Don’t let procrastination run your life with these tips

Procrastination – that ugly P word that strikes fear in the hearts of everyone, from young children told to clean their room to the most successful CEO. It happens to everyone, but how you handle it is what sets you apart. Here are a few ways to bust through the procrastination barrier and not let it get the best of you.

1. Be accountable to yourself – You have a deadline to make and people counting on you. If you want to be successful, you can’t hide behind procrastination. Write down your goals, set reminders on your phone, keep a to-do list with you. Whatever it takes to stay on task so you meet your goals.
2. Be accountable to others – You are a cog in the wheel and part of a team. If you don’t get your work done, it could directly impact others. Don’t make excuses. If you have a legit reason a deadline doesn’t get met, be honest and take responsibility. Your co-workers will respect you more and you can work together to get it done.
3. Recognize your weaknesses – When your mind wants to be somewhere else, it’s tough to try to keep it on track. Find a quiet place to work or crank up some relaxing music on your headphones. If status updates, likes, retweets, shares, and anything else social media is pulling your attention away, then move your phone into another room or turn off notifications. It’s easy to justify spending five minutes on Twitter as a little break. But when that turns into an hour of chatting with friends and retweeting, that’s when procrastination has won.
4. Plan ahead for long-term goal – If your daily routine includes the first hour at work checking email, catching up on Facebook and liking pictures on Instagram, that’s probably not helping your productivity. Start the night before making your to-do list so when you get to the office, you know where to start and what you need to accomplish. When you don’t have a map, it’s easy to get lost.
5. Break up big goals into smaller ones – We’ve all heard the saying “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” It’s the same with procrastination. Turn a big project into several smaller, more manageable goals. The work time will remain the same but accomplishing the smaller tasks will help keep you positive and on track.
6. Don’t give up – This is where many people fail and let procrastination win. It’s OK to step back and try to pin point what you are stuck on. Maybe it’s a step that really won’t get you any closer to your goal. If the project is making you less productive, maybe it’s time to think about changing things up.

You don’t have to let procrastination run your life. The key is to not let yourself get overwhelmed so you give up. The most important thing you can do is not let it dictate how you work. Show procrastination to the door and banish it from your life one step at a time.