Procrastination is a Mindfulness Problem

We all procrastinate, and by and large, we all know the solutions to our procrastination.

I put off writing this article (ironically, I know, and yes I know you’ll put off reading this article) by doing a bunch of smaller tasks, for example. They were less important and I knew it, but they were quick tasks and so easier than writing an article on a tough topic.

Honestly, I know the solutions: clarify what task is most important, clear away everything but this more important task, clarify my motivations for this task, break it down into something smaller and easier if I feel difficulty.

These aren’t hard solutions.

But they don’t work unless you’re aware of what you’re doing.

You can’t step back to clarify what your Most Important Tasks are unless you realize you’re procrastinating in the first place. You can’t break a task into small steps unless you realize you’re dreading the task. You can’t clear away distractions unless you realize you’ve been following the urge to go to these distractions.

Awareness is everything with procrastination. The problem isn’t finding solutions to procrastination — it’s being aware of what’s going on in the first place.

Once we know what’s happening, the fixes are (fairly) easy.

The problem isn’t just being aware of what’s going on — it’s remembering to be aware. This remembering is what mindfulness is about. Too often we forget to be aware.

So let’s talk about the awareness of what’s going on when we procrastinate, and then how to remember

Awareness of What’s Going On

So what’s going on when we procrastinate? Try these:

• Following urges to distraction. We get the habitual urge to check email or social media or news. Or we get the urge to go to something easier, more comfortable. The urges can be beat if we are aware they’re happening.
• Dreading hard tasks. Our minds tend to focus on the hard parts of tasks that we’re procrastinating on. Without thinking too much about them, we label these tasks as hard, scary, overwhelming, time-consuming. If we’re aware of this, we can solve each of these problems — hard tasks can be broken into easier ones.
• Fear. Procrastination is often about fear — fear of failure, fear of success, self-doubts. But we don’t often know that this fear is even there — we just act on the fear. Fears, once we’re aware of them, can be beaten by the light of day. When we see fears out in the open, in the light, we can see they’ve been overblown in our minds. The worst-case scenario of failure is often not that bad when we really think about it.
• Not being motivated. Lots of times we forget our motivation for doing a hard task. Why are we putting ourselves through this suffering? It’s way easier to put it off and do other “important” things instead. But when we remind ourselves of our motivation, we can focus. So we have to be aware that our motivation isn’t clear, or that we’ve forgotten what that motivation is in the face of discomfort.
• Not being clear on priorities. What tasks are more important? It’s hard to know when you’re caught up in the flow of things, just doing things left and right, quickly switching between tasks, and so on. Everything seems important. But when we step back and think about what matters most, what will make the most difference in the world and in our lives, we can see what we need to focus on, to make time for. We can’t step back unless we’re aware that we’re getting caught up in less important tasks.
• Compulsively checking things. Often we compulsively check email, social media, blogs, news sites, etc. We have those tabs open all the time and go and check them every few minutes. Why? What need are we fulfilling? Often it’s a need to be up-to-date on everything, a fear that we might miss something. And often it’s just the temporary pleasure of getting something new in our inboxes, of finding something interesting/pleasurable.

These are some of the more common examples of what’s going on when we procrastinate. But how do we become aware? How do we remember to be aware?

How to Remember

The problem with remembering to be aware is that we get caught up in our moment-to-moment actions. Once we open a computer, for example, a series of habitual responses kicks in and we’re suddenly in the deep end. It could be hours before we come up for air and realize we’ve been procrastinating.

So what we need are a set of tools for remembering.

Here are the ones that tend to work for me:

1. Recognition of harm. The first thing you need to admit is that the procrastinating is actually doing bad things to you — if we think it’s not a big problem, we won’t take any of the other steps listed below. So what harm is the procrastination causing? Well, it might be stopping you from achieving your dreams or big goals, from pushing your boundaries and learning new things. It might be causing you anxiety, and making your work suffer.
2. Commitment. Making a commitment to being aware is a great tool for remembering. What kind of commitment? You can write it on a piece of paper and look at it every morning. Or tell someone else about it. Post it on your blog or Twitter. Have someone check on you weekly. Whatever you do, commit as seriously as you can.
3. Setting intentions. As you start an activity, like opening your email or starting to write something, or even opening your computer or starting your day, pause to think about what your intention is with that activity. Make an intention to be mindful and notice your procrastination. Setting intentions doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll actually achieve what you set out to do, but it helps. And it helps you to learn to get better at that with practice.
4. Reminders. Every hour or two, have a reminder that helps you to check in to see if your actions match your intention, to remember to be aware of what’s been going on with your procrastination.
5. Recognize signals. There are signs that you’re procrastinating — anxiety about your tasks, compulsively checking things, a rising urge to go do something other than the present task. These signs might be physical (tightness in your chest, for example) or they might be certain actions (checking email) — but you can learn to recognize them with time. They are flags, waving and telling you that something is going on. Notice the flags, and check in to see what’s going on.

These aren’t things you can master in one day. They take practice, and they take commitment. But if you can solve the mindfulness problem, procrastination becomes a much more manageable beast.

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9 Things That Stop You From Achieving Your Goals

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In order to achieve our goals, we need to change our behavior, and eventually become a better version of ourselves.

Because right now we’re not ready for it yet, we haven’t developed the needed habits, haven’t eliminated some unhealthy and unproductive activities, and have so many distractions that we hardly know what’s really important.

But achieving what you want is absolutely possible. You just need to fall in love with consistency and starttaking a step each day towards reaching your goals.

And you need to eliminate the things that not only slow your progress, but which keep you from moving forward.

Here they are:

1. Perfectionism

So many people have deep desires within themselves and truly want to achieve certain things in life. But they are greedy and unappreciative even before they receive them, and want much more than they deserve.

Many, for instance, want not just to be offered a good job with a high salary and work hard to make money and increase the quality of their life, but they want to be rich, and they want it now.

That’s a wrong approach.

Because, first you need to be grateful for what you already have (and no matter how little that is, believe me, others have much less and still find the will to thank for it).

Only then will you feel some abundance and will realize that you have the power to turn it into something more. And you’ll feel the need to work for that, to give something in return and to then enjoy the fruits of your labor.

That’s how you can eliminate perfectionism from your life and still achieve what you want.

2. Failure

We have a wrong perception of what failure is these days.

Most people fear it, they don’t even try because of the chance of not succeeding. And that’s why they never see their dreams come true.

The truth is, failure is a precious gift. It’s an inevitable step on your way to success, and a step you need to take more than once.

It’s the proof that you’re trying, you’re doing something to get what you want, and you’re not giving up.

It’s followed by lessons and experience, and it makes you stronger, with more willpower, more focused. It shows you what exactly not to do next time, because it didn’t work out this time.
And if you keep trying, eventually you’ll get there.

There’s no better example than Thomas Edison – his whole life is a proof of the power of failure and how you can work with it for optimum success.

3. Focusing on the end result

I know you’re eager to reach your goals. There’s just something inside us that makes us impatient and whatever it is that we want, we want it right away.

But you also need to realize that things just don’t work that way. And the best you can do is enjoy the process and focus less on the end result.

4. Taking big steps

There’s a certain path you’ll need to walk before you get there. And its purpose is to make you strong enough to handle the success that’s waiting for you.

That path consists of many steps. Small ones – because the big ones make us worry, fear and not even try.

So divide your goals into small steps, then into even smaller, until you have a list of simple tasks to do each day. And make them so easy and quick that it will be impossible to say no.

5. Excuses

You may often hear yourself say some of the following:

I’m not ready;
It’s not the right time;
I’m not good enough;
I’m too old/young;
I don’t have enough money/time/experience;
Most people don’t succeed anyway, neither will I;
Maybe I’m not meant to do it;
It’s too hard;
It will take too long;
I may do it wrong;
People will laugh at me;
or else.

When that happens, stop and reflect on why you’re saying this.

Realize that your mind is tricky and prefers to stay in its comfort zone, doing the same old activities and tasks on autopilot, and not try anything new. That’s why it’s making up all these excuses, that can often sound quite convincing.

Your job is to eliminate them, to even exaggerate them and see how ridiculous they sound. Because if you choose the other option – if you believe them – you’ll never do anything different with your life and will never see the things you desire come true.

6. Procrastination

It’s another thing that stops us from taking action towards our goals. So it’s another thing we need to give up.

Keep in mind one thing: now is the best time to do what you want, any other time is later than now.

The present moment is where you create your future and the only time you can be productive and work on what you believe in.

The only cure for procrastination is to start doing something immediately, without thinking and giving your mind time to come up with excuses. Without doubting your abilities and fearing failure.
Just do a little something today that will help you move forward and get closer to your dreams.

7. Expectations

Stop expecting so much. It’s a destructive behavior that brings deep disappointment in your life.

You expect things to turn out in a certain way, you expect people to behave like you imagine them to, and whenever that doesn’t work out, you feel upset and lose any motivation to take action.

So ditch these fantasies you live in, eliminate the scenarios you play in your head of how things should be, and accept them as they are.

And meanwhile, keep doing what you know is right.

8. Distractions

There will be people who will doubt you, who will make you lose hope if you listen to them.
There will be many temptations on your way to success, too. Many pleasant, but time-wasting, activities. And you’ll often feel that life is unfair because others have so much time, can eat whatever they want, can buy stuff, or else, and you can’t.

But that’s not true.

It’s just that you’ve chosen to work on your goals and strive for a better life, while others prefer the easier way of living – indulging in activities that only bring temporary happiness.

9. Lack of consistency

That’s a big one.

Because whatever you do, if you don’t do it each day, you won’t see any progress.

Consistency is trait of the successful people, and it becomes a habit, as everything else.

But without it, you won’t get far. So break your steps into smaller ones, make time each day, and find the will to get up and do this one thing.

In conclusion, I’ll tell you this:

You don’t get what you want, or what you think you deserve.

Instead, you get exactly what you work for, what you focus on , what you take action upon every single day.

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29 Ways to Beat Procrastination Once and For All

We all procrastinate. Sometimes it’s not a bad thing, but it can turn into something evil and nasty if we aren’t careful. Try these procrastination beating techniques to destroy this deadly foe once and for all.

1. Get up and move

One of the best ways to “change the channel” of procrastination is to change your scenery. Rather than sit in front of your computer or TV all day, get up, do some stretches, jog in place, do pushups, and move until your frame of mind has changed.

2. Setup reminders

Setup a daily (or hourly) reminder that you should be working on something or at least not wasting your time (unless you have time to waste). You can also set up reminders that give you motivational quotes.

3. Get a motivation buddy

There is nothing like having someone on your side when it comes to making your goals a reality. If you start to slip into procrastination, your motivation buddy will get you back in the game.

4. Make yourself accountable

You can do this with people around you or even with your motivation buddy above. A great way is to announce your change publicly and be vocal about it. Hit the social networks, your blog, write letters, whatever it takes to make yourself more accountable to getting work done.

5. Create something everyday

No matter what it is. Artwork, photos, videos, a journal, some code, anything that gets you into a creative mood and gets you working.

6. Wake up early

The nicest part about waking up early is that it is quiet and still. You can concentrate on a few big tasks as soon as you get up and get a bunch of work done that would have taken many more hours during the bustle of the day.

7. Go to sleep early

You can’t wake up early and work if you don’t get to sleep early. We need to recharge and being tired is definitely a motivator to keep procrastinating.

8. Clean and clear as you go

Sometimes we see how big a mess is in our lives and rather than do anything about it, we procrastinate. If you spend 15 minutes a day or just clean and clear things as you go (email, physical cleaning, tasks, etc.) the load of things to do isn’t as big.

9. Cut the cable

Sitting in front of your TV isn’t a good thing (all the time). Beat procrastination (as well as save some money) by getting rid of your cable.

10. Just do it

We have all heard the excuses. So, rather than make up new ones, just hunker down and get to work.

11. Schedule time blocks

If you know that some tasks are coming up as due and you have a lot of work to do on them, take out your calendar and schedule some time blocks. This will give you a set time to work and help you beat procrastination.

12. Follow a task list

It’s hard to get stuff done when you don’t know what to get done. Have a task list with you to make sure that you have the right things to do at the right time.

13. Have a system

We recommend GTD, because, you know, it’s the best.

14. Don’t check email

One of the worst things that you can do when starting to “work” is check email. It will put you in an “non-action” mood. Instead, pull out your task list and work on a big task first. Check email later.

15. Destroy social networks

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, everything. Turn them off completely to beat procrastination. Focus on the task at hand.

16. Time yourself

One good way to get to work is to set a specific time for yourself to work. Say, 25 minutes (ie. Pomodoro Technique). After the set amount of time, rest and do whatever you want for a little bit. Then work for a set of time again.

17. Track yourself

One of the best ways to know where you are spending your time and find free time to beat procrastination is by tracking yourself. There are a host of apps for doing this. Find your weaknesses and change them.

18. Automate when you can

If you hate doing some menial on your computer then try to automate it whenever you can. It will save you time and allow you to concentrate on more important, interesting things.

19. Create a playlist

Jam out to some music to beat procrastination. Create a “beating down procrastination to a pulp” play list that puts you in a state of flow with your work.

20. Identify and face your fear

Most times, we are afraid of something when we procrastinate. Try to find your fear and and face it. Then you can start creating and working.

21. Realize it will never be perfect

If you can’t work on something unless it is perfect then you should find a way to leave earth. Nothing is perfect. Make something real and awesome. That will be great enough.

22. Become mindful

Know what you are doing at all times to beat procrastination. Don’t get stuck in a mindless rut of web surfing, channel flipping, comment flaming, balderdash. Be aware of your surroundings.

23. Set “goals” for the day

At the beginning of each day identify a handful of things that you want to accomplish. Some say three things. It depends on how large the tasks are. Set a limite for yourself and work on each of them until they are done.

24. Give yourself a break

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you are having a tough time beating procrastination. Remember, you are human and we love to sit and stew in our own uncompleted mess of work sometimes. Just work hard to get out of it.

25. Stick with tools

You are reading Lifehack because you love the idea of productivity and productivity tools. I’m writing for Lifehack, because I love them too. Don’t let them control you. Trying to find the perfect productivity tool can be an excellent way to procrastinate.

26. Entertain yourself

Go to a movie, a play, an art museum. Getting away from work is a great way to beat procrastination as well as refuel your creative energy.

27. Work less

One reason we procrastinate is because we are trying to do too many things at once. Identify key projects and complete those first. You won’t feel overwhelmed and will be able to get to work.

28. Have some quiet time every day

We are constantly plugged in to our digital world. We constantly have music or sound on. It can be a overwhelming and stressful causing us to tune out of work and life. Give yourself at least 15 minutes of quiet everyday to refocus and be with yourself.

29. Don’t settle

Don’t think that “you are just lazy” and that “this is the way you are”. It doesn’t have to be and you don’t have to let it be. You can beat procrastination.

Conclusion

If you want to beat procrastination once and for all, these are the 29 ways to do. Pick the best one for your current situation and then get back to work.