1 simple trick to beat procrastination and get things done
The relief of turning "I'll do it later" into "Job done"
Procrastination is the worst.
It’s stressful, it’s frustrating—and worst of all, it feeds itself. We procrastinate, then beat ourselves up for it (What’s wrong with you? Why can’t you just DO it?), which only leads to more procrastination.
When I’m procrastinating about “doing a thing” - whatever that thing may be - the first thing I do is sit myself down and ask a simple question:
What is stopping you doing “the thing”?
Well, actually the first thing I do is wander around the house, wailing about how difficult my life is until my partner pays attention and gives me chocolate or a neck rub.
Procrastination is our mind’s way of saying, ‘Nope, not today.’ But we rarely pause to ask ourselves why. Maybe we’re bored, overwhelmed, dreading an unpleasant emotion, or are “feeling the fear”.
I could go on.
But, there’s one simple trick I use that, 9 times out of 10, will drag me out of procrastination hell and get me back on track. It’s a technique I share with all my clients and it’s this:
The 5 Minute Procrastination Buster
Tell yourself: Just for today I will spend 5 minutes on the task - no more, no less.
Set a time that you will commit to starting.
At the dedicated time - set a timer for 5 minutes.
Start.
When the timer goes off, you’re free to stop and go and do something else.
And that’s it.
The trick is… after just 5 minutes you’ll be on a roll and more likely to want to carry on. You’ve broken the procrastination inertia and suddenly you’re realising the “thing” isn’t so bad after all.
What happens if you want to stop after 5 minutes? Then stop - but repeat the process a little later in the day and see how you get on.
When procrastination goes deep
I said that this little technique will work 9 times out of 10. But wait a minute, what about the 10th? That one project or task that has simply stopped you in your tracks and you’re refusing to tackle it, the way a toddler refuses to eat broccoli?
I’ll be sharing my next procrastination-busting strategy in the next post. If you’d like it delivered straight to your inbox, don’t forget to subscribe!”