There are times, when I’m the queen of procrastination. It’s usually when I’ve got a big project on the go or I’m stressing about something. That’s when the block comes down, the want to do something is there but the actual get up and go, well that’s long got up and gone.
You know the feeling right? You’re ready, your hair is in a bun, you’ve got your yoga pants on, a hot cup of tea but then you open your laptop or turn on your computer and poof, that inspiration has gone and you’re just sat looking at a blank page – or scrolling through Facebook or the hundredth time.
Well thanks to *Bach™ Original Flower Remedies and life coach, Sophia Davis here are some top tips and advice on putting paid to procrastination, so that you can get the job done today rather than putting it off until tomorrow.
1- Pre-empt your potential pitfalls. Become aware of the triggers that lead you to procrastinate. Do you run away from boredom or failure, or do you move away from something that appears too easy or too hard? Know what your patterns are, and find ways to support yourself through them. For example, if it feels too complicated, ask for help. If it feels boring, find ways to make it more interesting.
2- See procrastination for what it is – a pattern of behaviour, a habit to put things off. Once you see it for what it is, you have a choice to choose a different behaviour. Try sourcing an accountability buddy – someone you can speak to about your tasks and who you can share your successes with when you’ve completed something. We don’t like letting other people down, so you’ll feel more obliged to get on with things promptly if you know you’ve got to report back to your friend/colleague.
3- Give your tasks a positive meaning. As human beings, we create meanings without even realising we are doing it. Most of the time, if we procrastinate, we are creating negative meanings and thoughts. For example, ‘I know I’ll be bored with this task’. Make getting the job done mean that you will feel good about yourself afterwards. Set up time to treat yourself once you’ve finished your tasks for the day. That way you’ll be provided with an incentive to succeed.
4- Look at your beliefs. Do you believe that you are a person who procrastinates? Sounds simple, but if you associate it with your identity, it will be very hard to let go of. Try telling yourself that you are a person who gets stuff done, and it will start to reflect in your outside world. Use affirmations to begin reprogramming your mind. Statements like ‘I get all my tasks done quickly and easily’, ‘I finish everything I start’, ‘I approach all my tasks with ease and enjoyment’ will help you to begin changing any subconscious beliefs that are sabotaging you.
5- Making a list of all of the things you need to get done, putting them in order of priority and then making a strict rule with yourself to do them in order, often helps to avoid what you are putting off. If you don’t allow yourself to add anything to the list until it’s finished, you will naturally get around to doing everything. If you tick them off as you go along, it will also help you to see your achievements as you go.
6- Be kind to yourself with Bach Original Flower Remedy Elm (support) and don’t get overwhelmed. Put your problems into perspective and take on only what you feel you can cope with.
So hopefully that’ll help us rid the procrastination blues and we can all get on with having a productive week right?
*Available from Holland & Barrett, most independent pharmacy, health food stores or www.amazon.co.uk, RRP £6.99. For more information, visit www.bachremedies.co.uk.
I am so bad with procrastination, I always have such a long to do list but there are certain things I’m always putting off x
I can be subject to procrastination, especially since I juggle multiple things and it makes one job longer to do than others because I go offtrack.
I try not to procastinate. I like to get things done ASAP.
This is great tips. I definitely have patterns that lead to procrastination. I have to be better about recognizing them.
Giving tasks a positive meaning is a great tip. One thing I try and do is get the tasks done that I’m not looking forward to first.
I am the queen of procrastination, but I find that making lists has really helped me.
I procrastinate a lot and I also make a lot of lists x
Great tips here. Really interesting read, I really need to take those tips on board
This is such a great list, I sometimes procrastinate far too much!
I am a procrastinator but I have been working on it slowly and doing things now than putting it off for the unknown future.
As a PhD student I can sometimes get into the habit of procrastination! These tips are great! I really try to schedule a lot of things if they are in my diary then I’ll feel guilty if I don’t get them done
I do nothing but procrastinate so I needed this post!
Procrastinating right now by reading blog posts. Woops!
great post, I need to get on with my work and focus more.
I am the worst at procrastination anything but what I should be doing is top of my list. I’ll have to try some of these tips. x
I’ve been procrastinating so much recently! I keep watching Gossip Girl instead of doing the things I need to! But I have wrote myself a list of everything I need to do and I need to get it done, I always find having a list helps me so much!
I procrastinate so much but I have my finals coming up next year so I really need to knuckle down and defeat this problem. I find list making definitely helps a lot and is the only way I get stuff done!
i used ot be so organised and ready but now ive got myself in a rutt after having my son i cant seem o find any organisation just chaos , i will in my own time though x
So tempted to make a smart comment about reading this post later…;-) But seriously, it’s a really good post – I’ve only tried Rescue Remedy but I’ve heard good things about Bach remedies in general
I REALLY NEEDED this post today, I feel like all I do is procrastinate at the moment!! xxx
Everyone encounters this and glad there’s a short and direct tips to read here. Great points and definitely should be applied.
Such a good guide. I have to start the day in the right way and use a pomodoro timer all day to stick to working.
Great post! I can sometimes spend hours on Facebook checking one group, then another then get ‘lost’ on the Internet. easy to do, right? At the moment, what keeps me productive is the Pomodoro method.