Blog

Tips for Beating Procrastination

Cutting the grass, ironing clothes, writing a ten page English paper, starting a home improvement project, replying to emails…these are actions that require energy, strategy and drive. We have all procrastinated a time or two, but the goal of being productive is to steer clear from cycles of serial-procrastination.

Procrastination is an avoidance behavior. It also stems from stress, negative emotion, lack of motivation, uncertainty and anxiety. The activities we do while procrastinating (like eating, watching TV, reading a magazine, checking Facebook) have short-term satisfaction. For effort-worthy tasks, like that challenging ten page paper, the reward is unappealing and has long-term gratification; I won’t receive my graded paper back for at least a week after it’s handed in.

The first tip to stop procrastination is to set up a Reward System. Giving myself a reward will terminate the pattern of delaying activities because I am now prompted with an incentive. There is no need to create a fancy chart, just say a promise to yourself including details and plans surrounding the task, “If I complete my work assignments in the next 3 hours, I will allow myself to take a longer lunch to eat and get a manicure!”

The second tip is to write out hard deadlines. Nobody wants to be the person that’s always late, unreliable, full of excuses and forgetting promises. Keep a daily or weekly planner in a purse or at your desk.

The third tip is to buddy-up and rely on others for support. If you’ve been dodging the daunting task of cleaning out a messy garage, invite a friend over to assist!

The fourth tip is to vocalize duties, missions and endeavors aloud to others. This will force accountability to finish and complete projects. My last tip is to tackle the hardest project on the to-do list first. You’ll feel accomplished and it makes those other to-do list tasks seem so simple, painless and undemanding.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kim Clark, CEO and Founder of Vanchic, is a professional organizer and Youtube guru! Kim is represented by Big Frame Network and has worked with companies like Disney, PolishedTV and Born Organized Magazine. Kim spends her days filming advice videos specializing in how to make a home look expensive and fashion-forward decluttering. Kim graduated from The Catholic University of America and she loves the performing arts, traveling, upcycling, antiquing and real estate. To see more of Kim check out: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.