How to stop procrastinating and get results

BY BRENDA IBARAH

We are all victims of procrastination. We hate it when we have deadlines looming but somehow cannot bring ourselves to do what we need to do until it’s too late. This bad habit eats away at our productivity and we never get anything done. If you are looking to change this for good, here are five ways you can beat procrastination and get results in your day to day life.

• Make decisions and stick to them. Trust yourself and your ideas and see them through. Procrastination sometimes takes on the face of fear where we do not believe we can achieve something and so we keep putting it off. To get things done, you need to believe that you can and then go for it.

 

• Avoid Distractions. From social media to office banter to YouTube, the procrastination pits around us are many. The best way to avoid distractions is to be more conscious of your surroundings and focus on what you are working one. You don’t have to respond to that WhatsApp text immediately and that coworker with the latest ‘tea’ can hold on to it for a few minutes.

 

• Do Not Multitask. When you multitask, your efficiency is reduced because the human brain can only focus on one thing at a time. You think you’re being cool but multitasking slows you down and you find yourself putting things off. So instead of trying to be superhuman, check off the things on your to do list, one by one and you will see results.

 

• Tell Others About Your Goals. Tell the people who care about you about your projects and ask them to hold you accountable. Every time they see you, they will ask you how your goals are coming along. You can also do the same for them and push each other to get things done.

 

• Just Do It. The best way to get things done is really to do them. You can do all the strategizing, planning and watch all the TED talks, but if you don’t take action, nothing’s going to happen. Don’t over think or complicate things. Just do it.