A few weeks ago, I wrote about the complicated issue of procrastination. As someone who used to procrastinate a lot and refused to believe in laziness, I was intrigued to explore this widespread phenomenon. Acknowledging the problem is surely the first step to solving it. So, if you’ve admitted that you’re a master procrastinator but also realized you do it because of fear or boredom, I salute you. What happens next, you may then wonder. Well, let me share with you a couple of simple yet practical ways to minimize your procrastination.
Kick perfectionism
Perfectionism is a sister of procrastination. I’m happy we no longer romanticize workaholism, but perfectionism needs to go too. Being a perfectionist is far from being an achievement. In fact, it’s the opposite. When I hear from someone that they’re a perfectionist, it always makes me sad, because in most cases it means that the person struggles with insecurities and fears. At least, it was the case for me and for many of the people I know.
Being realistic about your abilities is literally the best thing you can do. How often do you check in with yourself? Did we get enough sleep last night? Are we emotionally prepared to do our best work? It’s crazy how many things affect us and, unpopular to the famous self-help mantra, we aren’t wired to be consistent. Life is fluid, and so are we. If our energy varies all the time, how on earth can we perform similarly every day? Assessing what you objectively can do with the task right now, in your current emotional and physical state, is one of the most crucial skills, as well as allowing yourself to do the “bad” work sometimes.
Get in the habit of doing things rather than doing them perfectly. Reaching the kind of perfection you strive for is impossible if you get stuck on one task instead of completing it, reflecting on it, and moving on.
Make quick decisions
Don’t get stuck. You’ll be surprised how much easier your life gets once you stop postponing things and piling them up like dirty laundry. Most tasks we put off take very little of our time. But instead of getting rid of them quickly, we waste our precious energy in resistance. See this mail? Sort through it now. Got an important email? Reply right away. Need to stop by the store to get some batteries? Include it in your route tomorrow. Have a deadline on Sunday? Set the deadline on Friday. You might trick yourself into thinking that you save energy by postponing something you don’t want to do, but the truth is you don’t. You accumulate tension instead of taking charge and going through your life in an active, dynamic way.
Allow yourself to change your mind
Oh, the many times I forced myself to do something I clearly felt I didn’t want to. I already paid for the ticket. I hardly ever go out, I need to socialize. I can’t cancel that reservation. I can’t say no because I already promised. Sounds familiar? I bet it does.
The funny thing that I learnt from pressuring myself into something is that I really didn’t have to. Imagine a six-year-old you, who just wants to stay at home and watch something rather than go to a family gathering. Would you want to have an adult who would let you stay at home and rest, or the one that would criticize and force you to go? Become the adult for yourself. Be flexible with your plans, prioritize tasks, and, most importantly, learn to reject some of them without feeling guilty. The world won’t crush if instead of a full Saturday you’ll stay at home and chill. Or if you don’t take up that extra course or refuse a work project. Procrastination is an alarm that goes off when something is wrong. When you want to procrastinate on the task, it could be very well because you don’t need it now or at all.