Top 10 Habits That Prevent Procrastination

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Procrastination can feel like the bane of your existence. Even if you desperately want to get tasks accomplished in a timely fashion, the temptation to push those responsibilities aside in favor of something more enjoyable can feel impossible to conquer.

If you struggle with procrastination, consider these top ten habits you can adopt to help prevent it.

Habit 1: Select one or two key tasks to finish for the day and make them your main focus.

Rather than feeling entirely overwhelmed by a huge list of to-do tasks, choose one or two that are most pressing or important and tackle them first. This habit of narrowing your focus can make it much easier to actually get the work done rather than feeling like you need to run from it.

Habit 2: Practice focusing on one task at a time.

Trying to multitask is actually impossible! Your brain cannot focus on more than one task at a time…at least, not successfully. Get into the habit of choosing one task to focus on at a time. Once that task is finished, move on to the next one. Taking away the pressure to rush and multitask makes it less likely that you’re going to try avoiding work by procrastinating.

Habit 3: Actually schedule break times throughout your day and honor them.

Get into the habit of scheduling breaks and actually taking them. Giving yourself some rest time makes it far less likely that you’ll procrastinate because you won’t feel totally exhausted. In fact, stopping for multiple breaks will likely lead to you getting more work accomplished than trying to force yourself through a work day without rest.

Habit 4: Get your toughest to-do tasks finished before lunchtime each day.

Identify your hardest tasks and tackle them early in the day – ideally sometime in the morning. This habit ensures that you’ll accomplish two main goals:

1. You’ll get the really challenging task done and over with early, and
2. You’ll be rewarded with a sense of accomplishment that will help you continue working through the remainder of the day.

Habit 5: Adopt the “three minutes or less” rule.

When you find yourself faced with a quick and easy-to-complete task that will take you less than three minutes to finish, challenge yourself to go ahead and do it. Getting into this habit will stop tasks from piling on top of each other, creating an impossibly long to-do list over time. Procrastinating too many tasks in close succession can lead to feeling overwhelmed very quickly, but taking care of these smaller tasks as they arise can help you feel more in control.

Habit 6: Hold yourself accountable for your responsibilities.

Get into the habit of holding yourself accountable when you have a responsibility to oversee. For example, vocalize what you need to get done to your friends or coworkers – when other people know you have important work to do, they’ll know to keep an eye on you to see your results. This makes it far more likely that you’ll get the task done instead of procrastinating it.

Habit 7: Seek support from other folks when you’re working on a particularly big or important task.

You don’t have to do all the hard work alone. Rather than procrastinating a task you’re really dreading, seek support from people who can help you. They may be able to offer you help, advice, or skills to help you face the task head-on rather than giving in to the urge to procrastinate.

Habit 8: Set a personal deadline for yourself that is earlier than the actual deadline.

Get into the habit of setting deadlines that are slightly sooner than the actual deadline you’re working toward. For example, if you have a project due on Friday, set a personal deadline to finish it Thursday. This ensures that you aren’t working up to the very last minute by rushing yourself and doing a potentially sloppy job. It also gives you a chance to review your work and make edits if necessary.

Habit 9: Always seek the next actionable step.

Get into the habit of asking “what’s next” to find the next actionable step you can take. This helps you maintain productive momentum. Sometimes, after finishing one task, you may feel compelled to procrastinate moving on to something else. Seeking the next actionable step keeps you moving forward instead.

Habit 10: Actively remove distractions from your work space.

Get into the habit of making your work spaces non-conducive to procrastination when you’re trying to focus. For example, if your home office has a television set in it, consider moving it to a different room in the house…especially if the temptation to watch your favorite show is too powerful to resist when you have important work to finish.

Stop Waiting. Start Doing.