Perhaps you’ve been a procrastinator for as long as you can remember. However, as much as you might like to wait until the last minute to take care of necessities, that doesn’t mean you’re a hopeless cause by any means.
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Keep reading to get tips on how to be more productive than you ever imagined, all without putting forth a lot of effort. Once you adopt some of these suggestions into your life, you may wonder why procrastination ever seemed so alluring.
1. Set Staged Alarms
If you’re likely to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock, see if your cell phone has a feature where you can set several alarms that ring within about five minutes of each other. Also, put your alarm clock more out of reach than usual, such as across the room. That way, hitting the snooze button isn’t so easy once you hear the dreaded alarm jolting you from sleep.
2. Use A Dry Erase Board To Outline Tasks
Some people are more likely to get things done if they have something that constantly reminds them to keep focused. For you, that item may be a simple dry erase board. Draw your to-do list on the white surface in bright block letters so you can’t help but notice it every time you pass. Then, as each task gets completed, cross it off the list so you can feel a sense of accomplishment that might serve to naturally keep you motivated.
3. Get Things Ready In Advance
You may be surprised at how much time is wasted just by procrastinating in relation to things like what clothes you choose for a particular day or what you pack for lunch. Experiment with taking care of those things the night before. You can also start pondering the next day’s crucial details about four in the afternoon. That gives you time to make informed decisions rather than feeling rushed at the end of the day. When you get set the night before for the day ahead, that eliminates the hassles that come from scrambling around just as your day is getting started.
4. Eat Snacks That Give Energy
Procrastination seems a lot more tempting when your energy seems non-existent. Be proactive and keep healthy snacks within easy reach so you can get boosts as needed. Rather than getting energy from something like a candy bar, go with something more nutritious, such as a handful of nuts or a banana. A smoothie is a good choice for something you can consume while you’re on the go.
5. Don’t Avoid Your Favorite Activities
Identify the things that you tend to do when you’re procrastinating. Then, designate a specific time of day that’s just for those activities. Ideally, it should take place when you’ve already done the crucial tasks. That way, you shouldn’t feel like you’re depriving yourself of those beloved things you’re likely to do rather than tackling things on your to-do list.
Instead of living without those things, you’re just delaying them until the more pressing matters are completed. In a way, it’s a different sort of procrastination, because instead of pushing aside the things that need to be done immediately, you’re getting them out of the way first.
6. Set Your Clocks So They Are 10 Minutes Fast
This tip tricks your mind a bit, but it may cause the desired effect of making you not wait until the very last moment to prepare dinner, leave for work or do anything else you’re trying to avoid. After you have set the clocks 10 minutes ahead of the actual time and kept them that way for at least a few weeks, try setting them back to normal and seeing if you’re less likely to lapse into your former ways.
7. Get Tips from Someone You Know Who Hardly Ever Procrastinates
Some people just get to work on tasks as soon as they’re able, acting as if procrastination is to be avoided at all costs. If you know someone who has that attitude, see if that person will act as your mentor and share some pointers you can incorporate into your life. Having feedback from a person you know could help you not only break bad habits, but also create better ones.
Hopefully, it’s now obvious that there is no reason to stay stuck in your procrastinating ways. By trying at least some of the suggestions you’ve just read, you should be able to gradually work on cutting down your list of responsibilities and stop waiting to do those things until it’s absolutely necessary to take action.
