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It’s happened again: you have an incoming deadline, and instead of working on it, you’re distracting yourself with a myriad of other things like social media, surfing the internet, or even working on a lesser important unrelated task. Should you be working on completing your task before the deadline? Yes. But are you? No.
Learning how to beat procrastination habits is hard. It’s incredibly frustrating when a deadline arrives, and nothing’s prepared. For some people, procrastination is an unfortunate part of everyday life. Sometimes, a looming task seems overwhelming, and no matter how much time passes, nothing productive gets done toward meeting that deadline.
If procrastination is something you’ve experienced recently or currently, we’ve got some tips on how to beat your procrastination habits.
If you’ve never had an accountability buddy, now’s the time. If you have someone to check in with you and give you that nudge you need to get back on task can be a great way to motivate yourself.
Perhaps this person is someone who may be working on something similar to you, and you both are working in tandem to complete a similar task. Maybe this person is someone who has already been successful in the task you’re working on, and you need a little encouragement. Or perhaps the job you’re working on is just a simple one, and you’ve just asked a friend to give you a little push.
With any good accountability buddy, it’s essential to have a goal and make a plan toward making your deadline. Learning how to beat procrastination habits this way can be made into a fun challenge with friends!
Using a timer and setting yourself blocks of time to work on your task means you get a little bit done at a time. Try setting your timer for as little as five minutes to start. Be sure to remember to take breaks between blocks of time.
Using a timer can help you stay focused and dedicated to completing, at least small bits, of your task at a time. If you can block out distractions during this time (like music, tv, etc.), you can get more done in less time. If you can continually work on something in small bursts, you’ll be motivated to complete the task and be working toward your goal of slowly learning how to beat procrastination habits.
Working this way also makes your breaks more valuable and enjoyable.
Do you have a favorite song that energizes you, makes you excited, and gets you full of energy? Maybe it’s a song you haven’t heard in a while, or perhaps it’s a song you find yourself connecting to lately. Did you know music can help you to learn how to beat procrastination habits? Try playing your song of choice and working on your task non-stop until the song is over.
Next, take a small break. Pick a new song, and get into focus mode again for the duration of another song. Keep doing this, and soon you’ll have made some progress toward completing your task and meeting your deadline!
If the options above don’t sound appealing or motivating enough for you, try making your task fun!
You can start by setting yourself small targets to complete and rewarding yourself at the end of each one. Maybe the tiny rewards are small healthy snacks or pieces of your favorite candy. You can choose any type of reward system you want.
Don’t forget to plan a big reward when you’ve completed your task!
Consistency is probably the hardest tip for someone dealing with learning how to beat procrastination habits, but with dedication, you can make getting ahead of these tasks before they become a problem a habit. If you become consistent enough (perhaps by employing one of the tips above?) you may be able to make a habit out of dedicating time to work on tasks.
Another way to look at beginning to be consistent with your tasks is by changing your mindset. Changing your perspective about the task at hand may help you better appreciate what completing your assignment will do: does it help you in the future somehow? Will it make another job easier? Does it improve you in some way?
Nevertheless, you won’t always have the motivation to complete tasks. That’s where discipline and consistency come in.
Learning how to beat procrastination habits might not be easy, but with our tips, you might find it a little more attainable. Discipline is a significant factor in your success in beating procrastination habits, and rewarding yourself is an excellent way to motivate yourself.
How have you learned how to beat your procrastination habits? If there’s something other than what we’ve talked about here, please let us know!
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