10 Practical Tips to Stop Procrastinating

Many people wait until the last possible minute to start an important task that needs to be completed—otherwise known as procrastination. While there's nothing shameful about this behavior, it can leave you feeling frustrated and wondering why you didn't leave yourself more time.  

Procrastination is a cycle. Learning to identify your choices (and the underlying feelings likely motivating them) is a helpful first step to breaking the cycle. In this article, we'll explore a variety of practical tips you can try next time to take more control over your time and tasks. Afterward, if you'd like to learn more about how to manage your time and plan projects effectively, consider enrolling in the University of California, Irvine's Career Success Specialization.

What is procrastination? 

Procrastination is the act of putting off important tasks you need to finish. It often involves doing less demanding (but often more enjoyable) activities despite potentially negative consequences. For example, if your manager asks you to put together a presentation to deliver the following week, procrastination looks like getting started the night before it's due, which can provoke anxiety, stress, mistakes, poor work, or possibly missed deadlines.

Procrastination is more than a lack of time management skills. There's often a lingering anxiety or fear about the work that needs to be done, which is why people choose to delay getting started. Data suggests that 20 to 25 percent of adults consider themselves chronic procrastinators [1]. 

The effects of procrastination 

Procrastination can have a detrimental effect on both you and your work. It can increase feelings of guilt and anxiety. It can also lead to other problems, such as low self-esteem, stress, insomnia, and reduced work performance.

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Why do we procrastinate? 

Usually, the tasks we procrastinate on are those that we find most difficult, unpleasant, or boring, putting them off even if they are the most important responsibilities of the day. Some common reasons for procrastination include: 

• Avoiding unpleasant feelings: Humans are wired to avoid things that make us feel bad. Freud developed the pain-pleasure principle, hypothesizing that humans are motivated to move towards pleasure and away from pain. This model showed that humans tend to do things that give us instant gratification rather than the things we find difficult, overwhelming, or painful. 

• Feeling overwhelmed: Sometimes, tasks feel so overwhelming that it's easier to simply put them off. Feeling overwhelmed by tasks can be linked to perfectionism, helplessness, a lack of energy, or trying to do too many things at once.

• Lacking interest: Sometimes, we procrastinate because the task just doesn't interest us. It’s easy to avoid doing something that is boring or seems pointless. It can also be a telltale sign that it’s time to make some changes. 

• Fearing failure: We often avoid important tasks because we fear making mistakes. If we are perfectionists by nature, the fear of failing can be particularly overwhelming and may push us to avoid the task altogether. Interestingly, a fear of success can provoke the same response.

• Adhering to bad habits: Sometimes, procrastination develops from bad habits practiced and reinforced over time. It often stems from a need for more discipline. It takes commitment and dedication to prioritize the most difficult or uncomfortable task. 

How to stop procrastinating: 10 practical tips 

The actionable steps we've outlined below can set you on the path to greater focus and control over your tasks.

1. Recognize the procrastination cycle when it occurs.

It’s important to be able to notice when you're procrastinating. When you cultivate awareness of your behavior and the resulting choices you make, you can begin to make important changes. As we mentioned earlier, procrastination is a cycle. Reflect on where you may be in the cycle:

• A belief about the task: What you believe about the work you need to complete will trigger a procrastination cycle. These are rooted in the "why we procrastinate" list we outlined above, such as avoiding unpleasant feelings, boredom, or a fear of failure.

• Growing discomfort: That initial belief about the work will transform into feelings of deep discomfort.

• Hiding in less important tasks: Those feelings of discomfort will lead you to delay the more important task and find less pressing—or more enjoyable—things to do.

• Final consequences: When you cannot put off the primary task any longer, you will face final consequences, such as panic, insomnia, or low self-esteem for not being able to plan out your time better.

You can redirect your behavior at any stage of the cycle. For example, if you catch yourself growing more uncomfortable with the thought of beginning your task, you can perhaps work out some of that energy physically by going for a walk, talking to a friend, or journaling. Even during the last stage, you may be able to ask for a deadline extension (even if it's just a few hours) to help calm your panic.

Start cultivating awareness about when you procrastinate, which tasks trigger larger instances of procrastination, and what your common "tells" might be, so you can better catch yourself in the moment and redirect your choices.  

2. Use time management techniques to order your work.

There are many tried-and-true time management strategies to help you develop greater focus and get through important tasks without delaying them as much. Consider conducting a time audit to understand how you use your time, chunking your time so you don't "task switch" as often and can build focus on related projects, or making sure your environment is as distraction-free as possible.

3. Prioritize your tasks. 

Get organized about what you have to do on a daily or weekly basis by creating a list. Spend a few minutes figuring out what needs to be done and what doesn’t, so you can identify your most pressing priorities and work accordingly.

You don't have to work "top down." Some people choose to breeze through less pressing tasks so they can block out more time to tackle priority projects that will need greater attention. Or you may know yourself well enough that you need to work on priority work first before finishing your day (or week) with less crucial tasks.  

4. Eat the frog.

Speaking of how you tackle priorities, the term “eat the frog” refers to completing the most difficult or stressful task first thing to set you up for the day. By getting the one task that you’re worried about out of the way first, you gain confidence, motivation, and momentum to get everything else done, and the rest of the tasks may feel more manageable in comparison. So, eat the frog.

5. Trim your to-do list.

If you begin to work with a to-do list, it's crucial to trim where you can. There are only so many hours in the day and if you find yourself with long lists, then some things will have to be shifted around—or dropped altogether. For starters, go through and remove anything that doesn’t need to be done that day or that week.

Doing so will stop you from focusing on those small inefficient tasks at the expense of the important ones. It also helps to make your list of things to get through seem less overwhelming. The more you can reduce the amount of decisions you need to make–and the amount of tasks that are deemed essential–the less stressed you will feel. Do this the day before so you are ready to focus and get started the next morning. 

6. Minimize distractions. 

Make sure you limit distractions when you commit to focusing on a task that would usually cause you to procrastinate. Turn off your phone, stay away from social media, and make sure you’re setting yourself up to stay on-task rather than deviating to something new. 

7. Develop consistent habits. 

A habit is something we develop over time and can be challenging to break. However, it is possible to develop new, healthy habits. Consider setting a short amount of time aside to work on a task and not allowing yourself to do anything else during that period. The Pomodoro technique is excellent for this and involves setting a timer for 25 minutes to work on a task without stopping. At the end of the 25 minutes, you reward yourself with a short break.

8. Reward yourself.

Like the Pomodoro technique where you reward yourself with a break, you can use other personal rewards as motivation, such as a break for a snack or an activity. Or, if you're working on a more involved project, maybe your reward is something bigger, like a nice dinner when you turn in the finished product. This is a great way to stay on track. 

Read more: How to Motivate Yourself: 11 Tips for Self Improvement

9. Be kind to yourself. 

Procrastination is common and berating yourself for it doesn't help—even if it's completely understandable. Instead of focusing on feelings of frustration, be kind to yourself and focus on taking steps to get started. In some cases, procrastination can be a sign of something deeper, so it’s important to check in with yourself if it's becoming an ongoing problem.

10. Explore working on more challenging areas.

Take a moment to check in with yourself and see if any themes arise around procrastination. Does all of your procrastinating stem from the same belief (boredom, fear of failure, etc.)?

If so, it may be worth working on that area. For instance, if boredom fuels a lot of your procrastination, then perhaps it's a sign you may want to seek another job that offers more challenges and growth. On the other hand, if your procrastination stems from a fear of failure, then it may be time to seek out professional resources to help unpack that fear and develop new beliefs.  

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