Do you ever find yourself putting off a task until it is almost too late? Perhaps you do this because you don’t really enjoy the task, or you think it might be too difficult. Maybe it’s because it seems too large to tackle, or the deadline seems like it’s really far away, so it isn’t urgent.
No matter the reason, procrastination can quickly become a roadblock to success. It is a common time thief that can cause stress, which then feeds on itself and almost ensures you will continue to avoid the task.
Have no fear! Procrastination can be beaten. These tips from the Upwork Facebook community can help.
Step 1: Define why you need to do the task
“Procrastination, in most cases, is not voluntary. Think about what you’ll lose if you miss out doing what you are supposed to do and list them out [on paper]. If the pain of losing out is more than the pleasure in postponement, your subconscious mind will never allow you to procrastinate. Always, keep the WHY behind doing it in focus. Purpose will drive us.”
— Vidhya Nandhakumar
“Motivate yourself that you are doing this not just for you but for the people you affect: Your clients, so that they may have the kind of quality of work that you are only you can give; your family, that through your earnings, you may be able to provide them a better life; your colleagues, that you could be a model and inspiration to; and to yourself, to continue to grow every day and enhance your capabilities through acquired experience and learnings, to be better than you [were] yesterday.”
— Maria Regina Cruz
“If you think of your kids, you never procrastinate. It’s building their future, by working in the comforts of your home.”
— Jorge Sam Llanes Valdez
Step 2: Create a plan that will help you to complete the task
“Having a list and visually seeing the tasks can help prompt some motivation to get it done. Also planning a little reward at the end helps!”
— Sharon Chandler Moses
“Make a Must Do list! When things start to pile up it’s difficult to figure out where to start and it’s easy to put it all aside and start something else. A Must Do list helps you focus on what needs to be done.”
— Laura Moser
“Focus on goals and start with the hardest tasks.”
— Alejandro González López
Step 3: Create an environment for success
“By all means, I make sure to avoid social media when I start to open my laptop and browser. When it’s time to work, I make sure to open the files I need, email, and tracker. I also make sure to avoid things that distract me—such as tv and my phone. Work is work and it needs my attention to avoid mistakes and error.”
— Elena C Dalla Corte
“Always work as a team. I have three other friends who are also freelance writers. To get the best out of each other, we rented a space where we go and WORK and encourage each other to achieve our set target for the day, which is usually 5-7,000 words a day.”
— Remy Martin Kaunda
Step 4: Be mindful of your actions
“As soon as you start procrastinating, stop whatever you are doing, get up, do a quick 5-10min walk around your house/block, get back and continue working with a fresh mind.”
— Марио Цинцароски
“The key to avoiding procrastination is FOCUS. We often give ourselves too many things to do and become overwhelmed. Start by choosing just ONE thing that you’ve been delaying and make a commitment to complete that task.”
— Jeffrey Cabierte
Step 5: Just start
“[Use] the 5-second rule! Acknowledge what you have to do, then count down from 5 to 1, then LAUNCH! Once you’ve launched, continue your task for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes [you’ll be] in the routine and on track.”
— Amanda Wojcik
“Grab a coffee and get started.”
— Manish Kapoor
At the end of the day, if nothing seems to work, ask yourself: Is this something you absolutely need to do on your own? Thuso Mbedzi suggests to “delegate the activity.” If it is something you have been putting off because you don’t enjoy it, or you aren’t particularly good at it, find someone to help you with it. You can then use that time to complete something more enjoyable, or to be more productive on another task that you do enjoy.
What do you do to beat procrastination? Tell us in the comments!
Editor’s note: Responses edited for grammar, spelling, and clarity. The statements above are those of their authors and do not constitute the views or opinions of Upwork.
The post Stop Procrastinating in Five Easy Steps appeared first on Upwork Blog.
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