5 Ways to Stop Procrastinating

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When I was a student I was the world’s worst about waiting until the last minute to do assignments. I would put off writing English papers until the night before they were due. Not only was I making things harder for myself, but I also wasn’t showing anyone my full potential. I would do just enough to pass and that’s how I went through high school and college. So here’s how I went from being an extreme procrastinator to being very productive.

1. Make a To-Do List

If my procrastination had a kryptonite, it would be a to-do list. Every morning I wake up and fix myself a cup of coffee. After I get my drink, I sit down and make a to-do list for the day. I write down everything that I need or want to do that day. Then I prioritize my list based on importance. After I’ve prioritize my list, I work on one thing at a time and I don’t move on to the next thing until the previous is completed. The reason I make the list is because it gives me structure which is something procrastinators don’t have. The list is also a good reminder throughout the day of what you have done and what still needs to be done.

As soon as I started doing this, I instantly became way more productive. I would simply go down my list one at a time and before I knew it; I was done with my list. I actually found myself having extra time after I completed my list, adding more things to it, and getting more accomplished!

2. Set Deadlines

If you don’t have deadlines, it’s really easy to put things off. The best way to prioritize your to-do list is to sort them based on the dates they’re due.

Example: I have two projects that I need to get done this week. One is due Wednesday and the other is Friday. So of course I’m going to work on the one that’s due Wednesday first.

To keep it simple, deadlines are the best way to hold yourself accountable.

3. Change Your Environment

You need to surround yourself with people who influence you in the right way. For example: If I want to make music then I need to be around other people who do that and will influence me to keep doing it and get better.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

This quote is so true for procrastinators. If you’re wanting to save your money but your friends want you to go out and spend money, it’s going to be extremely difficult to save your money right? Now I’m not saying that you can’t be friends with these people, but please understand that if you’re putting things that you need to do off and someone else is enabling you to do that, then they’re part of the problem. They may be your friend, but their influence on you is not helping you get to where you want to be. If anything at least start being conscious of this effect that certain people have on you and try to address it accordingly.

4. Eliminate Distractions

Okay, so let’s say you made your to-do list and you’re about to start. Before you begin, eliminate all distractions.

Example: When I’m writing this blog post, I’m not looking at facebook, youtube, email, or my phone.

I’m completely focused on doing this and getting it done. The best way I can explain how I do this is that I turn the to-do list into a game. It’s no longer a chore that I’m dreading, it’s a fun game that I want to beat. In order to win the game, you need to have a check beside everything on your list. The fastest way to win the game is to go down the list one at a time and have no distractions.

5. Complete Your List First

Stop putting things off and do it as early as possible. Before I would wait until the very last minute and be stressing out about it. Now as soon I wake up, I’m making my to-do list and I’m getting it over with. After I’m done then I have the rest of the day to do whatever the hell I want. Don’t even give yourself time to do something else. Complete your list first and you will no longer have to stress about doing anything ever again at the last minute. You’ll even start to feel better about yourself because of it.