How to overcome procrastination (10 Proven Ways)

“Proximity to temptation is one of the deadliest determinants of procrastination.” – Dr. Piers Steel

Why it works

Dr. Piers Steel (pictured above) is one of the world’s leading experts on procrastination. He’s a professor at the University of Calgary who works on bridging the gap between theoretical concepts and practical application in his field. This includes both explaining the psychological underpinnings of procrastination and providing practical strategies to overcome it. 

As part of his PhD thesis on The Nature and Measurement of Procrastination, Steel reviewed hundreds of studies on the topic. He defines procrastination as involuntarily delaying an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay. As it turns out, procrastination is a widespread problem with enormous consequences. According to Steel, 95% of us fall prey to procrastination. And as he describes in his book The Procrastination Equation, the average employee spends over a quarter of their time procrastinating. That’s two hours in an 8-hour workday.

In the book, Steel also provides actionable strategies and habits to overcome procrastination. These include limiting distractions, using “power hours” to optimally time work on the most challenging tasks in line with one’s circadian rhythm, cherishing small successes, and setting realistic goals. Steel’s message is clear: you don’t have to let procrastination control your life. With the right strategies and habits, you can overcome it. Here are 10 proven ways to get there.

How to do it

1) Limit Distractions
Turn off notifications and remove potential distractions to keep your attention on the task at hand. To build momentum, shut down email and group chat apps before you start. Also, consider using a distraction blocker like Freedom. Last but certainly not least, put away your smartphone – the biggest weapon of mass distraction – or defuse it by turning on airplane mode. Learn more about limiting distractions and optimizing deep focus in this article.

2) Prioritize Tasks
Identify the most important tasks and tackle them first to reduce stress and build momentum. An excellent method to pull this off is the Eisenhower Matrix. Created by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and popularized in Stephen Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, this is arguably the best tool for determining what’s urgent, important, both or neither. Learn more about using the Eisenhower Matrix here.

3) Adequate Sleep
Ensure you get enough quality rest each night to improve cognitive function and overall productivity. Doing so starts with getting 90 minutes of deep sleep per night. To lay the foundation, begin with our 10-10-10 rule: Get 10 minutes of sunlight into your eyes before 10 am. Then avoid bright, blue light after 10 pm. Learn more about how to set yourself up for plenty of deep sleep here.

4) Practice Mindfulness
Engage in mindfulness exercises to reduce anxiety and increase present-moment focus. If meditation is not for you, try 10-30 minutes of non-sleep deep rest (NSDR). Too busy? Think again. Even Google's CEO does this on most days. If you want to learn three brutally-effective and science-based forms of deep rest, read this article.

5) Positive Rewards
Reward yourself after completing tasks to create a positive association with productivity. Guess what your brain needs most after doing some hard work? A break. As it turns out, the most effective breaks allow you to defocus visually and mentally. This is why taking a walk around the office or block can go a long way (no pun intended). If you want to delve deeper into rewarding yourself with a restorative break, read this.

6) Workspace Setup
Designate a specific area for work to minimize distractions and enhance focus. As I’ve explained in #1, being deliberate about how (not) to use your computer and smartphone is essential to build up momentum. On top of that, you want to minimize distractions from (well-intentioned) co-workers by using hideaways. These generally come in two types. The first type is physical and includes moving to a dedicated location, like a quiet room or desk. The second is mental, like putting on noise-canceling headphones. Learn more about hideaways in this article.

7) Pomodoro Technique
Work in focused, timed intervals (25 minutes) followed by short breaks to maintain productivity. Created by Francesco Cirillo, this technique is a great way to overcome procrastination on shorter tasks. That said, it’s far from ideal for challenging deep work that requires extended focus. That’s why we use an altered version of that method called Pomodoro 2.0. Learn more about it here.

8) Smaller Steps
Divide larger tasks into smaller, achievable steps to make them less daunting. Block ten minutes at the start of your week for a weekly planning ritual. During that ritual, mentally fast-forward to the end of your week and come up with three goals you want to accomplish by then. As you go about the days of your week, break these three goals down into daily goals. If you want to learn more about weekly and daily planning, read this article.

9) Time Blocking
Schedule specific blocks of time for different tasks to structure your day and stay on track. Productivity isn’t about squeezing in more things, but about doing the right things. So, after coming up with your weekly and daily goals (see #8), use Time Blocking (aka Timeboxing) to turn everything you do in a day into an appointment with yourself. Then, all you need to do is show up (as you would for appointments with others). Learn more about timeboxing here.

10) Set Goals
Break tasks into specific, manageable goals to give yourself a clear path forward. Apart from setting and working toward your weekly and daily goals (see #8 and #9), you want that path to lead you toward meaningful long-term goals. Yet, nothing meaningful in life is easy, and nothing easy in life is meaningful. That's why I love Prof. Kelly McGonigal’s method of setting yearly stress goals. Doing so offers a terrific way to add meaning to your pursuits and struggles. To delve deeper into stress goals, check out this article.

Your goals are within reach.

Take control of your time. Make the most of it.

And please share this post with one person who might benefit from doing the same.

Until next week,
Christian

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