Procrastination can be addictive. All of us love to think of scenarios where all our goals are reached, all our plans see the light of the day, and all our efforts meet their rewards. For this reason, even the best of minds can fall victim to procrastination.
Unfortunately, as delightful as it is to visualize alternate realities in our head, it serves no purpose whatsoever. Instead, as I can tell from experience, procrastination is one of the surest ways to kill your productivity and arrest your personal and professional development.
For this reason, I’ve come up with these () tips and tricks using which I’ve been able to avoid procrastination. Hope they turn out to be as beneficial for you as they did for me.
#1: Surround yourself with people who are doers
Rather than spending the entire day sitting in front of the portable photo booth thinking ‘what could have been’ or ‘what could still happen’, surrounding yourself with people who are doers will inspire you to take the first step towards achieving your goals.
For this reason, identify those people in your office, your family, and your friend circle who are the hard workers and the go-getters. Once you’ve pinpointed them, start spending time with those people and see your procrastinating habit become a part of history.
#2: Announce your goals
Tell all your co-workers, family members, friends, and acquaintances about the projects you’re currently busy on. Make them aware of the goal post you’ve set for yourself in life. Communicate what you plan to achieve in your life with them.
Provided you do that, you’ll get two benefits. First, since you’ll be aware that others know what your plans are, you’ll keep yourself accountable to the same. Secondly, when these people ask you about the progress of those projects, you’ll be motivated to achieve your goals. Both these benefits will leave no time for you to procrastinate.
#3: Make a ‘To-Do’ list every night
Before you go to bed, make a to-do list of the things you’re planning to do tomorrow. Are you planning to take a photo booth for rent for your office’s annual function? Is there an email that needs your urgent attention first thing in the morning?
All those things that you’ve been delaying or have put on hold for the past few days should be included in that list. Make sure the list accompanies you to the office in the morning. That way, you’d know that you’ve already planned how your day will pan out. That realization, in turn, will get you out of the ‘thinking’ phase and nudge you towards the ‘doing’ one.