How I Fight Procrastination and Usually Win

1) I Procrastinate Because I Feel Overwhelmed

Procrastination can often result from feeling overwhelmed by a task. When overwhelmed, there’s an urge to put off a task and hope for clarity to appear later. Ironically, the clarity may never arrive because of your procrastination. When I’m unsure of what my priorities are, it’s easy to work on the wrong thing or not work on anything.

The irony of procrastination is that it can feed on itself. Tasks that come in the door while you’re putting things off also suffer. This compounds the feeling of being overwhelmed, which causes you to procrastinate more.

The feeling of being overwhelmed can be signs of uncertainty as to where to start on a task. It can be a result of poor direction, trying something outside your comfort zone, or working on a project that needs organized. Whatever the cause, not being sure where to start often leads to not starting at all.

2) I Procrastinate Because I Don’t Want To Do It

Procrastination can also be a sign you’re faced with a task you just don’t want to do. The majority of respondents to the questionnaire listed “lack of motivation” or “boredom” as the primary cause of their procrastination.

You rarely need encouragement to do something you enjoy or find exciting, so it’s no surprise that difficult tasks spawn procrastination.

For instance, I really should be working on my app, but hey, cool — someone just liked my post on Facebook and I should totally check that out. I really don’t like doing my taxes, and Netflix is right there in the other room with all these movies I haven’t watched yet — and that tax deadline is so far away.

3) I Procrastinate Because I’m Afraid of Failure

Fear of failure often manifests itself as continuous tweaking and endless revisions, insisting that your task must be “perfect” or “done done” before you can release it to the world. In reality, you’re just avoiding the judgment of the world.

A task that you never finish will never be reviewed by others; an incomplete project cannot be evaluated or criticized. An app never published never gets one star reviews. Even without formal grades as you have in academia, work projects are judged by peers or supervisors and the success (or failure!) of those projects determines eligibility for promotions and pay increases.

It’s easy to get sucked down by the problems of procrastination — but don’t fear! People have spent many, many years analyzing how to beat procrastination. Read on to see how you can get yourself out of that rut and back on top of your work!

How I Fight Procrastination and Usually Win

OK, so we’ve seen that although procrastination can be good sometimes, it can also cause major problems.

Now, it’s time for me to share the promise of this article: techniques I’ve learned to fight procrastination over the years, allowing me to (usually) win! :]

There are three techniques I’ll cover:

1. Managing Distractions
2. Managing Time
3. Managing Energy

Let’s dive in!

Note: Although I think the advice in this article should help if you struggle with procrastination, note that you can’t cure procrastination overnight.

Personally, I recognize that procrastination is a constant enemy of mine, and I have to make sure I don’t slip back into old habits. No single article can give you all the answers to overcome procrastination, but I’ve found three things that have helped me keep procrastination (mostly) at bay.

1) Managing Distractions

There are a million distractions in this world, but there a lot of distractions that are completely under your control.

I recommend taking some time to reduce your distractions, allow you to focus on your real work. Here are three things that have worked for me:

a) Turn off notifications

Whenever I set up a new computer or a new phone, my very first step is to turn off almost all notifications.

My coworkers took a while to get used to the idea that I only check email a few times a day, but I find I have better focus when I’m not distracted by email and other social notifications. It takes very little time to shut down notifications, but you’ll be surprised at the time you gain back.

b) Make it harder to go social

When struggling with an Auto Layout bug, the temptation to lose yourself in your Twitter feed can be irresistible. Adding just a small bit of friction between yourself and your social feeds can be really effective.

For instance, stay logged out of Facebook while you work. The extra time to log in will serve as a constant reminder of what you’re not getting done.

c) Block the biggest time sinks

In more extreme cases, most browsers have extensions that can be used to selectively block sites.

Quitter can shut down selected apps when they’ve been left idle and reduce the temptation to switch from your work. Cold Turkey will temporarily block tempting web sites and apps during specified times.

2) Managing Time

OK, so you’ve gotten a lot of time back from managing distractions: how can you make the most of it?

I find focusing on time and project management really helps me feel in control of the situation, and reduces my desire to procrastinate. There are many time and project management systems, and all have unique approaches to the problem of getting stuff done. Some systems are simple tricks or rules of thumb, while others provide a complete, all-encompassing approach to managing your work and personal life.

I’ve found a combination of three of these systems works best for me: Getting Things Done, the Pomodoro Technique, and simple prioritization techniques. Let’s take a look at all three.

a) Getting Things Done

I’ve used the basic Getting Things Done, or GTD, approach for a long time. The GTD system uses five steps to process tasks and projects:

1. Capture what needs your attention
2. Clarify what needs to be done.
3. Organize what you capture.
4. Review and reflect on where you are on a regular basis.
5. Take appropriate actions depending on location and priorities.

I feel the most valuable step in this methodology is recording everything I might need to do at the moment it enters my mind so I don’t need to keep everything in mental RAM. Capturing these thoughts lets ideas and upcoming tasks flow freely into my mind without interrupting what I’m doing at the time.

The organizational aspect of GTD means you start tasks with everything you need to complete the task right at hand. Imagine sitting down and getting straight to work, without hunting for files or notes or tools — what a relief!

The GTD approach also focuses your effort solely on the next small task that will move your project forward. This takes your attention away from the overwhelming large picture so you can focus on, well, getting things done. :]

b) The Pomodoro Technique

While GTD provides a solid method to determine, capture and organize your actions, the Pomodoro Technique sets up a direct framework for doing the work.

Under the Pomodoro Technique, you break your work time into 25 minute periods called Pomodoros. During each Pomodoro, you work on the task without interruption and without giving up. After 25 minutes, you take a short break, then start the next pomodoro.

After completing four Pomodoros, you take a longer break so your brain can process the work you’ve done and get ready for the next tasks to tackle. Depending on the work I’m doing, I will often expand or contact the 25-minute period to better fit the task at hand. When I writing, I’ve found stretches of 50 minutes of writing with a slightly longer break in between pomodoros works best for me.

c) Simple Prioritization techniques

GTD helps you organize, and Pomodoro helps you focus, but how do you know what to work on?

Every morning, I select three tasks I would like to complete by the end of the day. Some days I know that I won’t be able to complete all three, and some days I know that I can do more. But going through the selection process helps me consider and pick just the three things that are most beneficial to me.

Examples of priority tasks are things that need to be completed on a specific day, things you want to get off your mind, or even things that will give you a clear sense of accomplishment when done.

How They Work Together

Here’s how these three techniques work well together for me:

• The Pomodoro technique helps me overcome inertia and get started. I can work on anything for 25 minutes, and I almost always make some progress in that time.
• GTD helps me from becoming overwhelmed by complex projects that stretch over months and have lots of moving parts which distract from my focus.
• My three priorities help me finish each day with a feeling of accomplishment. Feeling good about what you’ve done is as important and getting the things done in the first place.