum, it’s easier to keep going. Breaking the procrastination habit is a good way to get started on the road to a less chaotic life. So today I am going to hang a picture. If I mess up, that’s okay, nothing a little paint can’t fix.

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