Okay, I’ve been meaning to make this post for a long time so here we are finally. Now before I get started let me address a few things:

Yes, I have actually been meaning to make this blog post about procrastination for a while

Yes, I’ve been putting it off (procrastinating)

Yes, I’m a procrastinator

So isn’t it hypocritical that I’m a procrastinator trying to give advice on how to stop procrastination? Well, yes but no. Let me explain. There is no doubt that I procrastinate… a lot. But that’s not to say that I don’t understand how procrastination works and that I’m not actively working to reduce the amount I procrastinate. Since researching and educating myself on techniques on how to reduce procrastination, I’ve been a heck of a lot more productive and getting a lot more done in a lot shorter time (which then gives me time to lounge about and… well… procrastinate).

Let me ask you a simple question. Should you be doing something else right now? Something more important like studying for exams, a school project or a presentation for work? I’m assuming since many of you have come here looking for ways to procrastinate less, the answer is yes. And the truth is so are many of us. Very few people have the natural drive to consistently work on something and most of the time, hard work ends up being the major factor in success. So, how can you maximise productivity if you’re a procrastinator?

Before I get into the tips in this post, I highly recommend that you read my 5 simple ways to study more effectively as many of the tips overlap and there are some great ones there

1. Change your mindset

Mindset is everything when it comes to procrastination. The most important thing you can do is to not guilt trip/ punish yourself for procrastinating. It just causes stress which means you’re even less likely to get started on the task at hand. And before you know it, you’re in a vicious cycle of never starting. If you dwell on that assignment that you planned on starting last week but still haven’t got around to it then you’re going to be wasting more of your energy on kicking yourself for not starting rather than spending that time and energy on actually starting.

A powerful mindset to have would be to think of every moment as a new beginning. Start every moment with the same positive and driven mindset of getting the task completed.