4 Hacks to Stop Procrastinating Right Now
I am a procrastinator, I have come a thousand miles from where I started, but I still struggle sometimes. When my resistance to a task creeps up on me, I use one (or more) of these tools to combat procrastination and get started. I think, and hope, you can use some of the hacks for yourself.
#1: Make it a competition.
Set an alarm for 5–25 min. depending on the nature of the task and your level of resistance to doing it. If it´s tidying up the house, I set it for 15–20 min. If it is writing, I set it for 10 min. Play around with the timing for different tasks and see what works for you. Challenge yourself and see how much you can get done in X minutes. I promise you will be amazed at just how much is possible in such a short timeframe.
#2: Do 1 tiny thing.
If 5 minutes is too overwhelming, just do one tiny thing. You can write one line, open up a spreadsheet, do a 2-minute brainstorm, or pick up 2 pieces of trash. This might not look like much, but it helps you get started. Often it leads to continuing the task or makes setting a 5–25 min. alarm less daunting. If it’s still difficult, repeat the process and do one more tiny thing.
#3: Change the task.
We procrastinate because there’s something in the task that we want to avoid, like boredom, fear, and doubt. By changing the task, you eliminate or minimize what you want to avoid. I have a strong dislike for bookkeeping. It’s mind-numbingly boring, I don’t feel confident in my ability and I fear making a costly mistake. It’s ALWAYS challenging for me to get started on bookkeeping.
When I’ve been procrastinating for too long, I make it into a game. I write small tasks on Post-its and put them in a pile. One post-it might say “Register 3 invoices”, “Find 3 invoices from bank statement” or “Log in to the bank and print out the bank statement”. Every time I finish one of the small tasks, I make a tiny ball of the Post-it note, use my God-given (and awful) basketball skills, and toss it in the bin. It sounds silly, but it is soooo satisfying. I remove a good portion of the boredom (make it a game) and minimize the fear by making it less serious. There are many ways to change a task, use your imagination and come up with something you will find fun and/or entertaining.
#4: Start body doubling.
Few things are more effective than making a commitment with another person when it comes to getting started on a dreaded task. By design, we want to fulfill our obligations to other people. I have recently started using Focus Mate and has seriously helped me. Just yesterday I signed up for 2×25 min. sessions to do bookkeeping. I did NOT feel like doing it, but I did it anyway because I was committed to a stranger on the internet. Turns out it wasn’t as bad doing the task as I imagined.
There are other ways to body double. Enlist friends, fellow solo entrepreneurs, your partner, etc. For me, Focus Mate works best as I can schedule a session any time I want to. There’s always someone ready in some part of the world to be my wing(wo)man. Focus Mate offers 3 sessions a week for free, if you want more you must pay a fee. As of September 2023, the fee is $9.95 and gives you unlimited sessions.
I am not affiliated with Focus Mate, just a fan
Procrastination is a real challenge. It takes time, effort, knowledge, and willpower to overcome. Fixing it doesn’t happen instantly — it’s a process. Becoming productive is not a linear journey. You take two steps forward, and one back. Finding hacks that work for you will help you move forward and will help you get that thing done in the here and now.
The last step to stop procrastinating and get going on that thing is to stop scrolling and stop looking for the next blog post to fix your problems. Close the tabs of distraction, choose one of the above hacks RIGHT NOW, and get started.
I believe in you, now start believing in yourself!
Originally published at https://mariaskaarup.com on September 7, 2023.
