Procrastination ruining your productivity? How to beat the endless cycle and get stuff done!

I won’t lie to you, when I started this article, I stared at my blank piece of paper thinking, ‘What do I know about procrastination when I’m procrastinating writing about it?’. What is it about starting to write something that invites the annoyance of procrastination?

So, I guess, instead of falsifying my experience with procrastination and acting as if I know all the ways to overcome it, I will give you my raw encounters with this frustrating spiral.

Being a university student, I feel as if there is always something I should be doing, whether it’s making sure I am up-to-date with my academic work, washing my whites (didn’t I just do this?), booking that appointment, taking the bins out, and tidying my room. The to-do list never ends.

When sitting here and pondering on my own levels of procrastination, I’ve reflected on the causes of this frustrating feeling, which makes all my tasks pile up. Together, we can find solutions to overcome this frustration many of us experience.

1. Our phones are at the centre of our lives.

From shopping lists to social media, our phones have become glued to us as a society. Sometimes, I feel it’s my full-time job to text people back, even though no one (except probably my mum) would think twice about me taking longer to reply. But as soon as I hear that buzz, there I am, checking it.

To start getting things done, we need to cut out our distractions and fight the war with procrastination. This means putting our phones on Do Not Disturb, setting timers for each task to ensure we do each chore, or even setting a fun challenge for us to complete it by a certain time.

2. Feeling behind leads to feeling overwhelmed.

The more work stacks up, the more we will be put off from starting it. With so much to do, it can be hard to figure out where to even begin, leading to more procrastination. This is why, we need to keep on top of our workload. Getting into a routine of preparing your work for the next week, makes it easier for us to get used to the workload and feel less stressed about falling behind. Therefore, by creating a weekly routine of preparing us for what’s coming, we can tackle tasks one by one, rather than feeling like we’re scrambling to catch up.

3. The All-or-Nothing mindset

Setting unrealistic expectations for the tasks we want to complete one day makes us believe that we won’t be able to complete them all, preventing us from even starting them in the first place. To overcome the procrastination with starting our work, you need to set small, realistic tasks to get the ball rolling and start progressing again. Instead of striving for perfection, work towards progress.

4. Get your 8/9 hours of sleep

Never underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep. Feeling drained and tired can turn the simplest task into a test, so get that sleep and get started. If your mind is tired, fewer ideas on how to start your work or writing will come to you, making you feel defeated and discouraged from doing your work.

Therefore, with patience, fewer distractions, and small, consistent efforts, we can all fight procrastination together and progress toward our goals.