“I want to get back in shape. I will start exercising from tomorrow”
“I want to score well this semester. I will start studying from Monday”
“I want to publish a book. I will start writing from next month”
Have you told any of these statements to yourself?
You know it’s a lie? Right?
You’re never going to start.
I keep telling myself I’ll start eating healthy. But then one notification from Zomato changes everything.
We end up feeling guilty after eating a cheese burst pizza, after scoring below par on our tests, after binge-watching a Netflix series. We promise ourselves that this won’t happen again and that we would take strong action.
And then we repeat the lies to ourselves.
Procrastination has become a labyrinth that we just can’t get out of.
Fortunately, I stumbled upon a book called “Eat that Frog” (vegetarians don’t take it literally) which showed me 21 different ways to stop being lazy.
Here are the top 5 proven steps to beat Procrastination.
1. Set the Table
The primary reason why we procrastinate is because we don’t exactly know what we want.
“How many chapters am I supposed to study today?”
“How many kilometers do I need to run today?”
“How many calls do I need to make today?”
Solution: Think On Paper
Write down a realistic target that you want to achieve. If possible, also set a deadline. According to research, you are more likely to complete your tasks if you write them down.
Every night, before you go to sleep, write down what you need to do the next day.
Wake up at 6 AM
Run 4 kms
Send an email to xyz
Writing these tasks a night before gives your brain enough time to imbibe it. It prepares you mentally for the tasks ahead and reduces your chances of procrastination.
2. Use the 80/20 Rule
Or as the corporate world calls it – the Pareto Principle.
This management principle is applicable to your everyday life as well. In simple terms, it says that 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results. Therefore, all you need to do to move ahead in life is to focus on the top 20% of your tasks.
Make a list of all the goals,activities, and projects that you want to do in your life.
Identify which of these are in the top 20% that could bring about 80% of the results.
Doing the laundry won’t count for much but sending out a cold email to a potential client should be up there.
I go for a run first thing in the morning because it boosts my mood. I am more likely to complete and enjoy the tasks that I perform after that. The day when I don’t run I feel quite lethargic towards all other tasks. I barely finish anything.
Find your top 20% tasks and do these, first thing in the morning.(More on this in the next step)
You’ll see a remarkable jump in your productivity.
3. Use ABCDE Method
Imagine you have a dozen tasks to perform in a day. You can categorize them into A,B,C,D,E buckets.
The ‘A’ bucket is for tasks that you must do. These are very important and failure to complete them would impact you negatively. (All tasks near their deadline)
The ‘B’ bucket is for tasks that you should do. Failure to do them has mild consequences. (Replying to an email)
The ‘C’ bucket is for tasks that would be nice to do. (Going out for dinner, calling an old friend)
The ‘D’ bucket is for tasks that can be delegated to someone else. (Picking up your laundry)
The ‘E’ bucket is for tasks that can be eliminated. You can do without these tasks. (Checking your instagram/snapchat feed)
Spend the majority of your time completing the ‘A’ and ‘B’ category tasks.
4. Focus Only on the Next Step
Sometimes, the task can be so overwhelming that you can get scared just by the mere mention of it. (For me, it was starting this website)
In such cases, it is always better to not look at the task as a whole but only focus on the next step.
Using a cricket analogy, imagine you have to chase a target of 213 runs in 20 overs. The target could scare even the best of teams.
Therefore, the idea is to not focus on the total but to play each ball on its merit. There will be scoring opportunities and there will be balls that you might have to nudge around.
If you only focus on the next ball and play it to the best of your ability, you might actually be able to chase the target.
Track the number of pages you have to read each day. Check your weight every week and set a target for the next week. By keeping your focus on the present, you can cure yourself of the anxieties of the future.
5. Make Technology Your Slave
One of the major reasons for procrastination is that we let technology become our master instead of making it our slave. The only person who is happy with you watching reels on Instagram is Mark Zuckerberg
Social Media applications have endless scrolling. They are designed to keep you hooked on the platform by showing you one cat video after another.
One tap on the app and you realize you have wasted 2 hours looking at pictures of random celebrities on their voyage.
A simple strategy would be to keep our smartphones away while working… if only this was possible. You can use the ‘Forest’ app to track how focused you are while working. The app is designed to motivate you to stay away from checking your smartphone constantly.
Turn off notifications for apps that are not relevant. I do not have Instagram notifications turned on. I have muted all the group notifications on WhatsApp. Thankfully, I don’t use SnapChat.
Instead, download apps that help you learn and develop new skills – Udemy, skillshare, coursera. You can also listen to podcasts from successful people and gain from their expertise. Joe Rogan, Tim Ferris, Jay Shetty are some of my favorite podcasters. I listen to them while I’m running in the morning.
Start small. Don’t expect that you can get rid of procrastination in just one day or one week. You need to constantly channelise your mind towards these steps.
Every time you catch yourself procrastinating, think of which of the above steps you can use to beat it. Write down your tasks, prioritize them, and avoid social media.
Even then chances are that no matter how disciplined you become, you will procrastinate again in the future. Afterall, we are creatures of emotion not logic.
To get back on track, all you need to do is remind yourself that you can conquer it again.
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