Techniques for Procrastination

Procrastination is rarely actually a time management issue, and instead more to do with our deeply held beliefs, values and fears. 

Long term, the trick to triumphing over procrastination is to review these beliefs, values and fears with the intention of shifting our mindset, by looking to understand why we are sabotaging ourselves and put in boundaries to prevent us from repeating ourselves in the future.

HOWEVER, knowing you need to work on your deeply held belief system doesn't help when you just need buck up and get that report written by 3pm.

Here is a selection of short-term wins to help you overcome procrastination in the moment.

Drink Water

Simple, yet effective.

Studies show that dehydration of just 2-3% (relative to body weight) can seriously impact on concentration, cognitive function and coordination (recommended water intake is 6-8 glasses per day).

When you find your mind slipping away and focus feels unattainable, get up and go and get yourself a fresh glass of water.

Not only will drinking some H2O focus your mind, but the trip to the kitchen will give you a short break and allow your mind to gather itself and start to shake off feelings of overwhelm, making it a double win.

Helicopter View

When you find yourself caught in the minutiae of a task and it starts to overwhelm you, step back and think of the overall purpose behind the task to help pull yourself out of the fog.

For example, if you can’t get going on a sale report because you know your boss will only ‘red pen’ it and ask for 7 iterations, try thinking beyond the task at hand (i.e., writing the report) and consider the purpose behind it (i.e., a necessary but minor element in the process of selling).

This is useful if you tend towards catastrophic thinking and freezing with overwhelm.  For example, if revising for an exam feels impossible, consider instead that this one study you are trying to read is simply additional knowledge towards an overall qualification.  

It isn’t a lie, just a different perspective. And your brain will thank you by working more efficiently without the do-or-die threat hanging over you.

Consider The Importance

Separating your task into what is important verses what is urgent will help you prioritise your workload (this can be done for the whole task, or for elements within a larger project).

Using the Eisenhower Matrix approach (right) allows you to ask yourself if you are spending your time wisely, or getting caught up in the furore of mock urgency. 

You can then make the decision of whether to continue, re-schedule, delegate or leave the task entirely. 

This approach is particularly handy when you find yourself blasting through what feels like time-sensitive tasks (e.g., emails that have come in overnight), only to realise you’ve spent your day working on the wrong elements and have missed the important stuff.

Count Down

The 5-4-3-2-1 technique was coined by American life coach, Mel Robbins. 

In essence, you think of what you want to do, you count down quicky, and make yourself do the task / action after you reach ‘one’. 

The psychology behind it is that your brain is preoccupied with counting and so doesn’t have chance to offer alternatives or highlight your fears, wants and dislike.

Though this method is clearly useful for smaller, irritating tasks like getting out of bed or emptying the dishwasher, it is also good for larger tasks that you are putting off because of intimidation or fear. 

“I am going to open my laptop and start that appraisal in 5-4-3-2-1 …”

Just Do It

Tell yourself that any task that takes less than 5 minutes should be ‘just done’.  If it only takes 5 minutes, it cannot be difficult and therefore there is no reason to put it off other than you can’t be bothered.*

After all, by time you’ve finished coming up with reasons why you shouldn’t or couldn’t do the task at hand, it probably would already have been done.

(*Check this against the Eisenhower Matrix to make sure you’re not surrounding yourself in never ending unimportant 5 minute tasks).

10 Minutes Only

Use your mind’s concept of time to your advantage when you are negotiating with yourself.

Where a task feels too daunting or large to start, tell yourself that you will only do it for 10 minutes (don’t set an alarm!). 

Your mind will thank you for the release of pressure and will be willing to commit to this small amount of time in comparison. 

And in all likelihood, the 10 minutes will fly by, and you will be in flow before you know it.

Forced Procrastination

Take the ‘shiny’ out of procrastination by forcing yourself to do what you want for 10 minutes.

For example, when I am supposed to be doing a task within my business that I don’t enjoy, I can easily find myself turning to Facebook every few minutes to see if anyone has engaged with my latest post. To stop myself doing this consistently, I set a timer and make myself stay on Facebook for 10 minutes.

This works in one of two ways; either your mind is thankful for the rest, and the set amount of time relieves any guilt / fear that you will fall down a procrastination-rabbit-hole, or your mind will rebel like a sulky teenager and get so sick of ‘having’ to look at Facebook, that it no longer wants to be there.

The ‘shiny’ distraction is no longer shiny, and the task at hand is easier to focus on again.

Block Work (Capitalise on Momentum)

If you find yourself the sort of person that jumps around and never sees a task through, try working in blocks of time or batch working.

Consider when you are at your most efficient (this might be time of the day, or time of the month if you are a woman impacted by hormones) and plan knowingly and accordingly.

If, for example, you know you are brightest and most creative in the morning, and focus is an issue in the afternoon, alternate your creative and heavy-duty tasks first thing, and leave the afternoon for the tasks you can do on autopilot (such as replying to emails or completing inputting jobs).

When you find yourself in full flow, batch work repetitive tasks.  So, for example, if you are required to write a regular post / blog / article, create 2 weeks’ worth when you are feeling inspired and capitalise on the momentum.

Consider Your Environment

When it comes to focus, your environment is important.

There are the well-known environmental observations, such as ‘tidy space is a tidy mind’, and that removing distractions can stop you wanting them, (i.e., leaving your phone in a different room to stop you reaching for Instagram on a slow afternoon or placing chocolate on the top shelf to stop you seeing it when you open the cupboard and reduce snacking).

However, you can go deeper.

Our mind creates association, which impact how we think and feel. So, if we are trying to do a task that our mind does not associate with our environment, we will find it much tougher to focus.

For example, if you are trying to be creative in a space where you usually do your mundane and repetitive 9-5, you will find it far harder to get into the swing of the task, than if you were to sit somewhere entirely different.  This is because your mind is associating your environment with feelings of obligation, disinterest and dislike.  If, however, you were to sit somewhere which you either find inspirational or (better still) you associate only with the being creative, the ability to find (and maintain) a creative mindset would come far easier.  

Similarly, if you are trying to get your head into a particularly mundane task but you are doing it somewhere you associate with fun or distraction (say, the sofa), it will be harder for you to access the mindset you require to focus on something you do not find entertaining.

Be Intentional

Simple to say, not so simple to do.

When approaching a task that you find yourself procrastinating, make yourself be intentional. 

This means setting about with a committed mindset and working appropriately. 

For example, if there is training you really must watch, say to yourself “I will watch this intentionally and with my full attention” and remove all distractions which prevents you from doing so by not multitasking. 

When we multitask through a task we don’t wish to complete, we are really giving ourselves permission to not undertake it fully.

Carrot Verses Stick

Have you heard the saying ‘you will catch more flies with honey’?

Treat yourself in much the same way.  If you incentivise yourself with punishment (if I don’t get X complete by Y, I won’t allow myself to have Z), you are more likely to feel bitter, unproductive and/or produce poor quality work.

If you devise a treat system for yourself, you are more likely to be motivated over the longer term. 

As a double win, eventually your mind will associate your completing certain tasks (or within certain time scales) with success, and you will feel motivated to get it done for the thrill of the win.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Linear

We have a tendency to believe that tasks should be completed in the correct order. 

This might be in terms of the order of which we undertake certain elements, or the way we approach it.

But this isn’t the case at all.

For example, if you are struggling to start an essay, but you know at some point you want to make a particular argument, start writing there.  Much like the 10 minute rule, you will find you get into the flow, and writing the introduction once the rest is complete is much easier because you don’t have the pressure or the overwhelm of having to start strong.

This can be applied to any task… who says it needs to be done in that order? Or under that structure? Or with that software? Or for those people first?

Challenge your own status quo, especially when it is the status quo which is causing you a block.

Finally, Ask Yourself Why

Make a conscious effort to ask yourself why you procrastinate the way you do. 

Is it that you feel clearer when a deadline is looming?

Do you enjoy the thrill of successfully getting something over the line on a tight deadline?

Does it allow you to back up your argument that you are a victim to your workload?

Perhaps you know there will be no real fallout for not doing what you’re doing.

Ask yourself how important the task is to you; perhaps you’re struggling to get going because you know really that it is a waste of your time.

We can easily fall into a trap of believing that we should get everything done in a timely manner, at the point that it becomes apparent it must be done, because that’s what ‘sensible and efficient people do’. 

But says who?

If you work well with a bit of danger, then why change that? And if the task is unimportant, what is stopping you saying no to completing it?

Be honest with yourself.  Test your self-awareness. Only you know if you’re making excuses or if you have a valid point.