We have all been there: You have a pile of work to do on your desk, the phone is ringing off the hook, you have a mental list of 293020 things that you have to get done by the end of the day, but instead you choose to watch a video of a dog trying to figure out what a strawberry is.
It’s not that you aren’t capable of getting the work done, you would just prefer to watch an endless amount of animal videos because they are just so precious and they make you feel all warm inside. It’s not that you can’t focus on the tasks you want to accomplish, you just don’t feel like doing them right this second. And it’s also not that you don’t have the time to get stuff done, you would just prefer your time well spent on something other than actual work.
Since you are already procrastinating your workload, here are some easy tips to help you from letting your procrastination take over your life:
- Give yourself manageable goals/deadlines. You have to give yourself a normal time frame to get your work finished in. I will finish this project by the end of the day and then work on the next one tomorrow. By keeping your goals manageable, you will be able to accomplish them at a better rate.
- Give yourself a reward after the goal is achieved. By rewarding yourself, you are not limited or drowning yourself in work. I will allow myself five minutes to check on my favorite giraffe and the status of her pregnancy, but only five minutes. If need be, set a stop clock for it. This way, you have more to look forward to after you attain your goal.
- Don’t punish yourself. It is okay if you aren’t able to attain your goal, especially in the beginning. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you aren’t able to make it happen. Work harder towards accomplishing the next goal and learn from your mistake.
- Voice your goals. As soon as you voice your goals to someone, you are going to be held accountable for them. They will also be your voice of reason if they see you slipping away from your workload. We tend to be more motivated when someone else is depending on us, so make sure you voice your concern to someone dependable that will help you to keep on track.
- Stop overthinking it. Most of the time we are the ones holding ourselves back from getting things done. If you don’t understand something, ask for help. If you are feeling frustrated with it, voice your concern. If you feel like you can’t focus, take a moment to regain yourself and get back to it. The quicker that you dive into the work, the better you will feel about getting it done.
With the way our world is today, I know that it can be hard to remain focused on a task. From animal videos to social media, everything is out there to entertain and prevent us from getting any work done. Remember that you are the only one that is holding yourself back from getting the job done. After the work is done, you can reward yourself with parrots freaking out over their own reflections, but until then, stop procrastinating and get some work done!
Featured image via Mark Pan4ratte on Unsplash
