Overcoming Procrastination

As a coach, I frequently encounter procrastination, which is a common behavior pattern that many of my clients want to overcome. I too face this problem, but therapy and career coaching have helped me recognize the root causes of my procrastination. However, there was a day when I fell back into a self-sabotaging procrastination loop. That day, I decided to ask people from several Facebook communities for their advice on how to deal with procrastination. The best advice I received was to ask myself, "What am I running away from?" Procrastination does not occur because of laziness or lack of motivation; it happens because of anxiety, boredom, or overwhelm. Identifying the cause and acknowledging it is the first step to solving the problem, followed by incorporating various strategies to stay on track. The following tips helped me, and I hope they will help you too.

The Importance of a Good Diet and Nutrition

Some people, including myself, noticed that fatigue can lead to procrastination. Even after getting a good night's sleep, if you're not getting the right nutrients in your diet, you may feel fatigued. After taking supplements recommended by my dietician and physician to help with severe premenstrual symptoms, I noticed that I felt more focused and had better energy to get things done. A good diet is essential for your body to feel good and for your mind to stay sharp. If you struggle with low energy, fatigue, and lack of focus, consult with your practitioner to find out if you should change your diet and/or take some dietary supplements. Another important factor in your diet can be alcohol consumption. Sometimes, an active social life leads to drinking almost every day. Normalizing daily drinking can cause fatigue, low energy, and poor focus. This year, I decided to have a dry November, and after just one week, I noticed a significant difference in my energy levels. I was able to work more, with better focus and results, and I procrastinated less. I realized how much an innocent glass of drink can take from me.

Social Media Usage and Morning Routines

For me, 8:30 am is the time to get out of bed and start the day. I usually wake up around 6 am and reach for my phone to check the time and notifications. However, this often results in spending at least 30 minutes on social media, getting wired, and being unable to go back to sleep. I have now turned off notifications until 8 am and give myself 30 minutes between 8 and 8:30 am to scroll through social media and catch up on messages before starting my day. If you spend a lot of time on social media, pay attention to the feelings that arise while you are scrolling. Once you have an awareness of these feelings, try to find other activities that tap into them and are more productive and gratifying. For example, if you feel entertained by social media, make a new playlist and listen to it while doing some small house chores. It was suggested to me that the reason we reach for our phones first thing in the morning is the need to feel a connection, which can lead to addiction. If you find yourself in this loop, consider journaling or finding a newsletter related to your work or passion. You can journal by dumping all your morning thoughts onto paper or writing down your dreams. Remind yourself to pay attention to and remember your dreams in the morning. Writing them down as soon as you wake up can be helpful. Keeping a notebook and pen near your bed can help you avoid reaching for your phone. Journaling in the morning can provide a meaningful and honest connection within yourself that is more fulfilling than any online activity. Alternatively, spend your early mornings reading a newsletter instead of scrolling through social media. 

Importance of Habit and Discipline

Do you ever find yourself hating routine and habit so much that your body rejects showing up to work at the same time every day? However, when you do what you love and fully commit to it, habits become your friend, and with habits comes discipline. I used to hate it until I felt the magical effects myself. Suddenly, tasks became easier to start and less stressful to finish. Scheduling is the best method to build habits and discipline. Schedule everything you do throughout the day, starting from the moment you get out of bed, work hours, breaks, resting, meals, hobbies, socializing, etc. If it feels overwhelming, keep in mind that this is your schedule, and you can give yourself the flexibility that you need. Experiment with what works and what doesn't on a weekly basis, and revise it accordingly.

For example, instead of scheduling my alarm to wake me up, I schedule it to signal me to get out of bed at 8.30 am to leave room for some controlled procrastination. I noticed a while ago that I didn't like getting out of bed as soon as I opened my eyes and decided that instead of fighting it, I should work my schedule around it. This is self-care. To have an effective schedule, make sure you set time-sensitive goals that are attainable and challenging. Also, break down your goals into smaller tasks that you can spread out in your weekly schedule, ticking them off your to-do list. Maximize your time based on what you want to accomplish, and prioritize your tasks, but also try ticking off the tasks you are less likely to enjoy first. Experiment with it to determine what works best for you.

Having a daily/weekly checklist can also set off the reward centers in our brains, which will motivate us to perform consistently. You can use apps like Toddl to alert you every half an hour or so to measure how long you spend on a task and flag when it's time for a 5-minute break. The idea is to commit fully to one task for a set amount of time to help you get things done while giving you the break you need to avoid burnout.

Another thing to experiment with is pulling your deadlines closer. For example, if your deadline is the 10th of the month, mark it as being the 7th of the month and see if you deal better with tighter deadlines. Personally, I deal much better with tighter deadlines. It is probably a habit I picked up during university when I would leave every project until the last minute. I feel my brain got used to performing under pressure and has a hard time performing with major deadlines.

I hope these suggestions around diet, the use of social media in morning routines, and effective scheduling will help you better perform in whatever you wish to do. I would also like to add a couple more things to conclude. First, when feeling overwhelmed or in doubt, always remember to take a break and even a breath, but never give up. Give yourself the space for a break and comfort yourself that you will dive back into whatever you were doing once you feel inspired and motivated. Giving up is way worse than taking breaks, so be gentle with yourself and remember it is okay to stop and breathe for a moment.

Finally, I received a very good recommendation about listening to motivational speeches. I tried it to see how my own motivation in getting myself going worked around it. It worked, and I got more things done than without it. So, find some speakers that inspire you and get into it. In fact, one of the speakers gave me the idea of recording myself sharing something motivational to my future self and playing it when I feel in doubt. Hearing my own voice being so pumped and high on life reminded me of my commitment to my own path.

Youtube link to time management techniques: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plbUadYwnF0&t=9s