How to Stop Procrastinating - Here are 19 Tested and Trusted Strategies

via Collaborate and Elevate

“Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible” ~ George Claude Lorimer

1. Use the Two-Minute Rule. The two-minute rule says that if you are planning an activity that can be done in less than two minutes, don’t continue planning; just do it.
2. Take a small first step. If you fear a task for whatever reason, consider working only 5 minutes and stop. When you start working the fear fades and you grab momentum to continue and finish the job.
3. Routines help. If you turn the repetitive and boring tasks into routines, you will do them with little effort, since they are habits that we do almost unconsciously. Trust me, routines simplify your life.
4. Make decisions. Sometimes you are unconsciously postponing a task because you don’t think about it. Take a few minutes to clarify what that task means and make a decision.
5. Track your time. Keep a journal about which tasks you perform each day and the time you spend on each. By recording how you spend your time, you create an internal commitment that makes you more responsible about how you use it.
6. Learn to say no. I bet many of the tasks you are postponing are commitments you got because you did not know how to say no.
7. Do not be afraid to leave. It may not be the right time to do something. Sometimes you believe you have to finish something just because you began. If over time, that project no longer makes sense or it is not important enough, just leave it and do other things.
8. Manage your energy, not your time. It is important to work at your best moments. If you are exhausted or cranky, your chances of procrastinating will increase considerably. To have a better attitude, take enough rest, control your nutrition, and exercise.
9. Use the Seinfeld strategy. Jerry Seinfeld uses this strategy to write jokes every day. If you have to do a task every day, get a calendar and mark with an X each day that you get it done. The goal is not to break the chain of X’s on the calendar.
10. Break the work into small and specific tasks. A large and complex project can be overwhelming. Dividing it into small tasks allows you to see the path and the resistance to confront it decreases.
11. Set a reward for completing the task that resists getting done. Motivate yourself thinking about what you are going to do after completing the task —something that you feel like doing, relaxing and not involving any effort. Define your own incentives.
12. Make it fun. If it is a boring task, try to find ways to make it fun. Games, Seinfeld strategy, Pomodoro technique, rewards on every major advance, etc.
13. Make it public. If it is a major challenge, make it public. Talk about it with your family and friends, post it on your social networks, blog about it... You will feel accountable and committed, and the job will be hard to postpone.
14. Use the right words. State your actions in a clear, concise, and motivating way. Words matter when you are facing a new task.
15. Use a short to-do list. A long list can ruin your sense of control and become a source of stress and frustration. The shorter your "next actions list", the easier it will be for you to focus on what you need to do.
16. Use the tools you like. Do not try to do everything with a sheet of paper and a pencil. Using attractive things can help you eagerly start a particular task.
17. Review your goals regularly. If a task is complicated, uncertain, or boring, but it is important to achieve a goal, keeping in mind that goal will help you not to procrastinate.
18. Work on your habits. If you know yourself and find out why you defer constantly certain jobs, you will be able to change your habits and lead them towards less procrastination and greater productivity.
19. Avoid distractions. The more temptations you have to do something else instead of what you have to do, the easier it will be to procrastinate. Keep your smartphone, notifications, and access to the internet off when facing hard tasks.

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