This month, we are on a journey to fully crushing procrastination.

Hello there, happy new month. I’m glad you have journeyed with me for three months. Thank you.

Please don’t stop.

We are taking the bull by the horn and smashing our goals this month, no holding back. Do I have a witness? To make the most of the post, you will need to read to the end. If you ever find a need to close this blog post at any point, then you need it more. I love the third point since it has worked for me.

Procrastination is a thief of time and yea I’m talking from experience. For someone who delayed starting her blog for over 6 months and is still delaying launching her youtube channel, I know what I’m saying. The problem is some people will still procrastinate reading this blog post. Trust me I’ve been there. I know how much of a hold it can have on us. Procrastination has hindered most of us a lot of very good things. No more will we let procrastination have a hold on us again.

Definition of procrastination

While there are different definitions of procrastination, one thing I want you to know is that it doesn’t mean you are lazy. Procrastination mostly comes from laziness though but that does not still make them synonyms.

Procrastination is simply the act of postponing, delaying, or putting off, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness. For example, a student delays reading his book till the test period probably because he won’t remember in the exam hall or he feels he has other pressing things to do.

Another thing I want you to know is that it’s okay to say I want to do it later depending on how you have scheduled your time or when it’s best to do it. What makes the difference is if you end up doing that thing.

How to stop procrastination 

1. Just do it. 

No matter how I want to write and give you 100 ways to deal with procrastination. You won’t still deal with it until you intentionally take the step to do it. Come out of your comfort zone and do it. Stand up and do it. What’s the worst thing that’ll happen if you do that thing? That was the same question that liberated me. You would not know what will happen if you don’t do it. So drop those excuses, get up, and just do that thing.

2. Plan each day

Wake up every morning and make a plan, a well-detailed plan of what you intend to do per time. If you love fancy stuff like me you might want to have a sticky note to do that. You can decide to put it on the wall. Or set reminders on your phone to remind you of what to do.

Don’t be a member of the ‘what will be will be’ gang. You can decide what you want. Wondering how to set goals? Click here

3. Set deadlines

Set deadlines for yourself and for effectiveness’ sake,  set short but reasonable deadlines.

If you know me well, you will know I love Parkison’s law. It states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. This means that if you give yourself a week to complete a two-hour task, then (psychologically speaking) the task will increase in complexity and become more daunting.

Have you ever noticed that you don’t finish those assignments with long deadlines on time? You might even find yourself doing the assignment in the morning it is to be submitted. I know you can relate. So let’s imagine you were given an assignment today to be submitted tomorrow, you will most likely not sleep so that you will do the assignment and be able to submit. That shows that tasks are always completed within the time allocated to it.

4. Lesser projects

Most times we procrastinate because of how large the task seems. You have calculated everything and don’t even know where to start. Chunk those large tasks to smaller tasks. Take them one and time and don’t beat yourself up. That is where the need for a to-do list comes in. Big tasks sometimes actually come with so many worries that we don’t do them again.

5. Be accountable

Try to be accountable to someone. Give your plan to someone that will hold you responsible. Make sure it’s not someone you fear. It’s someone you respect. Someone you will obey. It can be a friend or a mentor. Just try being accountable to someone, it will help you beat procrastination.

6. Reposition your mind

This is as simple as just saying “do it now”.

It works like crazy. You’ll be amazed at how fast things can change when your thoughts change. You’re the product of your thought because most of your actions are a result of your thoughts. This is why you must have a very clear and positive mindset as it will positively affect your chances of reaching your goals.

The right mindset makes you believe that there is nothing impossible. Hence, it provides you with the courage and inspiration you need to take action towards achieving your goals instead of making excuses.

7. Focus on the benefits

If you write that book, how many lives will it touch? Think of the lives that will be positively influenced when you do the things that you ought to do. Sometimes focusing on the benefits, impacts, and rewards for doing some things will bring you, is enough motivation. In the same vein, think about the adverse effect of not doing what you have to do.

A bonus tip, reward yourself. whenever you meet a target, do something for yourself. It might be little but it’ll motivate you to act on your goals.

I hope this new month, you’ll decide to do things differently. Enough procrastination, get up, and smash those goals. We are overcoming procrastination together and crushing our goals. 2020 is still your year, let’s do 2020 together.

Did this post make a difference for you? Let me know in the comment section. Scroll down to the love icon to double-tap and feel free to share with people who might be going through the same thing. Love them enough to share it with them.

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With love,

Opeyemi Omidiji

This post was contributed by Ariyo Modupe, edited and restructured by me. Say thank you to her by following her on Instagram @ariyo_modupeoluwa