Let’s face it. Trying to achieve your goals is never easy. Especially when you are trying to accomplish something you consider important and possibly life-changing. Whether it’s a one time project or a new habit you are trying to form, there always seem to be so many excuses not to start.
I gotta give you some tough love here. There is no other way to get to where you want to be in life but to suck it up and go for it.
But my goal here is to help you, so let me give you the good news. You are in complete control of this. Think about how awesome that is. It is up to no one but you. And if you say you are going to get this done, then done it shall be.
The other great news is that we have included an awesome FREE printable for you to get started with all of this. You’ll find it at the end of this article. So, no more excuses, right?
To me, the hardest thing when I am trying to reach my goals is always getting started. That’s why in this short guide on how to not procrastinate, I want to focus on this first step. Because trust me, once you begin, you will find the momentum that will keep you going.
7 Ways How To Not Procrastinate
1
Define your Why.
Sometimes when we are faced with a big task, we get so caught up in how we are going to tackle it that we forget about why we are doing it in the first place.
If you are trying to accomplish something, then there must be a reason why you are doing it.
Is it to improve your life in one way or another, or maybe to get a step closer to a bigger goal you have?
Think about how finishing it will make you feel. Will you be proud, happy, relieved?
Whatever your greatest motivation is, define it clearly and write it down. This way, whenever you will feel you are drifting away from the main focus, you can go back to your why.
2
Create an inspiring work environment.
I don’t know about you, but I find getting to work is so much easier when I have a dedicated place for it.
This will obviously mean different things depending on what your goal is. It can be a simple small desk for you and your laptop if your goal is to write something or a neat craft room if you are trying to learn how to sew.
Either way, make sure your workspace is organized and tidy (because we all know I’ll start work right after I tidy my desk. is a very convenient excuse). Also, try filling it with positive and inspiring pieces (vibrant artwork and inspirational quotes work well for me) for some extra motivation.
3
Acknowledge your fears, but put them in perspective.
Whether we would like to admit it or not, we often deal with procrastination due to an underlying feeling of fear. Fear of failing, fear of not doing it ‘perfectly’… And sometimes taking action and doing things that might result in big changes in our lives is just scary.
That is perfectly normal and happens to all of us. Accept your fear as a normal part of the process, but don’t let it get in the way of getting to where you want to be.
More often than not our fears are much worse than reality, so instead of focusing on the worst case scenario, try to think of the realistic outcome.
4
Tell people about your goals to keep you accountable.
This one is really big for me. Whenever I embark on a new project, I find telling people about it makes me take action so much faster. It doesn’t matter if it’s something I chose to do myself or something I have to do for one reason or another. Telling people just makes me go ahead and do it.
It is as simple as getting your big idea or plan out there. Knowing that your friends, family or co-workers know about it, makes you want to get to your goal that much faster.
5
Minimize the digital distractions.
Just checking your email or seeing what’s new on Facebook is never a good way to start working. We all know the traps of social media. So make the simple choice of not using them during your work time.
If you don’t think you have the needed self-control, there are many programs and apps out there that will help you block out the distractions on your phone and your browser, so you can focus on your work instead. So really. Just chose not to.
6
Break it down into smaller steps.
Very often the work we have to do seems so daunting because there is just so much of it and you don’t really know where to begin.
This is why you should break your work down into smaller, more manageable, steps. This helps in two ways. Firstly, it forces you to methodically think about how you are going to get to your goal. And secondly, tackling each task individually will seem much more manageable than trying to do it all at once.
Now as simple this may sound, creating this list of tasks is often a very time-consuming task. But having a well thought out plan will make it so much easier later on. So don’t feel bad if it takes a while to make your plan and even if you have to adjust it as you go (this is almost inevitable, I think). Just try to define your first few steps and then see where that takes you.
7
Stop planning and start doing.
As obvious as this sound, overplanning is often the reason (or excuse) we just can’t get started. While I truly believe having a good plan makes execution much much easier, I also have learned many times over that you cannot plan everything. So don’t even try.
Set a time at the beginning of your project to make a plan of action, but don’t aim for 100% perfect, because it is not doable. Problems and dilemmas are bound to arise as you go, and that is ok. You will cross that bridge when you get there. But right now, just start doing!
The tendency to procrastinate is in human nature. It doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong or that you are not up to the task. Sometimes you just need that extra push to start.
I hope my 7 tips help you when you feel stuck. Or at least help you realize you are not the only person in the world feeling this way. Because I know, it can be tough. But as I said in the beginning – you are in complete control!
To help you get started, download our free worksheet. It will help you follow the steps outlined in this article and stop procrastinating today. To download, follow the instructions below.
What are your thoughts on procrastinating and fighting this nerve-racking state of mind? Do you have any other tricks on how to not procrastinate? We would love to hear about them in the comments below.
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my plan to GET THINGS DONE.
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