“Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.”
– Mason Cooley
1. Maintain a To Do List
Do not rely on memory to remember things. Put your tasks down on paper or in electronic form. It is very important to Maintain a To Do List as your first step to overcoming procrastination.
2. Find the Why
Ask yourself why are you doing a particular task, or Why is this goal important to you. This will help you to filter out unimportant tasks.
3. Divide and Conquer.
A large goal or a large task may seem intimidating to you and you may get discouraged to take up this task or goal thus procrastinating, the solution is to divide your big task into smaller manageable tasks.
4. Identify your distractions.
Distraction may be Television, Social Media, Long conversations on the Phone and many others, the key is to identify your distraction and try to limit them.
5. Block Time for specific tasks.
Schedule time for your most critical tasks. Also schedule a time for distractions like television, social media, once you have finished your important tasks.
6. Identify the 20% tasks which give you 80% of your results.
You will find that certain tasks are most critical towards meeting your Goal, so you must identify these key tasks.
7. Do whatever it takes to finish the most critical tasks.
Once you have identified the most important tasks you must give whatever it takes to finish those key tasks. Avoid Excuses, think of the benefits you would gain by completing these tasks.
8. Join a support group
Join a support group of like minded people (like a mastermind group or a group of friends with similar goals), who would cheer you along your path to your goal and hold you accountable if you falter.
9. Remind yourself of the consequences.
Ask yourself, what are the consequences of not doing the task.
10. Celebrate your Victories.
Do not forget to reward yourself along the way this motivates you and prepares you to face bigger challenges.
I would like to conclude this post with the quote
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
-Lau Tzu
Your tasks may seem very large or intimidating but taking the first step is the most important action towards reaching your goal and overcoming procrastination.