9 easy ways to stop procrastinating

“Was there something you were supposed to do today that you could have done, but you didn’t?” Maybe you’re even reading this as a sneaky way to avoid doing what you know you should be doing. If that makes you feel seen, then life coach Maisie Hill’s advice on the best ways to stop procrastinating – which she says often goes hand in hand with perfectionism – is for you. From “temptation bundling,” where you combine a task you dread with a task you love, to “dopamine stacking” to create small wins that motivate you along the way, she has a ton of advice clever to inspire you to get unstuck, so you can stop getting in your own way and finally create a life you love.

What is the root cause of procrastination?

You might think you know what procrastination is, but according to Maisie, we’re completely wrong. As she explains in her new book Powerful: Be the expert of your own life, There is a harmful misconception that we do it out of simple laziness or lack of organization. But in reality, even the most successful and organized people do it – and it’s a completely normal human reaction to stress. As she says, “Procrastination is not a sign of personal failure or a unique flaw that only you possess. It is a universal human experience…It is not a ‘you’ problem, it It’s a “we” problem.

Instead, she explains that when we deliberately delay and postpone tasks—for example, leaving them until the last minute or missing deadlines—even when we know there will be negative consequences, it has its roots in something much simpler: the inability to manage our thoughts, emotions, and actions. In other words, when we are faced with doing something we don’t want to do, which may be difficult, boring, or pointless, it triggers uncomfortable feelings—like fear—that we then try to avoid. feeling by not doing the thing. As she says: “These tasks don’t really inspire enthusiasm. Instead, they trigger the desire to avoid the discomfort they bring, leading us to procrastinate. »

Yet, of course, when we delay in this way, the problem does not go away: in fact, it often gets worse, because of the consequences of delaying – and we then tend to beat ourselves up for not doing it, which which Maisie says is even more harmful because it “fuels the fire of negative self-talk and the cycle of blame and shame.” In other words, procrastination comes at a high cost. “By borrowing against your future time and energy, interest accumulates in the form of stress, guilt and negative self-perception.”

How to break the perfectionist-procrastination loop

According to Maisie, if you’re procrastinating, you may also be a perfectionist – someone who constantly strives to be perfect, while being hyper-critical of themselves and others. A typical perfectionist may have unreasonably high expectations of themselves, refuse to celebrate their victories, spend too much time on tasks, and generally overwork themselves. Looks familiar? Apparently 30 percent of us have this trait (which is associated with high levels of anxiety, stress and depression) – but women are particularly prone to it.

We do this in a misguided attempt to keep ourselves safe: our brains think that if we can “do everything ‘right'” everything will be fine, but that’s far from the reality. “This mindset often leads to procrastination, because the fear of not being perfect can be paralyzing,” she explains. But the good news is that by understanding this connection to perfectionism, we can discover the solution to overcoming procrastination – and, as she puts it, begin to “counteract it with a much kinder and helpful narrative.”

What’s the best way to stop procrastinating?

Once we stop beating ourselves up about procrastination and understand that it’s simply the result of not really knowing how to manage our thoughts, feelings, and actions, we can begin to learn the tools that will help us change our behavior.

The key, Maisie explains, lies specifically in developing our “executive functioning” skills—such as decision-making, impulse control, and the ability to switch between tasks—that help us regulate these emotions and behaviors. As she puts it: “We know what we should do, but we have a hard time making ourselves do it.” This disconnect between knowing and doing can be linked to poor executive functioning skills. But the best part is that these skills aren’t fixed: anyone can learn and improve them—for example, by practicing planning and problem-solving.

It is with this foundation that Maisie – who also runs a life coaching charity called Powerful and weekly podcast The Maisie Hill Experience – has developed a whole series of clever anti-procrastination techniques, as described in his new book. (And you can read more about why she’s the trainer I recommend to all my friends). But in the meantime, here is an overview of its best strategies: so you will have no excuse not to close this article and get started on the pesky task that you are delaying today…

1. Stop blaming yourself

“Procrastination is not problematic in itself, it is a natural human behavior. Of course, this has negative consequences. However, your response and thoughts about the act of procrastinating create more problems than if you simply accepted it and moved on, so try changing your perspective: accept that it is something that all humans do do and approach it with self-compassion and curiosity rather than judgment.

2. Become the observer

“When you realize you’re procrastinating, ask yourself why. The trick is to determine why. Become the observer – a technique that involves simply noticing your thoughts, emotions, reactions, responses and behaviors. This creates a certain distance from your experience and with that comes perspective. It’s about noticing yourself and giving yourself options.

3. Embrace the sucking

” Embrace discomfort in the short term. Uncomfortable feelings only get worse the more we delay the task. Instead of running away, face them head on and take action anyway. Intentionally decide to lean into the fear, l Commit to feeling it, knowing that by doing this you will reduce the length of time you will feel these feelings.

4. Reason with yourself

“I won’t try to convince you that you have to love every task, but it’s worth asking yourself if you actually want to do something and, whether you do it or not, why? This will provide some motivation to continue or find out what the delay is. Spend a minute writing down all the reasons why doing this now is the best idea. For example:

• Once I do it, it will be done

• It will not weigh on me

• I will feel proud »

5. Set (shorter) deadlines

“Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the available time. So, if you give yourself a week to complete a two-hour task, then (psychologically) the task will become more complex and more daunting. This suggests that by setting shorter deadlines, perceived complexity decreases, making it easier to get started. Conversely, if you give yourself more time, you are more likely to procrastinate because the task seems bigger than it really is. »

6. Small steps

“Overcoming procrastination is not about taking giant leaps, but about taking small, consistent steps forward. The hardest part is often getting started. It is then easier to create and maintain momentum. It’s easier to convince yourself to do something small than it is to do something big. We often find that it’s not as bad as we thought. And before we know it, we’re making progress. It can be as simple as writing the first sentence of an email. This shifts your focus from the outcome to the process. Instead of worrying about completing the task perfectly, you focus on the act of taking action, thereby reducing fear and anxiety.

7. Dopamine Stacking

“Procrastination occurs when we perceive a task to be overwhelming, boring, or lacking in immediate rewards. Our brains crave instant gratification, so we’re more likely to put it off until later. The neurotransmitter dopamine plays a crucial role in the reward and pleasure centers of the brain. When we complete a task, receive praise, or have small victories, the brain releases dopamine. This reinforces the behavior and motivates us to continue. Dopamine stacking is the practice of activities that are deliberately structured to allow for this accumulation of small rewards, successes, and enjoyable celebrations. For example, by breaking larger tasks into more manageable steps, we can create a sense of accomplishment throughout the process.

8. Grouping of temptations

“The idea is to link a task that you should do, but avoid, to a task that you enjoy doing. By grouping them together, you can make the least enjoyable task more appealing. For example, if you enjoy watching your favorite TV show, but want to exercise more, you can group these tasks together and only allow yourself to watch it when you’re working out at home. This way, you’re more likely to look forward to exercising because it’s associated with something you enjoy.

9. Up the ante

“It’s more productive with long-term goals. It works by advancing the consequences of not doing something on time. If a deadline seems far in the future, you may feel less urgency to act now. This is temporal discounting, where we value immediate rewards more than future rewards. As the deadline approaches, future consequences become more immediate and the urgency to act increases. Ways to up the ante include:

• Create artificial deadlines or milestones: Large tasks can seem overwhelming, so break them down into smaller, more manageable and immediate goals.
• Use accountability partners: Share deadlines with a friend or colleague. Knowing that someone else is aware of your commitments can give you an extra boost to get started.
• Use reward systems: This can be a powerful motivator to accomplish tasks. It can be a small treat, a break to do something you enjoy, or a bigger reward for a big project.

This is an extract from Maisie Hill’s new book, Powerful: Be the Expert of Your Own Life (Bloomsbury Green Tree, £12.97) Available to purchase now