As the pandemic rolls on and most of us are still stuck in quarantine, it can get difficult to finish all the tasks we’re meant to do. Quarantine has indefinitely blurred the lines between work, play, and personal time and we find that a lot of us can’t keep up with all the obligations we’ve got to deal with in everyday life.
Luckily, you’re not alone. Help get rid of procrastination tendencies by understanding that procrastination is not necessarily laziness — it’s anxiety.
Some procrastinators are really just perfectionists who would rather not do the daunting task for fear of not doing it perfectly. As a result, the list of to-dos piles on as we tell ourselves that we can just do it tomorrow, or the next day, or the next.
Or, if we actually do finish the task, we then become content with our half-hearted attempts. “At least I did it,” you say to yourself. It feels good to know that you didn’t do your best not because of you, but because of the lack of time.
While procrastination may feel good in the moment, it actually hurts us a lot. It wastes our precious time; instead of finishing something that will further our day and work progress, we choose to do something else that is less fulfilling and more distracting.
To avoid this, there are a couple of things you can do.
You can try to play music to accompany your tasks.
Put on your favorite song or some smooth background music. This will help the task seem mundane and may even make it seem like you’re working through it faster. By the time the track has ended, your task is done!
Additionally, try to work off rewards.
We all know the Pomodoro technique wherein you perform your tasks within a certain amount of time and take a timed break afterwards. You may also reward yourself with your favorite snack or activity after you’ve completed your work. Either way, give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back for doing the thing!
Lastly, the best advice is to just start.
The task is often simpler than it seems. And while we have a million excuses why we can’t just do it now, the reality is that we can. The rest of our day will be more productive if we just start.
As they say, it’s not going to do itself.
So sit down and do that thing you’ve been putting off. You are strong, you are capable, and you can do it!
