5 Tips To Stop Procrastinating

Procrastination is an easy way that all of us get stuck. And yet, we may not even realize we’re doing it. When we unknowingly act like an Avoider, we create reasons in our heads that supply us with enough logic that we can delay the task at hand—sometimes indefinitely. Recognizing these avoidance tactics is half the battle in stopping them. Here are five tips that will help you stop procrastinating.

1. Write it down

Make a smart to-do list by including only the items that you’re avoiding, not the ones you know you’ll do anyway. Then set deadlines.

2. Seek out someone who has already achieved the outcome

What is it you want to accomplish here, and who are the people who have accomplished this already? Go seek them out and connect with them. Seeing living proof that your goals are very well achievable if you take action is one of the best triggers for action.

3. Get a grip and just do it

At the end, it boils down to taking action. You can do all the strategizing, planning and hypothesizing, but if you don’t take action, nothing’s going to happen. Occasionally, I get readers and clients who keep complaining about their situations but they still refuse to take action at the end of the day.

4. Re-clarify your goals

If you have been procrastinating for an extended period of time, it might reflect a misalignment between what you want and what you are currently doing. Often times, we outgrow our goals as we discover more about ourselves, but we don’t change our goals to reflect that.

5. Hang out with people who inspire you to take action

I’m pretty sure if you spend just 10 minutes talking to Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, you’ll be more inspired to act than if you spent the 10 minutes doing nothing. The people we are with influence our behaviors.