10 Easy Tips to Stop Procrastinating Right Now

Take back control and get doing with these 10 easy tips to stop procrastinating right now.

I don’t want to. And you can’t make me! I have that internal battle often. We all have tasks in a day that we might put off or even dread doing.

I can’t be the only one, right?

Whether it be a project for work or a chore for home. We all have things that we might not want to do. Thus, we procrastinate on a task or decision.

When I am feeling like procrastinating I have a few tried and true steps that help beat procrastination. These steps allow me to move past the initial resistance and bust through to complete the tasks.

What is procrastination?

Delaying or postponing a task or action. To illustrate, it could be knowing you need to pay a bill but you put it off until the last possible second.

Why do we procrastinate?

There are a variety of reasons why people procrastinate. Here are some reasons below:

You don’t know where to start.

You could be afraid of failure or have other negative ideas around the task.

There might be a lack of motivation or a need to start or complete a task.

How to overcome procrastination?

Recognized that you are procrastinating and discover why. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I feeling overwhelmed?

• What is making me unable to complete the task?

• Do I need internal motivation? External motivation?

• What would help make this easier for me?

Once you have a deeper understanding of your why, that will be able to help you bust through procrastination. You need to be able to convince yourself why completing a task is important.

10 Easy Tips to stop procrastinating right now

#1 Tip: Break it down into smaller chunks

Whatever your task is, break it down into bite-size 5-15 minute chunks. Often if a task seems like too much work or is overwhelming, we will more likely put it off.

For example, I had written down in my planner that I needed to deep clean the oven. I had that task on my list for weeks and kept putting it off.

Why was I doing that?

I realized that it was a chore I dreaded doing. It seemed like too much work. So instead I broke the chore down into several chunks.

Clean the oven

• The left side of the oven
• The right side of the oven
• Top of the oven
• Bottom of the oven
• Oven racks
• The door of the oven
• Front of oven

Whatever your task is, break it down into more bite-size 5-15 minute chunks.

Need help with breaking down cleaning your home? Check out my free Home Cleaning Checklist. Print it off and get going with simple cleaning tasks. These cleaning tasks can take 15-30 minutes each to complete. It should help you out with keeping your home clean and organized.

#2 Tip: Write it down

Write down your broken-down list of tasks. If you see it you are more likely to remember your tasks and steps.

#3 Tip: Make a deadline

Create a reasonable deadline for completing the task. This will look different for each task. You could do this for each smaller bite-size chunk of the task or the overall task.

Going back to cleaning the oven example. Telling myself that by the end of the day I need to clean two sides of the oven helped keep me accountable.

#4 Tip: Share deadline with someone else

Once you have a reasonable deadline figured out, share your goal with someone. If you share you are more likely to complete the task.

#5 Tip: Set a timer

Another tip is to set a timer for the task. It could be a 5-minute timer or a one-hour timer or longer. Whatever amount of time works for the goal. You are more likely to focus if you have a set amount of time.

You might be dreading decluttering. Check out the 5-minute timer to help encourage you to declutter.

#6 Do it more often:

If there is a task you dread, work at doing the task for a shorter amount of time but more often.

A good example if you want to get back into working out daily. Instead of an hour-long workout once and then completing losing motivation to continue on. Do a quick 10-minute workout every day. Consistently work at it and you are more likely to stick to your goals.

#7 Tip: Cross off the list

Since you have your task and goal written down, cross off once it’s completed. For cleaning, I like using a checklist. It helps me feel accomplished and happy that I completed my goal.

#8 Tip: I choose to

Remind yourself that you get to choose when and how you complete a task. Instead of saying “I have to” tell yourself, ” I choose to.” Give yourself the option to choose when and how you complete the task.

#9 Tip: Reward yourself

The next step is to earn a reward of treat after you completed your goal. This could be something simple as spending time reading a book or calling a friend or going for a walk. Treat yourself for a job done.

#10 Tip: Drop Perfectionism

The final step to stop procrastination is to remember that a job done imperfectly is better than a task perfectly uncompleted. Drop the focus on perfectionism. Get out there and do the task, chore, or job the best you know-how. Trying and failing is better than not trying at all.

8 Easy Tips to Stop Procrastinating Right Now Conclusion:

Try these steps today and work on getting your tasks, chores, or jobs completed. You can do it! One small step at a time.

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