We are an overwhelmingly stimulated generation surrounded by social media, OTT platforms, food delivery, news, music, retail and so many more apps that we tend to use on a day-to-day basis. From the time we wake up to the second we fall asleep, we are always using one gadget or another. The constant bombardment of information and the need to prove ourselves to the world have turned most of us into procrastinators, who have a habit of putting off important tasks. Now, most procrastinators might say that they enjoy the thrill of the impending deadlines but that’s not always true. We usually put off important tasks at work or in school because we are scared of failure or we want things to be perfect or simply because we have no motivation to do it till we have to. 

A procrastinator might just be a individual overwhelmed with a long-list of things that he/she thinks is impossible to complete in a designated time and hence, they feel the need to escape the situation and use distractions as a means. And with so many technological advancements around us to keep us company, it becomes so much more easier. 

In such scenarios, learning plays a key role to break away from these patterns. Learning to breakdown tasks, learning to do things you love before doing the things you have no motivation for and learning new ways to make each and every task fun. In the end, it is all about training your mind! 

So, what can you do as a procrastinator to be a better version of yourself so as not to add more stress to your already stressful and fast-paced life?

Look at the bigger picture

As procrastinators, most of us are unable to look beyond the long list of things-to-do assigned to us at work or in school. But what we fail to see is how each of these tasks can help us find our potential within and push our boundaries. To achieve greatness in life or to just enjoy our days without stress, we need to look for ways in which every task assigned to us can help us to reach our goals in life. If you are not convinced, pick up an autobiography of successful people and you will see how every mundane task helped them in the ladder of success without them realising it at that point of time. So, try to execute the tasks given to you, one by one, and slowly and steadily, you will find your rhythm. 

Begin your day with things you love to do

All of us have hobbies or things we love to do. It could be watching funny videos of cats and dogs, reading a book, looking at the sunrise, running, or just watching our favourite films and TV shows. The idea is to start your day on a good note so the feeling carries on into the tasks that you might not like. But one has to be mindful of the time spent on doing these things so the entire day is not spent on it. Limit your time and after completing your tasks, if you have extra time, you can always come back to your favourite things. 

Find creative ways of doing things

We live in uncertain times and innovation is at the heart of everything we do. We all find it easier to do things the way they have been done in the past. But what if you find new ways of doing even the mundane tasks? Once you get creative, things generally take a turn for the better as you feel a child-like enthusiasm. And in the larger scheme of things, with your creativity flowing freely, you feel a sense of pride in the tasks that you have accomplished. 

Keep a log of your day-to-day activities

All of us feel that we are doing much more than we are, in our mind’s eye because we want to believe so. But jotting down the hours and minutes of our day-to-day activities can help us understand if we are utilising our time productively, while also teaching us the art of time management. Not just that, keeping a log also helps us get a picture of how we can eliminate the time we spend on doing unproductive work. In the end, we all want to be the best but it happens with constant efforts. Nothing comes easy!

Build an attitude of learning

As humans, we are constantly learning, but we tend to never implement these learnings in our day-to-day life. It takes time to build a learning approach towards everything you do but once you do, you will see things differently. And that gives you an edge over everyone else. The more you learn, the more you would want to use it. And voila, life is so much better than you expected. 

While these might help, it is not an easy road to overcome procrastination. For some, it is a tough battle. But try and learn, and be better each day. To better equip yourself with the tools for learning and development, join us at People Matters L&D India conference on October 12, 2022 at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai where some of the best leaders, experts and learning coaches will let you in on the secret to staying at the top of your game. Register now!