9 Practical Ways to Stop Procrastinating
Don’t let procrastination take over your life. Below are steps on how to stop procrastinating.
1. Change Your Environment
Different environments have different impacts on our productivity. Look at your work desk and your room. Do they make you want to work, or do they make you want to snuggle and sleep? If it’s the latter, you should look into changing your workspace.
One thing to note is that an environment that makes us feel inspired before may lose its effect after some time. If that’s the case, then it’s time to change things around. For instance, if you can’t work in public places because of the constant movement and noise, then find a quiet place to sit down and focus.
2. Create a Detailed Timeline with Specific Deadlines
Break down your project, then create an overall timeline with specific deadlines for each small task. This way, you know you must finish each task by a certain date. Your timelines must be robust, too – i.e., if you don’t finish this by today, it will jeopardize everything else you have planned after that. This way, it creates the urgency to act.
3. Eliminate Your Procrastination Pit-Stops
If you are procrastinating a little too much, maybe that’s because you make it easy to procrastinate.
Identify your browser bookmarks that take up a lot of your time and shift them into a separate folder that is less accessible. Disable the automatic notification option in your email client. Get rid of the distractions around you.
4. Re-Clarify Your Goals
If you have been procrastinating for an extended period, it might reflect a misalignment between what you want and what you are currently doing. Oftentimes, we outgrow our goals as we discover more about ourselves, but we don’t change our goals to reflect that.
Get away from your work (a short vacation will be good, else just a weekend break or staycation will do too) and take some time to regroup yourself. What exactly do you want to achieve? What should you do to get there? What are the steps to take? Does your current work align with that? If not, what can you do about it?
5. Stop Overcomplicating Things
Are you waiting for a perfect time to do this? Maybe now is not the best time because of X, Y, and Z reasons? Ditch that thought because there’s never a perfect time. If you keep waiting for one, you are never going to accomplish anything. Perfectionism is one of the biggest reasons for procrastination.
6. Reward Yourself
Some people say that rewards aren’t good motivation. Don’t believe them. Offering rewards to yourself is a good hack if you just can’t stop procrastinating.
Treat yourself and have some well-deserved “me time.” It doesn’t have to be extravagant and can be as simple as a sweet treat or a movie.
7. Hang out with People Who Inspire You to Take Action
The people we are with influence our behaviors. Identify the people, friends, or colleagues who trigger you – most likely the go-getters and hard workers – and hang out with them more often. Soon you will inculcate their drive and spirit too.
8. Get a Motivation Buddy
Having a companion makes the whole process much more fun. Ideally, your buddy should be someone who has his/her own set of goals. Both of you will hold each other accountable for your goals and plans. While it’s not necessary for both of you to have the same goals, it’ll be even better if that’s the case, so you can learn from each other.
9. Seek out Someone Who Has Already Achieved the Outcome
What is it you want to accomplish here, and who are the people who have accomplished this already? Go seek them out and connect with them. Seeing living proof that your goals are very well achievable if you take action is one of the best triggers for action.
8 Factors to Consider Before Moving to a New City
Have you gotten the itch to move to a new city? Whether you’re looking to move thirty miles away or three thousand, it’s important to research and educate yourself on a variety of factors before making a move to a new place.
1. Goals
Why leave where you are right now? What do you want to gain from a move? Perhaps it’s a change of scenery, a better chance to land a dream job, or maybe it’s a way to test out being away from home. Whatever the reasons, make sure you’re clear on WHY you want to move so you’re able to manage your own expectations.
2. Your network
Whom do you know in this city? If you know people in the city that you move to and leverage those relationships, then the transition could be much easier than if you move somewhere with no network at all.
If you don’t have a network, that’s okay! Just know that you’ll need to be vulnerable and put yourself out there to meet new friends and make professional connections.
You can also ask your current network for connections to people they know who live in the city you’re wanting to move to, so you can pick their brains about what it’s like to live where they are from afar.
3. Career opportunities
We spend so much time working. You’ll want to ensure that the place you move to has ample opportunities in your field before making a final decision. One strategy you can use is to reach out to people who have a similar job title that you want (in the same field that you work in) on LinkedIn and ask for a 10-minute networking call/email to discuss the job market, networking groups to join, events to attend, etc.
4. The weather
What kind of weather do you prefer, and what’s the weather like in the place you’re eyeballing? This factor actually makes a HUGE impact if it’s not aligned with your preferences.
5. Pleasurable activities
What activities light you up and feed your soul? It’s important to research if those things are commonplace in your potential new city or not. Is there a vibrant food scene? Or at least some good options for the cuisine of your choice? Whatever activities that you enjoy doing, go on a research spree to see if they exist where you’re considering moving.
6. The cost of living
What are the different neighborhoods, and what’s the going rate for a rental or buying a home? How much does it cost to buy groceries, utilities, etc? Are there ample parking options or do you have to pay for monthly parking? How much are taxes?
7. The city’s vibes
What’s this place known for? Good live music, the land of endless career opportunities, its laidback culture? Know what you may be getting yourself into before you’re in it
8. The pros and cons
Wherever you’re now, you have a life and a routine that will undoubtedly be up-ended if you decide to move. Make a list of pros and cons for each place so you can compare your “current state of being” to your potential “future state of being”. This can highlight gaps/deficits that may be hard to see with the thrill of moving on your mind.
10 Tips to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions
The start of a new year is the perfect time to turn a new page, which is probably why so many people make New Year’s resolutions. The new year often feels like a fresh start and a great opportunity to change bad habits and establish new routines that will help you grow psychologically, emotionally, socially, physically, or intellectually.
Of course, resolutions are much easier to make than to keep, and by the end of March, many of us have abandoned our resolve and settled back into our old patterns. Part of the problem may be that we do not know how to keep New Year’s resolutions, despite our good intentions.
So, what can you do to make it more likely that you will keep your next resolution? The following tips may help you beat the odds.
Choose a Specific Goal
Every year, millions of adults resolve to “lose weight,” “be more productive,” or “get in shape” during the next year. Instead of selecting such an ambiguous goal, focus on something more concrete that you can realistically set your sights on. In other words, choose a very specific, achievable goal.
For example, you might commit to losing 10 pounds, making daily to-do lists, or running a half-marathon. Be sure to make your goal realistic rather than drastic. Choosing a concrete and achievable goal also gives you the opportunity to plan exactly how you are going to accomplish (and stick to) your goal over the course of the year.
Limit Your Resolutions
While you might have a long list of potential New Year’s resolutions, Richard Wiseman, a professor of psychology at Hertfordshire University, suggests that you pick just one and focus your energies on it rather than spreading yourself too thin among a number of different objectives.
Focus on One Goal at a Time
Achieving even one small goal can boost your belief in yourself. For larger goals, consider breaking them apart into manageable chunks to work on one at a time. The American Psychological Association (APA) also suggests focusing on just one behavior at a time is more likely to lead to long-term success.
Taking on too much all at once can be daunting. It can be particularly difficult because establishing new behavioral patterns takes time and sustained effort. Focusing on one specific goal makes keeping a resolution much more achievable.
Put Time into Planning
Don’t wait until the last minute to choose your goal. Picking wisely and putting in extensive planning are essential parts of achieving any goal. Experts suggest that you brainstorm how you will tackle a major behavior change, including the steps you will take, why you want to do it, and ways you can keep yourself on track.
Make a Detailed Plan
Creating a detailed written plan can help you stick to your goal. Why is this stage so critical for success? For one thing, it allows you to consider what tactics you will use when you’re faced with challenges. When things get difficult, what strategies will you use to stay on the path toward making your resolution a reality?
If you start working toward a goal without any type of plan in place, you may quickly find yourself giving up when faced with any sort of obstacle, setback, or resistance. For example, if your goal is to run three times per week, what will you do if you’ve missed four days in a row, and how will you proceed if you need to take time off for an illness or injury?
You can start by writing down your goal, making a list of things you might do to achieve that goal, and noting any obstacles that might stand in your way. By knowing exactly what you want to accomplish and the difficulties you might face, you’ll be better prepared to stick to your resolution and overcome anything that might sidetrack you.
Start With Small Steps
Taking on too much too quickly is a common reason why so many New Year’s resolutions fail. Starting an unsustainably restrictive diet, overdoing it at the gym, or radically altering your normal behavior are surefire ways to derail your plans. Instead, focus on taking tiny steps that will ultimately help you reach your larger goal.
Small Steps Lead to Success
If you have resolved to run a marathon, start out by going for a jog two or three times a week. Slowly, work up to longer runs and exercise more days per week.
If you are trying to eat healthier, start by replacing a few less healthy foods with more nutritious options. Then, tackle another element of your diet, such as adding in a greater variety of vegetables, reducing portion size, and/or cutting back on fried food or eating out.
While it may seem like a slow start, these small incremental changes make it easier to stick to your new healthy habits and increase the likelihood of long-term success.
Avoid Repeating Past Failures
Another strategy for keeping your New Year’s resolution is to not make the exact same resolution year after year. “If people think they can do it, they probably can, but if they’ve already tried and failed, their self-belief will be low,” Wiseman explained in an interview with The Guardian.
If you do choose to reach for the same goals you’ve tried for in the past, spend some time evaluating your previous results. Which strategies were the most effective? Which were the least effective? What has prevented you from keeping your resolution in past years?
Consider altering your resolution slightly to make it more feasible. By changing your approach, you will be more likely to see real results this year.
Remember That Change Is a Process
Those unhealthy or undesired habits that you are trying to change probably took years to develop, so how can you expect to change them in just a matter of days, weeks, or months? Be patient with yourself. Understand that working toward your resolution is a process. Even if you make a misstep or two, you can restart and continue on your journey toward your goal.
It may take longer than you would like to achieve your goals, but remember that this is not a race to the finish. Once you have made the commitment to changing a behavior, it may be something that you continue to work on for the rest of your life.
Get Support
Yes, you’ve probably heard this advice a million times, but that is because the buddy system actually works. Having a solid support system can help you stay motivated and accountable. So, ideally, find a like-minded pal or loved one to join you in your goal.
Explain what your goals are to your close friends or family and ask them to help you achieve your objectives. Better yet, enlist the help of others by joining a group that shares your goal.
Renew Your Motivation
During the first days of a New Year’s resolution, you will probably feel confident and highly motivated to reach your goal. Because you haven’t really faced any discomfort or temptation associated with changing your behavior, making this change might seem all too easy.
After dealing with the reality of dragging yourself to the gym at 6 a.m. or gritting your teeth through headaches brought on by nicotine withdrawal, your motivation to keep your New Year’s resolution may start to dwindle.
When you face such moments, remind yourself exactly why you are doing this. Think about (or write a list to keep handy) what you have to gain by achieving your goal. Finding sources of inspiration can keep you going when times get tough.
Keep Working on Your Goals
By March, many people have lost that initial spark of motivation that they had in January. Keep that inspiration alive by continuing to work on your goals, even after facing setbacks. If your current approach is not working, reevaluate your strategies, and develop a new plan. Being flexible with your plan—and even your end goal—will help you be successful.
Keep a Resolution Journal
Consider keeping a resolution journal, where you can write about your successes and struggles. Write down the reasons why you are working toward your goal so that you can refer to them during times when you feel uninspired and unmotivated. Think about what is causing you to falter (such as stress from work or home life) and how to cope effectively.
By sticking with it and working on your goal all year long, you can be one of the few able to say that you really did keep your New Year’s resolution—and if you’re writing down your progress and strategies, you’ll have ready proof of your efforts if you’re ever feeling like giving up.
Learn and Adapt
Encountering a setback is one of the most common reasons why people give up on their New Year’s resolutions. If you suddenly relapse into a bad habit, don’t view it as a failure. The path toward your goal is not always a straight one, and there will often be challenges along the way. Instead, view relapses as learning opportunities.
If you are keeping a resolution journal, write down important information about when the relapse occurred, what might have triggered it, and what you might do differently next time. By understanding the challenges, you face, you will be better prepared to deal with them in the future.
(Source: www.verywellmind.com )
