Do you ever find yourself mindlessly browsing social media, not knowing how exactly you ended up there? Or perhaps you have a serious deadline looming ahead. You promise to buckle down and get to work, but 30 minutes later, you inevitably find yourself knee-deep in pages of unrelated Wikipedia entries. Those are pretty sure signs that your procrastination might have gotten out of hand—to the point of occurring on autopilot.
This isn’t to say that you haven’t tried to break this bad habit—because you certainly have. If it seems like nothing has been working for you until now, then we have good news: These are resources that provide practical steps to starting and finishing your tasks on time.
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Procrastination is more of a mental block than it is anything else, so kick yourself into gear by giving yourself two minutes to start a task. You’d be surprised how much you can do after that. (James Clear)
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Sometimes, a task just seems too giant to tackle all at once. Practical steps to solving this would include breaking it up into small steps or creating a detailed schedule for yourself. (Lifehack)
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Not feeling motivated enough to make progress on your current project? Ask yourself this one magic question to change your perspective. (Inc)
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It could be that putting things off has never led to terrible consequences for you. In that case, you might be too comfortable. (Greatist)
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Curious to understand why you actually keep procrastinating? Maybe figuring out your own motivations will help you undo that nasty habit. (Wait But Why)
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So, how are you supposed to overcome it? Sometimes strategizing isn’t just about your time management skills.
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Read up on these facts if you want to improve your workflow. (The Huffington Post)
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If you say “yes” too often or practice any other time-sucking habits, it probably makes sense that you’d be inclined to procrastinate every now and then. (Medium)
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The best way to trick yourself into getting things done and on time? Set realistic goals. (Sid Savara)
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Also, make sure you’re rewarding yourself after a long day of work—otherwise you might not feel so encouraged to do it all next time. (Fast Company)
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Need some more strategies to find what works best? Here are three smart ways to stop procrastinating, once and for all. (The Daily Muse.)