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In today’s post, I am going to be sharing 7 best ways you can beat procrastination this fall.
Procrastination is something that a lot of us face on a regular basis. After all, there is always something that needs our attention more than the task at hand, always a notification on our phones, and always something else that we’d rather be doing.
But the problem with procrastination is that, more often than not, it takes us away from things we should be doing to better our education, our mental health, our personal development, and health among others.
In this post, I will be sharing ways that I have been able to procrastinate less and get more done.
I still procrastinate from time to time, which I think is normal, but I have been able to drastically increase my productivity levels. Working full-time and running this blog has been a very good push for me to get myself organized and stop procrastinating. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be as active on the blog as I’d like.
So without further ado, here are things I do on a regular basis that help me beat procrastination and get a lot more done in a much shorter amount of time.
Pin for later!
7 Best Ways To Beat Procrastination This Fall
Use timers
One of the best things I’ve discovered over the years was that I work best under a time constraint.
That’s where timers come in.
Whenever I need to get something done urgently, or just without procrastinating, I like to set a timer for an hour at a time and just WORK.
Something about the fact that time is literally ticking kicks my butt into gear and helps me stick to the task at hand rather than looking for any distraction to take my focus.
I also like to make sure that the timer I use is NOT on my phone, or else I’d probably just keep looking at it instead of working.
Plan
Having a clear plan or to-do list of what I want to accomplish helps me get so much more done than if I were just winging it.
Planning out my weeks has become a staple in my weekend routine. Along with a weekly plan, I also break down my daily tasks into to-do lists.
That helps me actually see how many tasks I have to do that day, and I can pretty much always figure out how much time I will need for each task.
You can grab a free weekly planner below to help jump-start your planning routine!
Set goals
I think it’s safe to say that we all have goals, both long-term and short-term.
How many of us, however, stick to those goals?
It’s great to have goals like save money, lose weight or read more, but without having these goals visible to us every day, it’s hard to actually stick to them.
Writing down our goals and having them somewhere we are guaranteed to see them every day helps us remember them, and we, therefore, become more inclined to work towards them.
A trick I like to do is writing down my goals in my planner. Every month I write down what I want to accomplish that month, and because I use my planner almost daily, I see my goals all the time. This helps me remember them, and that helps with sticking to them.
Related:
8 BEST WAYS TO FINALLY REACH YOUR GOALS
Get the hardest thing done first
It’s easy to push the longest or hardest task to the end of your to-do list, but you will feel SO much better if you get it over and done with!
If something is going to take me a long time to complete, I make sure to finish it first just to get out of the way. Once that is done, you can then get to smaller tasks which will take you no time compared to the big task you just tackled.
Block out time for all your tasks
Scheduling your tasks by the hour is an excellent way to maximize your time. It is also super easy to do at the beginning of each day or as you are planning your week.
What I like to do, especially during busy days, is making a “schedule” of what I need to get done in specific time slots.
This allows me to clearly see when each task needs to be worked on, and that keeps me organized throughout the day.
Put your phone away
You knew this was coming, didn’t you? 🙂
Our phones can be super distracting, especially when we are not looking forward to doing something. The best way to combat not picking your phone up for every notification is by putting it on airplane mode OR turning off your data/wifi.
Most of my notifications come from some sort of app that uses the internet to connect, which makes turning my data off the perfect solution for me.
Think of the big picture
The last piece of advice I have for anybody who struggles with procrastination is to think about WHY you need to do the task at hand.
It can be easy to forget the big picture, so reminding yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing can help a lot with staying motivated.
Are you cleaning your home? Why? To live in a calming space/to have a clean home/to spend less time cleaning it later when it becomes a lot worse than it is now.
Are you doing homework? Why? To learn and gain knowledge/to get my degree/to get that kickass job I’ve wanted since I could remember.
I hope you enjoyed these tips on how to beat procrastination! If you have any tips that you’d like to share regarding how you like to stay productive, I’d love it if you left them in the comments!
Related:
5 Easy Steps To Improve Productivity
Great tips! Luckily, I don’t have a problem with procrastination. I like to get everything done yesterday so I have more time later in the day for other things! x
I am so so jealous. ADHd, bipolar & fibromyalgia… Can’t even imagine that kind of motivation.
Great tips! Getting the hardest task done first does work for me, however I find something that really motivates me is to make a list then do some really small tasks – it’s like ticking them off spurs me on! I then usually get the biggest task done after a few small ones.
Ooh that’s a great strategy! I might have to give it a try!
awesome post topic!
Thank for sharing these tips! Btw, I really love your pins!
Thank you so much, Simone!
Great tips! My favourite, and the one I struggle with the most, is putting the phone away. It is so easy to get lost for hours on my phone!
I completely agree!
Setting a timer is such a great trick! I’m going to try that one when I’m studying for my upcoming exam.
Good luck on your exam! 💗
Great advice! I need that kind of reminders 😊
Thank you!
Love your ideas. This is something I use every day 🙂
Thank you!
My youngest just started preschool 4 days a week so that’s 3 hours I have to work on my biz. I love it! It’s like a race to get as much done before it’s time to pick him up because as soon as we’re back at home, it’s harder to stay focused and motivated!
Aw I can only imagine how hard that can be! It must be nice having that quiet time to work on your business.
Love this! My NYR this year was to plan more. I’ve been doing surprisingly well and it’s helped so much!
Have you heard of the pomodoro method? I highly recommend giving it a try!
Happy to hear that!
I heard of the pomodro method but haven’t given it a try yet. I definitely need to!
Aww man, it’s like you were literally speaking to my soul LOL! I’ve found that time blocking has really helped me grow my blog and my business. I don’t procrastinate as much.
Haha that’s awesome! It’s become my go-to productivity hack lately!
These are great tips for improving productivity in the fall or any time. Using a timer is a good idea. As a freelancer, it’s always hard to knkw exactly how long a project will take so having a timer could be useful.
I can only imagine! I hope that if you try timers out, they’ll help! Thank you for reading!
Great tips to overcome procrastination, when you have a to do list , your plans and tackle the hardest task first you will definitely get more done
I completely agree! Thank you for stopping by. 😊
Great and much needed advice. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! Thank you for stopping by.
Great tips! My phone is often my downfall. So easy to get lost in it!
I can completely relate! My phone is a blessing and a curse at the same time haha
I’ve also found sometimes procrastination is useful believe it or not. Sometimes I’m putting something off for a reason and the thing I do to procrastinate actually opens up more opportunities.
That’s such an interesting way of looking at it! I never thought about it that way!
Setting the timer is one I always mean to do and always forget about! Like you I work so much better under a time constraint and I desperately need to start setting timers!
It works wonders for me! I’d definitely recommend it.
I LOVE these tips. I am a list maker and I love to see the tasks get checked off. I have an actual planner and not one on my phone because I like to see it in front of me at once.
Thanks for the awesome tips! Procrastination is so hard to beat sometimes. It’s even worse for bloggers because we’re our own boss. Thanks again! =)
Honestly when it comes to trying to get certain tasks done I’m the worlds best procrastinator! I definitely need to take some of these tips on board.
Lauren | http://www.laurenyloves.co.uk
I could really use some of these tips hahaha I desperately need to stop looking at my phone so much it makes me procatinate so much x
Kayleigh Zara 🥀 http://www.kayleighzaraa.com
I’m a huge procrastinator but I’ve been using a few of these tips, like using timers and breaking down my day into time slots for each task. I really like that last tip though, it’s really easy to see your tasks as a chore but reminding yourself of the benefits is really helpful!
Beth x Adventure & Anxiety
Absolutely! At the end of the day it’s whether or not you think something is worth doing. 😊
MY weekly planner is a huge thing for me when it comes to avoiding procrastination – I always do try to give myself a break and a do-nothing day every so often thought!
Rosie
loverosiee.co.uk
OMG that timer idea sounds amazing!
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com
Happy you think so! 🙂
Great content! When I need to do something I follow exactly the same steps. Doing the hardest task first definitely helps me finish all my work and be more productive. Also, putting my phone away is a MUST when I work.
Thank you for sharing this piece with us! 🙂
I love using timers too! I also completely agree with your point on goals, if they’re not part of my routine or scheduled for a particular time, the days roll by without me doing them at all. Great tips!
Ella-Rose ~ http://www.wanderingterra.com