PROCRASTINATION (n.)- the act of delaying or postponing something. This is something we are all capable of doing, Procrastinating! How many times do we put off what we can do today, for tomorrow? We do it with everything in life. Something simple as making a phone call. We say “oh we can call this person tomorrow”. Imagine how much we could get accomplished if we didn’t procrastinate. We could be so much further if we just got shit (excuse my language) done at first instead of waiting until we “feel” ready. I have done a lot of research when it comes to procrastination because it intrigues me that as creatives we tend to procrastinate on so many things. We can envision what we want for our future self and the goals we want to accomplish but it takes a while to make that first step towards to getting it done. Researchers have found that when you think about your Future Self, it is quite easy for your brain to see the value in taking actions with long-term benefits. The Future Self values long-term rewards. However, while the Future Self can set goals, only the Present Self can take action. When its time to make a decision and gets things done for future self, present self would rather do everything but what you should be doing. Such a crazy realization. We want all these things but our present self-wants to live in the moment and not think of future results. Long-term results. We want results now but we don’t realize it takes time to see results with any venture you indulge in. NO matter what it is. You want to lose weight it takes about 2 months (give or take) to see results, you want to get better at drawings, acting, writing, singing basically anything takes time to see real results. So, if we are very aware of this why don’t we dive head into what want to do? Work at it every day? Why does procrastination seem to win every time? Now, I know a lot of people don’t procrastinate. Actually, EVERYONE procrastinates, just some more than others. So how can we as creatives kill procrastination before it kills our ideas? I came up with some simple steps below to help you overcome procrastination. Now, I am not saying these steps will just automatically help you not ever procrastinate again but it can help you get started on that idea, business venture project, or whatever it is that you are procrastinating on getting done.
5 tips to help procrastination
1. DISCONNECT; If you are anything like me, procrastination comes with being on social media, texting, and anything that keeps your mind occupied with anything else but what you should be doing. Try turning off your phone for an hour or two. ( you can do it, I know it may be hard for some of you, but like NIKE “Just do it”) Turn off the phone and get it done.
2. TO-DO LIST and REWARDS; I know this is easier said than done. But I am all about making a to-do list and daily goal list. Make a to-do list and rank them from most important to less important. Once you are finished and have marked everything off your list, reward yourself with a drink, snack, food, night out, whatever floats your boat! I will always preach about the importance of to do lists. They are very essential!
3. Get an accountability partner; If you have someone cheering you on and holding you accountable it helps 100%. Someone who will get with you when you are slacking. We all have that one friend who tells it like it is. That’s the friend who you need to appoint your as accountability partner because when it comes down to it they will always be truthful with you. Get you in check when that procrastination kicks in.
4. Work in a productive environment; Sometimes we need to get out the house and go to a local Starbucks or coffee bean to get the creative juices flowing. Not saying you can’t do that at home, but sometimes a change of environment helps you get things down. When at home it’s easy to get sidetracked with tv and anything else in the environment that can take our mind off whats important. When going to another environment you are forced to really get whatever it is done. So go to your local Starbucks, get a coffee and spend about 2 hours there getting things done.
5. HAVE FUN and THINK ABOUT THE OUTCOME!; Always have fun no matter what. If you’re not having fun getting shit done it makes it harder to get it done. So find some fun in the process. Listen to music ( my ultimate fav) or listen to your favorite podcast. When you are in the process of working on your craft, homework or whatever it is always THINK ABOUT THE OUTCOME. Think about that end feeling of accomplishment you will get when the task is done. The results! Its always hard to get started but when you start, the finish is that much sweeter. 🙂
PROCRASTINATION tends to kill many artists, creatives, college students, everyone no matter who you are. But if we don’t kill procrastination it will kill us. ( not really but I hope you get my figure of speech) Don’t let that dream or goal go to waste because you were too lazy to get started. Because to be quite honest, Procrastination is just laziness but we give it this fancy word to make us feel better.
