Procrastination has been a big thing for some time.  I have been wondering why this ´disease´ has been catching on so much.

 

A few years ago I hardly new what procrastination was.  It was my coach who introduced me to it back then.

 

Anyway, I am very good at procrastinating.  You can see that from my blogposts.  I started in november last year and never really got going, so now I have looked a bit into why I and so many people are procrastinating.

 

 

I have 5 tips for you to get ahead with procrastination and all of these are reasons that I see are valid for myself.

 

 

1. Become aware and acknowledge that procrastination is harmful for you.

 

The first thing you need to admit is that procrastination is actually doing bad things to you — if you think it’s not a big problem, you won’t take any of the other steps listed below.

 

Then you will probably recognize yourself more in the picture below.   I certainly do that sometimes.

 

So what harm is the procrastination causing?

 

Well, it might be stopping you from achieving your dreams or big goals, from pushing your boundaries and learning new things. It might be causing you anxiety, and making your work suffer.

 

And this is where you need to get clear on your motivation.  In the face of discomfort, it is easy to forget the motivation.  When you remind yourself of that big dream, the tasks ahead of you will feel easier.

 

 

2.  Set intentions.

 

When you start an activity, like opening your email or starting to write something, or even opening your computer or starting your day, pause to think about what your intention is with that activity.

 

Make an intention to be mindful and notice your procrastination.

 

Setting intentions doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll actually achieve what you set out to do, but it helps you to learn to get better at that with practice.

 

 

 

3.  Commitment.

 

Making a commitment to being aware is a great tool for remembering.

 

You can write what you are committed to on a piece of paper and look at it every morning.

Or tell someone else about it. Post it on your blog or Twitter. Have someone check on you weekly.

 

Whatever you do, commit as seriously as you can.

If you don´t, you most likely will end up postponing things ´forever´ .

 

 

4.  Be clear on priorities and stop compulsively checking things.

 

What tasks are more important?

 

It’s hard to know when you’re caught up in the flow of things.  Everything seems important. Step back and think about what matters most, what will make the most difference in the world and in your life.

 

You can then see what you need to focus on and make time for.

 

Social Media is definitely the top distraction.  Often we compulsively check email, social media, blogs, news sites, etc.  We have those tabs open all the time and go and check them every few minutes.

 

Often it’s a need to be up-to-date on everything, a fear that we might miss out on something.  And often it’s just the temporary pleasure of getting something new in our inboxes,  or of finding something interesting and pleasurable.

 

A big part of my job is to be on top of SoMe AND I still know I can be more effective and prioritize my time here – like setting aside time to do my own blogging.

 

 

5. Reminders.

 

This can be setting the timer every couple of hours to remind you to check in with yourself if your actions match your intentions.

 

Or you can download one of the many Apps that have been created for us procrastinators.

 

Yes!  There are loads of anti-procrastination apps!

 

One of the most popular is called Freedom and it has been downloaded 1.1 million times.  It cuts you off from the internet entirely.

 

Others are Write or Die, Stop Procrastinating, Finish and even Yelling Mom!

 

I have not tried any of these.  If you have experience in using them – please share in the comments.

 

Of course procrastination itself is not new.

 

French writer Victor Hugo apparently used to take off all his clothes and have them hidden by his valet so that he couldn’t leave the house

 

His method may be a tips for some of you?

 

Or as Ellen DeGeneres says : ” Procrastinate now, don´t put it off.