5 Ways to Reduce Procrastination

I’d like to start this post by telling you all the ways I’ve triumphed and overcome procrastination. I’d like to… but I can’t.

The truth is, I haven’t perfected this issue and I don’t like pretending that I know everything there is to know. I procrastinated on writing this very post!  

Now, having said that, I do feel like I’ve learned a lot about procrastination and the ways it’s held me back. I’ve learned that procrastinating only leads to anxiety. In the past, I’d constantly feel anxious about the things I wasn’t getting done. Eventually, the anxiety would get so loud that it would outweigh my willingness to not do the thing. I let that high level of anxiety be the fuel to help me complete tasks. If you’ve never been there before, it’s a really unpleasant way to live.

So, while I don’t consider myself a master, I have found some solid ways to reduce procrastination so I no longer need to operate at my old, high level of anxiety. The proof that some of these tips work is shown in the fact that you are reading this very sentence.☺️ Let’s dive in!

Before we begin…

Let’s take a deep breath and completely forgive ourselves for the times we’ve procrastinated in the past. I’ve done this practice myself and I could use a moment to do it again. **Inhale, count to 4, and exhale.** Let’s let it all go. The honest truth is that we have ALL procrastinated at some point whether in the past or right this moment. (You should see me before I decide to start writing something! I can find literally ANYTHING ELSE to do first!)

Also, a reminder I give myself (and one I want to pass on) is that procrastination does not equal laziness.  Laziness is choosing to do nothing at all, while procrastination is choosing to do something instead of the thing we should be doing. You are not lazy, you are not dumb, and you are not a bad person. Procrastinating does not equal these things. 

Please read this article knowing that it’s coming from someone who has procrastinated (and probably will again). This is a judgement free zone.

Now that we’ve cleared the air and we’re full of grace for ourselves, let’s move forward with some things I’ve found to help me reduce procrastination when it’s rearing its ugly head. Hopefully these ideas can be helpful to you, too!

There’s only one way to eat an elephant.

You’ve heard the saying, right? The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time? As a side note, I have always personally hated this saying. The idea of eating an elephant grosses me out. But, I digress. The validity and point of the saying is huge. Basically, baby steps are still steps. Forward motion is better than no motion.

The truth is, when we look at a huge project or item on our to do list, the overwhelm of finishing the project can scare us enough to keep us from starting. Enter: Procrastination. We look at this whole big thing and get anxious about how in the world we’re go to finish it. So we just avoid starting at all.

One thing that’s helped me to reduce procrastination is to quit trying to see the finish line and instead just take one step.

This is how I approach blog posts. Completing an entire post with keywords and photos and feeling positive about the way the wording has all worked out feels, frankly, like a lot of work. I could skip the whole thing all together and just not write the article. Trust me, I have NO PROBLEM finding other things to do.

OR, I can take a baby step. How about I just decide on a topic and then make a few notes? Then the next day I can turn those notes into a rough draft. And the next day the rough draft can become a revised second draft. I can continue the baby steps over the next few days and voila! A new post is born. The only way for me to produce content I feel proud of and keep myself from getting overwhelmed is to just take one baby step each day and stop trying to figure out how it will all come together in the end because it eventually will.

Action begets more action.

To piggyback off of this point of taking baby steps, one thing I’ve learned is that as I take action, I’m inclined to take more action. Maybe it’s the achiever mentality in me but I definitely get a hit of dopamine by crossing something off my to do list. It inspires me to want to do something else from the list in order to keep up the high. (It’s weird, I know. Not everyone gets joy from crossing things off their to do list. Dang this Enneagram three-ness!)

But I encourage you to give it a try. Maybe getting one thing done will encourage you to start on something else while you’re momentum’s up. And when momentum hits, USE IT UP, MY FRIEND.

Bonus: The 2 minute rule!

I learned this year’s ago from James Clear. If there’s an item you’re avoiding that would take 2 minutes or less, JUST DO THE DANG THING. How long would it take you to put the shoes away in front of the door? Or load the dishwasher? Or respond to that text?

I just used this rule today as I walked around the corner of our kitchen and realized how absolutely disgusting our trash can was. Sometimes I wonder if my kiddos are humans or wild animals. 🥴 My first thought was, when will I have time to clean up this trash can?! My next thought was, wait, how long would this take? So I grabbed a rag and some dish soap and got it done. The two minute rule honestly works. Try it!

Focus on intentional chunks of work to Reduce Procrastination.

If there’s something you’ve been avoiding, what could happen if you just set a timer for 25 minutes and got to work? What if you went all in on the thing for 25 solid minutes. My guess is that you’d get a lot more done than you think! The best part, after 25 minutes you can take a break!

This idea comes from the Pomodoro Technique, which basically says to pick a task, work on it full-focus for 25 minutes, then take a break. After 4 chucks you can take a longer break. If you’re interested in this theory, you can find out more about it here. There’s even apps and timers you can use!

Bonus: Pair the thing you don’t want to do with something fun!

Every Sunday evening, we put the kids to bed and then I crack down on folding what feels like a bajillion pieces of laundry. Starting at 8PM. And did I mention it’s Sunday? I bet you can guess how excited I am to dive into a week’s worth of laundry for a family of 5. 😵‍💫😑

Luckily, I’ve found a trick to reduce procrastination: I pair this laundry folding time with watching a favorite TV show. It’s kind of like the carrot dangling in front of the donkey. Do I want to fold 4,409,593 articles of clothing? I absolutely DO NOT. But, do I enjoy watching reruns of The Office? You betchya! So I’ve made myself a deal that I can watch as much of The Office as I want, as long as I’m folding the laundry while I watch it. It makes the task less boring + feel more fun.

Shorten your to do list.

Back to the elephant analogy from earlier… I think a lot of procrastination comes from overwhelm. The overwhelm of doing it all leads us to not want to do any of it.

One area I’ve discovered overwhelm is in my to do list. When that list gets lengthy, I start to get frustrated about how I’m going to do it all. So instead of actually taking action, I tend to numb out and turn to scrolling social media or binge-watching Netflix to cope. Now instead of getting even one thing done on the list, I get zero things done. Super helpful, right?

What I’m learning (and I’ve eluded to this before), is that I operate better with a shorter to do list. I now make a list of the 3 big things I really need to get done each day. Then I plan out when I’m going to do them.

After I list out the 3 main things, I list a few (no more than 3) other random items. If I get to them, great. If I don’t, it’s ok! This has helped reduce procrastination for me in so many ways. Gone are the days of a full 2-page to do list. I have to give myself some slack and shorten the to do list because overwhelm and the fear of not getting it all done will cause me to procrastinate Every. Single. Time.

If all else fails, take a nap.

While the majority of this post talks about tips and tricks to stop procrastinating in its tracks, I think a lot could be said for just an old fashioned BREAK.

Maybe today isn’t the day you’re mentally or physically prepared to start a project. You’ve done all the things, you’re trying to rally, but your gut and your heart know that this just isn’t going to happen. First of all, THAT’S OK. Remember, you’re not lazy or silly or dumb for procrastinating.

Maybe what you really need is a nap. Or to just pack it in, go to bed, and try again tomorrow when you’re refreshed and ready. Please know that this is ok! And also it really works to reduce procrastination! In my past, I’ve tried numerous times to try to rally to work on writing projects after 8PM when the kids are finally in bed. And you know what I learned? Creative work after 8PM just doesn’t work for me. It’s better for me to call it day, get my rest, and get up early to try again tomorrow.

Wrapping Up.

While I’m not perfect at avoiding procrastination, I’m very awake to the way it keeps me playing small. Procrastination is a great excuse for staying inside our comfort zones. While you may still find yourself delaying here and there, my hope is that these tips can help you operate at a higher level and remove some unnecessary anxiety.

**OVER TO YOU: What tip resonated with you the most? In what ways has procrastination affected you? I’d love to hear your story in the comments!