How To Stop Procrastinating

Getting things done can be hard. Especially if you tend to procrastinate. When I was in high school I thought of myself as a professional procrastinator. If something needed to get done then I would wait until the last second. Now that I am much older I have learned how to stop procrastinating.

Here are my best tips on how to stop procrastinating and get things done.

List Everything

Start by writing everything down. All the ideas need to go onto the paper.

By writing everything down, I safely remove it from my brain to focus on the tasks that must get done that day.

When there are a ton of ideas or things to remember bouncing around in our heads we can’t see what is really important.

By doing a brain dump we can empty everything out and narrow down our list.

Watch How to Stop Procrastinating Here:

Top 3 Task

Now make a must-do list. Pick out the most important tasks that need to be done today.

Limit your tasks because we only have so much time in the day.

I pick 3 to 5 must-do tasks on my list this way I know I am bound to get them done and feel good about it.

Some people say to eat the elephant and get the hardest task finished first. I don’t think this is necessary.

Sometimes an easy task that is accomplished can get the ball rolling for the harder things.

Set a Time

Setting a time to either start the task or finish the task helps. I like to set a time to start the task.

It’s like a job, at 2:30 I will start prepping for dinner, or at 9 am I will start homeschool.

Setting a timer can also help if you are like me and completely forget what time it is during the day.

I notice I get a lot more done if there is some sort of time limit or due date set on a task.

Check Your List

Keep your must-do list where you can see it during the day. As you accomplish things make sure to check them off your list.

This will show that you are accomplishing things and keep you on task.

As something gets checked off the list set the time for the next task.

Handle Distractions

I get very distracted by social media and I actually use it as a form of procrastination.

When I know I should be editing a video I pull out my phone and check Instagram. One way I handle these distractions or ways of procrastinating is to lean into the distraction.

Instead of turning my phone off, I will give myself some time to look through Instagram, knowing as soon as I am done I am starting my task.

Whatever is distracting you from your list of to-do’s let yourself do it for a little while and then move on.

If You Must Procrastinate

Have you ever thought I will start that project as soon as I…

eat a snack, check the news, do the dishes, check my email? I think we have all been here.

Instead of feeling bad about it let yourself do the procrastinating.

In these moments of procrastinating, I try to do something else that is productive. If I want to watch the news I might also fold laundry.

By allowing myself to procrastinate a little I feel I can focus more when I am in the middle of the task that must get done.

Congratulate Yourself

At the end of the day look at everything you did get done and congratulate yourself. Maybe everything on your list did not get done.

But write down what you did do.

We all do something in our days. Even if you did nothing, write down that you relaxed and recharged for a productive day tomorrow.