How To Overcome Procrastination

Stop procrastinating and open this email.

"I will start writing, tomorrow"

"I will create the page next week"

"I love talking about books, but I won't start the business until I am done with this project"

"I love making people's hair but I won't start the business until I can get 10,000 Naira to begin with"

"I know the importance of reading, but right now I don't have time, I will start reading seriously when I am done with my online courses"

I am sure these are familiar to you. You've probably made the same complaints yourself.

Procrastination is a serious problem that keeps many of us from attempting to reach our goals. It has delayed me for several years. Today, I offer some insights that could help you overcome procrastination.

ONE THING FIRST

You only procrastinate on the things that truly matter.  Each time you are procrastinating about a thing, it nearly always means that thing is important. It means you need to do it.

Start your business, write your article, register at the gym, etc...

THERE'S A REASON YOU ARE A PROCRASTINATING

Procrastination doesn't just happen on its own. There are reasons why people procrastinate. The mind builds up its defenses. In fighting against Procrastination, you need to fight those reasons. If you noticed, your mind never says "I will not do this", it always says something like "I will start but not today". You need to find the reason you are procrastinating.

A lot of times people never think about why they are not doing a thing. The moment they devote the time to think about it, they realize that the obstacle never existed. Think about WHY you are procrastinating on that activity. Peel the layers to see what is really inside.

ONE COMMON REASON: FEAR

A common reason people procrastinate on things is FEAR. They are afraid of what will happen.

What if I fail? What if I don't write well? What if I get rejected?

Let me tell you one thing here, everyone you admire today was once afraid too. Fear is part of the work. There is no person who achieved something great without a feeling of fear at some point. So, be encouraged, you are in the right company. The fact that you are afraid means what you are about to do will have a tremendous impact.

One way I have handled fear in my life is by asking the opposite question it raises in my mind...

What if I succeed? What if I am accepted? What if I am so good at it that I am rewarded richly?

See, the possibility of failing contains the possibility of success.

Now, the real thing.

HOW DO I BEAT PROCRASTINATION?

CREATE A SYSTEM THAT MAKES YOUR TASK EASY TO DO

"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." James Clear

More important than setting goals, you need to create a system that allows you to easily do your tasks. Say, for instance, you want to be a writer. You need to get writing materials always near to you. Carry them in your bag, keep them close to your bed and install note apps on your phone.

You can set aside a specific time for writing. A convenient time, not a time that will make it harder for you to write. I've seen a lot of people trying to badge in a lot of important activities for after-work hours, that sounds reasonable, but it is not the best. When you return from work, you are exhausted. You need to badge your task into the time that you have your highest creative juices, for most people, that's morning time.

When you shift your thinking from goals to systems, you will act differently. In a goal-thinking mindset, you could set the goal of reading 50 books in a year, which is hard to do for a new reader. In a system thinking mindset, your objective is not to read 50 books in a year, it is to read for at least 30 minutes every day. This is easier to do.

PLACE REMINDERS ALL AROUND YOU

Some people use sticky notes on their doors to always remind them of the tasks they have to accomplish. I use Google Reminder. Sometimes we procrastinate because we don't remember. With reminders all around us, our minds will constantly be on task.

GET ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER

An accountability partner usually serves as a rebuff. Our capacity to rationalize our procrastination is stunning. The presence of another human being who will question us, remind us, scold us and encourage us can be life-transforming. My recommendation is that your accountability partner for each project should be a person you can be honest with and at the same time the person should have some good amount of influence on your life, someone you can be ashamed of disappointing.

COMMIT PUBLICLY

A public commitment is a commitment that puts your ego on the line. We are all bothered about what others will think about us. In his book, Influence, Robert Cialdini writes about how humans like to look consistent. We even do foolish things in an attempt to look consistent in the eyes of others. You can harness this to your advantage. Make a public commitment before people you respect, it helps your mind to stay on task- now you have to accomplish it because you told others and they will laugh at you if you don't.

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER

Procrastination arises when you are working on a project, sometimes the fear of not knowing what the next step is could be your reason for procrastinating. I want to remind you that you will only figure out the complete details as you travel. Don't worry about Step Two when you haven't taken Step One. And Step Three will not show up until you've done Step Two.

FINAL WORDS

• Some bits of other random things that could help you

• Prioritize your time.

• Start with the hardest things first.

• Serialize your schedule. Let one schedule lead to another.

• Turn off your distractions. Turn off your internet. Turn off your smartphone. Just turn off any distractions you have.

There is no time. Always remember that you don't have time. Time is never your friend. You are fighting to make the best of the little time you have, tomorrow is not guaranteed. No one can guarantee that you will be here next year. Therefore, do all you can do today. Leave nothing for tomorrow. Life will not wait for you, that project will not wait for you…

Go ahead and start that writing.

Go ahead and start that song.

Go ahead and start that video.

Go ahead and start that podcast.

Go ahead and start that project.

Go ahead and start...

Cheers.