Procrastination is a habit that we tend to indulge ourselves in, knowingly or unknowingly. According to Psychology Today, “procrastination is not a time management problem; rather, it’s likely due to difficulty managing negative feelings like boredom or anxiety.” The simple cure to overcoming procrastination is having a sense of motivation and drive. So, how do we identify a procrastinator? We need to keep in mind that procrastination is a learned behavior that can only be resolved with a disciplined routine and work ethic. Habitual procrastination can affect your job performance and create major obstacles for your career path. According to Indeed, “focusing your attention is key to maximizing your work performance and boosting your overall physical and mental health, which can result in increased job satisfaction and happiness.” This blog will help you incorporate tips and tricks to overcome procrastination in your day-to-day lifestyle.
Find Things to Look Forward To
We’ve all heard the phrase “be positive”. Sometimes, people procrastinate because they have nothing fun to look forward to. Having a sense of excitement and joy can help you be more productive than you’ve ever been. Examples of such fun plans include a weekend outing with friends or family, special meals, routines for watching movies or TV shows, daily self-care habits…etc. Such plans allow you to step up your game and allows you to feel like you’ve earned the time you have looked forward to all week. Finding things to look forward to will give you the chance to keep yourself motivated and driven to get ahead of your work schedule so you can enjoy your personal time.
Reward Progress and Productivity
We’re all aware that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Making progress requires initial baby steps leading up to the target at hand. According to Indeed, “the most important element in overcoming procrastination is working toward a reward.” We’ve all heard the phrase “treat yourself”. Employees, especially new hires, don’t always take this phrase seriously because they feel the need to overachieve. The stigma of “not doing enough”, especially when it comes to the workplace, has yet to be destroyed. This can be changed by celebrating the little things, such as completing the first task for the workday. Rewarding yourself can help you stay motivated and driven to keep at that pace and not procrastinate. Work is a never-ending struggle for many employees. However, rewarding progress can help employees stay motivated, and encourage them to step up their game for better future performance.
Find an Accountability Buddy
There are many advantages to making friends at work, one of them being that your friend could also be your “accountability buddy”. This buddy can help you check in on progress when it comes to your tasks for the week. According to Indeed, “This person might be your boss, a co-worker, a client or even a friend who can bring in an outsider’s perspective.” Having quick meetings to catch up on progress towards short-term and long-term goals will allow you and your buddy to keep track of your weekly responsibilities and deadlines so that you can meet them on time. This will help you to stick to your deadlines and keep yourself motivated to get your tasks done on time.
Set Deadlines for Yourself
According to Medium, setting deadlines helps you “schedule multiple things more wisely and set realistic targets.” One way to do this is to track your work tasks and schedule blocks of work time on your calendar. Building a task-focused calendar with a series of reminders will allow you to keep yourself motivated and to stay productive during the day. It’s almost as if your calendar is supporting your pace of work and progress at the workplace for you to stay focused and get your projects done. Attempting to create a routine for the busy parts of your day will allow you to better fill your time with focused time towards your tasks, which will help you focus on your work priorities accordingly.
Accept Imperfection
We’re all aware of the phrase “kill them with kindness”. This phrase also applies to you and your inner self. According to Forbes, “the more you can forgive yourself for past procrastination, the more likely you are to overcome your current procrastination and take action.” Employees tend to forget to be kind to themselves. Easier said than done, right? Accepting your imperfections is a major sign of maturity and personal growth. It is important to remember that there is always room for improvement at work. Acknowledging your imperfections will allow you to discover ways to be more productive and procrastinate less on your workload.
Stop Half-Focusing
Ever feel like you’re zoning out during a Zoom meeting? This could happen through multi-tasking or just simply feeling sleepy and lazy. This is what’s called half-focusing and it is the enemy of a working individual. It is imperative to give your full, undivided attention to any project or task you are focusing on. Multitasking can only get you so far. It’s very rare for someone to be successful at multitasking. By focusing on one task at a time, you will be able to get it done fast and out of the way at a more efficient pace.
Addressing the Issue of Procrastination at Work
Procrastination is a common obstacle that can affect any of us, both personally and professionally. The good news is PxidaEX is a powerful tool that can help workplaces understand their employees personally and figure out how they can be more productive at work. Sign up for a free trial today!