I am a big-time procrastinator. Most of the time, I fight with myself to get out of procrastination.
There could be many reasons for procrastination. But always remember that we have to pay big for procrastinating. Be it writing a blog, working out, reading, etc.
I have been trying different ways to beat procrastination and get to work.
In this blog, I will talk about few strategies that actually worked for me.
Pick an Alternative Easy Task
Sometimes we start with a complex blog post, and once you start your research on the topic, you might get overwhelmed with a lot of information. Also, the task might take more time than you planned. This leads to procrastination.
You think too much, and you end up doing nothing, pushing all the work to some other time.
So here is what I do when I get into such a situation.
To get a feeling of small achievement, I pick an easy blog topic and start writing about it. Some topics that I can finish within 2 hrs. In my case, it’s mostly a small tech tutorial.
After publishing the small tutorial, I sit and plan the complex task from where I left.
End of the day, I get this good feeling of publishing a post, and at the same time, I planned for the big task. This way, I can start with the planned task the next morning.
Practice Productive Procrastination
This subheading is from a book I read. “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon. It a great book.
It is essential to have two to three projects at a time. When you are bored working on one project, you can pick up another that interests you.
Even before reading the book, I used to do this. I would always have more than one blog post to write in different domains (Tech & Nontech). This was I can switch to a different tech domain when I am really bored.
Don’t Try to be a Perfectionist
Oftentimes, we try to create a perfect blog post and end up procrastinating.
I tried to be perfect many times and as a result, I have 41 posts in the draft which are half completed. So you know what I am talking about.
When trying to be perfect, you might stumble upon someone else’s perfect content and start comparing it with yours. This mostly ends up wasting time and pushing the task to another day or abandoning that task completely.
To deal with this issue, this is what I did.
With whatever information I have, I will just publish the blog. But I will not share it anywhere. Whenever I get more information on that topic, I would just update the content. The moment I feel good about the blog, I will start sharing it on social media.
Try the Pomodoro Technique
Wikipedia says,
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, from the Italian word for ‘tomato’, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student.
I use a website called pomofocus.io whenever I want to focus on my tasks. The moment I feel like I am procrastinating, I start breaking down the time to achieve small goals.
Eat Healthy & Stay Hydrated
Eating plays a big role in how you feel.
I used to overeat and most of the time my body couldn’t do what my mind wanted to do.
If you don’t feel energetic and motivated, you will procrastinate.
Lately, I started good eating habits and it helps me stay energetic and motivated.
Also, keep yourself hydrated.
Listen to Good Music
This does not apply to everyone. Some people like absolution silence.
But, I like listening to music when I work.
When I am writing, I pick a “coding music” playlist from youtube, and it keeps me pumped, and I will have full focus on my task.
Think About What You Will Loose in Future
Most of the time, we procrastinate and put away the blog publishing for days for the simple guilty pleasures.
Just think about the things you might lose in the future if you are not consistent with your publishing. You could lose followers, traffic, ad-revenue, etc.
Just want to conclude by saying one thing.
❝ Time Waits For No One❞
