Are you someone who has trouble getting up every day to work for their goals? Or are you among those who daydream a lot, but are still unable to get up and work for their dreams?

These are simple signs of procrastination, the delaying or postponing of any action. Being a procrastinator in the gadgets-addicted world is a new normal nowadays.

Procrastination plays a role in leading one to stress and anxiety, if a task is not done by its deadline. To achieve things in life and reach our goal, one must be productive every day. Delaying things once in a while is fine, but always missing deadlines, having a long list of things to do and just sitting thinking about work but not doing anything about it, are habits that quickly become permanent.

Indeed, overcoming procrastination is quite hard, as hard as getting out of bed in the morning. One has to not only overcome procrastination, but also adopt ways that lead to productivity.

There are many ways to overcome procrastinate. Take your time and slowly, but gradually, you will start becoming more productive and soon you will not rest until you have finished all your assigned tasks.

Make a list

If you are working effectively on your task or you are delaying it constantly, your mental state in both cases is not the same. Procrastination stresses us and hits our nerves.

Take a paper and draw a line at the centre. On one side, write down how you feel when delay tasks. Are you sad or are you stuck and unable to focus on other things? Write it in bullet points. And don’t forget to be true to yourself.

Now on the other side, write down how you will feel if your task is done. If you have been procrastinating a lot, you will have to imagine a scenario where you have done things well and in time.

Ask yourself, will it make you feel good and productive? Will you have a sense of achievement and satisfaction? Will it make you more relaxed and sleep well?

Don’t forget to paste this paper somewhere you can easily have a glance at it whenever you are procrastinating. This tip is sure to work for you.

Break tasks down

It often seems quite hard to do an important or large task. A simple technique to handle such things is to break down your time-taking tasks into smaller ones, needing small steps, one at a time.

This will make your mind relaxed since the task will not appear too challenging. Short tasks look quite achievable and by doing them, you will steadily move towards the completion of the whole task. Accomplishing tiny tasks helps you feel confident and enhances your performance. Single, actionable micro-step, taken repeatedly brings one closer to their goal.

When working on a small area of your task, do not think about the rest that still has to be done. Keep your focus on what you are doing to avoid stress, which can affect the quality of work.

Keep deadlines and rewards

Estimate the time for each piece of a task. Before starting, prioritise the pieces of work and stick to the sequence, no matter what. Setting up deadlines for each step helps you make it manageable and get it done on time.

Tackle the little tricky tasks when you are relaxed, active and energised. Choose the tasks that you enjoy doing when you feel a bit exhausted, as it will not seem very hard for you. Taking short breaks between the tasks helps with the quality of work and makes you feel relaxed. Reward yourself in the breaks as it can keep you going on for a longer time.

For example, if you want to enjoy noodles or want to read your favourite book, do it in the breaks as a reward for yourself. Setting up rewards is a key to a good dose of motivation. When restarting your work, don’t forget to look at the list you made earlier.

These are small, yet effective, steps that can help one end the habit of procrastination. Procrastinating for a longer time affects one’s productivity adversely, as one spends too much time doing unimportant tasks, or being simply lazy, while ignoring the important things. And when the time to submit the task arrives, you are left with unfinished work. This will lead to stress, even anxiety issues. It is necessary to work on your bad habits as they can lead to a bad mental health and de-motivation.

Here is something Isadore Sharp once said: “We are what we do and not what we say we are.”

So remember, it is never too late to work on the bad habits and build some healthier ones, as Alex Elle well said: “It is never too late to start over. If you weren’t happy with yesterday, try something different today. Don’t stay stuck, do better.”

It is not enough not to be a procrastinator, a promising and bright life demands more than that. Now let’s be truly aware of what productivity is and what its benefits are. Productivity is the ratio between the amount of input and output — or the ratio between your efforts and the results. To be productive is to be conscious of what efforts can make your tasks and your life more profitable and productive.

Let’s have a look at some steps that lead to productivity.

Planning

This is the master habit of all. Plan and arrange your tasks. Before going to bed, plan what you are going to do the next day. Or just after getting up fresh in the morning, plan your tasks of the day and prioritise them. Highlight those which are more important to you. Follow and complete your tasks, no matter what.

Planning tasks earlier sets your mind on the right track. By planning earlier, you won’t waste all day thinking of doing something, instead your mind will only need a bit of motivation to begin. Every task will be pre-planned, leading to a productive day.

Time management

Decide a time for every task. Make time for your family, work or studies and, most importantly, for yourself. Be dedicated to your tasks and schedules. Managing time is the key to being disciplined. The one who gives proper time to every task can be a master of his life one day.

When managing time, always be mindful of quality over quantity. Don’t keep a very little amount of time for any task as it can give you stress in the end, if you are not able to finish it. Instead, allot the required amount of time for tasks so that you are able to complete them successfully and well. This can help you enhance the quality of your work.

Digital detox

Limit your distractions when you are studying or working. In case of using tablets or laptops to study, turn off the notifications. Use only the things that will help you while studying so that it can’t distract you. Initially it will seem a little hard, but once you start getting things done in time, you will realise the importance of removing digital distractions and it will seem easier.

It takes small, but meaningful, steps to reach one’s destination. Don’t be hard on yourself, get rid of procrastination and be productive each day. Make tiny, yet important, changes to elevate your life. Engage yourself in a worthy cause. Commit yourself and stick to it.

It may seem impossible to attain power over yourself to do the right things at the right time, but believe in yourself. Keep going. You will get to your destination.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 12th, 2022