Conquering Procrastination: My Strategies for Productive Action
In reflecting on the past year, I feel like it was not as productive as it could have been. Whilst this was disappointing, there were some valuable lessons in how I can conquer procrastination and use my time more productively.
Here are some of my strategies for productive action.
Setting goals: Set clear goals. It’s hard to be productive with no clear direction. On some days, I felt that I struggled with motivation and procrastinated. The challenge wasn’t really that I lacked motivation, but it was that I lacked clear goals and direction. Without clear directions, I didn’t know what to spend my time on and didn’t use my time effectively. I find it helpful to set my intentions for the day by writing a to-do list. It gives me clarity on what I need to do so that I spend my time doing these things rather than wondering what to do.
Accountability and support: It can be helpful to have someone hold you accountable and keep you on track. For example, finding a gym buddy to exercise with. You’re more likely to go to the gym if you know that your friend is going to be there with you and don’t want to let them down. It also helps to have someone supporting you and cheering you on.
I believe in the power of coaching and I have my own coach. This external accountability helps me with progressing with my goals and moving past procrastination.
If you want my support to help keep you accountable on the journey toward your goals, check out my coaching packages here.
Timelines and schedules: I’ve found it helpful to set timelines for myself. I love having a date to work toward and I find it much harder to feel motivated if there is no clear timeline. I also like scheduling time in my calendar to get things done. If I have scheduled time dedicated to an activity, I’m more likely to do that activity and less likely to let something else occupy that time.
Small steps: Audacious goals are great and I believe in dreaming big. However, it can be overwhelming and daunting to think about how we are going to achieve these big goals, which may lead us to procrastinate. Start with small steps. You don’t need to figure out all the steps to your dreams right now. Identify the next small step that you can take toward your goals. Take one step at a time. Small steps over time over time lead to big changes.
These strategies have helped me with conquering procrastination and I hope that they will help you too. If you’re happy to share your experiences and strategies for conquering procrastination, I’d love to hear about them! Send me a message here.
