I will start tomorrow. This is my favourite phrase when I am about to procrastinate on a certain task. Let me tell you, that tomorrow usually turns into weeks or the last minute. I started having a procrastination issue when I was in university because I would have a lot on my plate and struggle to manage my time and tasks. This would lead to postponing certain tasks and focusing on them closer to the deadline.

In simple terms procrastinating is avoiding doing tasks until we reach the deadline, at which point we must do everything at once. There are some people who enjoy procrastinating because they like working under pressure. For others, it is an actual problem that they are trying to solve. You may procrastinate because you think you have enough time, or you may not be interested in completing the task. I know some of my colleagues, including myself, do not like admin and will put that off.

There are ways of dealing with procrastination and the following are some techniques that I would suggest trying:

“Rome was not built in a day”
You can consider breaking down your task into smaller more achievable activities. For example, if you are studying for a test, you can break down chapters over a few days and do the same with the questions. This way you do not need to clear a task at once. This will be of benefit if you especially tend to find yourself overwhelmed by bigger assignments.

Planning
Good old planning, cliché, but it works. Planning your day can help you complete more tasks because each part of your day will be set up. You can use your google calendar to schedule tasks throughout the day. This will also help you prioritize because you might schedule more time for the harder tasks. The worst thing you can do if you are trying to solve your procrastination problem is not knowing what you will be doing throughout the day.

Define your goal
What do goals have to do with procrastination? Ever noticed how you usually will fight harder if there is something you really want? Defining your goals will give you your “why”, and you will have a reason to complete your task. Motivation can be the difference between taking your time and not wanting to fail.

Practice makes perfect
Lastly, I would say learning new habits take time. You want to practice techniques every day to in a way, re-program your brain. Procrastination would have become a habit over time, the same would need to be applied to the reverse.

For the person who is still in school, where you have a lot of assignments and tests the above will definitely come in handy. Remember to take it a day at a time.