Banish Procrastination

I think just about everyone I know would agree that we all have days or times in our lives where procrastination takes a hold. Why do we fall victim to those seemly inescapable distractions like binge watching YouTube or scrolling Facebook for an hour? Let me start off by saying that procrastination is not a sign of weakness, lack of willpower or of a person less capable. Anyone can banish procrastination by:

1. Having Exciting Goals

2. Creating Rituals for mundane tasks

3. Being accountable to yourself

4. Celebrating what you do get done

When we have exciting goals, we are more motivated to work towards them. We need to learn to create goals that get us all jazzed up, Sometimes, it might be more exciting to consider our WHY! As an example, ‘Loose 20 pounds before summer’ might not be exciting, but ‘Hike up Camelback Mountain with Husband on June 30’ sounds more exciting. This is something I couldn’t do today as it will require me to loose 20 pounds and gain some additional strength but would be much more exciting and therefore I would be much more motivated to achieve my goal and not procrastinate on eating healthy and working out.

If you are a fan of James Clear, “Atomic Habits”, I think you will appreciate this next idea. Automate mundane tasks in a way that each becomes the trigger for the next action, thereby creating a series of habits formed in sequence. This can really help with those daily, less then exciting tasks. By taking specific periods of your day and stacking tasks you are more likely to complete and less likely to procrastinate. My dinner time routine/ritual involves making dinner, eating dinner, making lunches for the next day (an item easily procrastinated), followed by cleaning up the kitchen. By stacking these items and create the habit stack, I clean the kitchen only once and lunches are packed and ready for tomorrow.

By revisiting documented goals and tasks on a regular basis, we can begin to self adjust our daily habits and be more aware of why and where we are procrastinating. Sometimes unless we seriously reflect on our day or week we loose sight of how often we become victims to those inescapable distractions. We must remember that mistakes are opportunities for growth and development. Do not be hard on yourself. Ask yourself why you are avoiding the tasks that are required of you? With opportunity for this reflection you will do better.

Celebrate what you do get accomplished. Again, with regular reflection can can really celebrate what you did accomplish. I highly recommend writing your accomplishments down at least weekly. Every week and every day is a new day, so start if off with a positive mindset. Mel Robbins, “The High Five Habit” shares the science and actual benefits of high fiving ourselves every day. I encourage you to high five yourself in the mirror everyday and celebrate you accomplishments from yesterday. This morning I high fived myself because I was “present” for my child’s activities yesterday. Attending these activities are important to me and part of who I want to be. This further engrains in my mindset - I got this, I can accomplish and thrive.

As a Full Focus Planner Certified Pro, I offer workshops that can help you banish procrastination and live the life you intentionally desire. Reach out and learn more.

Photo Courtesy of Photo by Simon Hurry on Unsplash