"The habit of always putting off an experience until you can afford it, or until the time is right, or until you know how to do it is one of the greatest burglars of joy. Be deliberate, but once you’ve made up your mind – jump in” – Charles R. Swindoll.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines procrastination as a postponement, often with the sense of deferring through indecision, when early action would have been preferable, or as deferring action, especially without good reason.
Break up your tasks into sections: Sometimes, the enormity of certain tasks can become quite overwhelming and we may keep delaying to commence such a task, or even boredom or confusion as to where to begin from can be dilemmas that can deter you to begin. It is advisable to divide the tasks into small achievable goals. The idea of breaking up the task into sections is so that you can concentrate at one part at a time and not get distracted by the enormity of the entire task itself. Also, it is important that you divide the tasks in a realistic manner so that you can achieve it in the delegated time frame.
If you can do it now, get down to doing it: When we procrastinate, we tend to put off doing certain important tasks unnecessarily, even if we are free and can manage to do it. When faced with the dilemma of either doing the task or procrastinating and doing it later, it is imperative to remind yourself in that moment what is more important and what will benefit you the most, doing the task or procrastinating. It is during these moments that you tell yourself that I have time and I can do the task right now.
Clear the clutter and reduce distractions: It could be a possibility that our surroundings are too cluttered or are arranged in such a way that could create multiple distractions. When your desk or your work space is too messy, it can further lead you away from executing the work. Hence, optimizing your work space, your desk and your surroundings to make you feel productive and motivated to work can help a great deal. Also cutting down the distractions around you can also be beneficial, wherein you refrain from using social media or similar things while working.
Start small and take it from there: When trying to beat procrastination and keep to the things you need do, it is not only important to set realistic goals but also to start small and gradually take it from there and increase your workload.
Seek help: There can be times when the task at hand is difficult and you may find it difficult to complete it on your own, and just thinking about beginning it leads you to procrastinate. When you find yourself to be in such a situation, then seek help of the people around you who can be your allies in completing the task.
Think about the end goal: One of the best ways to motivate yourself to work and not procrastinate is to think of the end goal. Think about the advantages that completing the work on time would bring with it. It will make you feel happy, satisfied, motivated for further endeavours and it will save you from undergoing negative emotions if you hadn’t taken timely action to complete the work.
"You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again” – Benjamin Franklin.