Danki
Senior Member
- Jan 26, 2019
- 963
- 1,086
I wrote this article years ago (before AI even showed up), and it’s inspired by a book called "Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time" by Brian Tracy.
The book presents 21 practical methods to overcome procrastination. I have used many of these methods, and I can say that some of them truly helped me reduce procrastination and increase my focus over time.
So, without further ado, here are the 21 methods to stop procrastination. All you need to do is take action - find what works best for you and your situation, and just do it. No more excuses.
Small note: The original article was written in a non-English language, and this version is a translation. But, I made sure to keep it simple and easy to read.
Picture made by MidJourney
Before diving into these methods, it's crucial to focus on 3 important points in your journey to overcome procrastination:
Decision-making: You must make a decision to achieve a specific goal.
Commitment: You must be committed to the things that will enable you to achieve your desired goal.
Persistence: You must be determined and resolute in changing your life until you establish the desired habits that will help you achieve your goals.
And now, let's check these 21 ways to stop procrastination:
Take a blank paper now and write down 10 goals you seek to achieve in the coming years of your life. Write these goals in the present tense as if you're writing them a year or more from now, and use "I" statements in a positive manner.
For example, you can write "I earn X money per year" or "I weigh X kilograms" or "I own an X car." Whatever your goal is, write it in these formats in your own handwriting, and be somewhat realistic.
Review this list and choose one goal from among the 10 goals, where achieving this goal would have a significant positive impact on your life.
Whatever this goal may be, write it on another separate paper, set a deadline for achieving it, then create a detailed plan to achieve it, and finally determine the things you will do every day to reach this goal.
Remember that goals cannot be achieved overnight, and they cannot be achieved by just writing them down!
You need to work every day to achieve them, and it doesn't matter how small the amount of work you do toward achieving the goal - the accumulation of days will make you better each time.
Starting from today, begin planning for each day, week, and month in advance.
Get a fresh piece of paper, dedicate a special notebook, or create a computer file and write down the things you want to accomplish in the next 24 hours.
Note: I'm using google calendar (tasks) and Trello, and it's doing really great for me. There are many apps you can use, so just check which one is good for you.
Add any new tasks you want to accomplish to this list. Then write another list with all your projects and the major important tasks for your future life.
After doing this, now arrange all your projects, tasks, and daily activities according to priority, importance, and sequence. (What you should do first, then second, etc.)
Keep your planning notebook close by, where you can review it every day. Simply reviewing it daily will make you more productive and enthusiastic about achieving your goals.
You may have heard this "method" before on so many books, but believe me, it works!
Create another list and write down all the goals, projects, tasks, responsibilities, and activities you're currently pursuing in your life.
Identify which top 10 or 20% of these goals could achieve 80 or 90% of the results for you?
Decide today that you'll spend more time and focus on the top 10 or 20% of goals that can transform your life and achieve bigger results, and conversely, decide that you'll focus less on the remaining tasks that might not yield significant results in your life.
In todays life, we want to achieve a lot of things, I guess it's natural, but guess what? YOU CANNOT achieve everything, because YOU CANNOT focus on everything.
This method will enable you to focus on the important goals in your life that can create meaningful change in both your personal and professional life.
Ask yourself daily "Which projects and work, if done well and at the right time, would have the greatest positive impact on my work or personal life?"
Identify all important tasks you can accomplish in each hour of every day, and commit yourself to working on them during your most valuable time periods.
Creative procrastination means consciously delaying tasks that you recognize as truly non-essential or that can't reasonably be done today.
Postpone certain activities that can be done later and may not yield good results. As simple as that.
For example, watching TV can be delayed in favor of focusing on what's urgent and important, or doing productive and meaningful work.
Always start with your most important and challenging tasks, and regularly review your daily tasks to evaluate and prioritize them according to your current situation.
Identify at least one task or activity to postpone in order to achieve maximum results.
This method will help you prioritize your daily tasks.
Review your current daily task list and assign an ABCDE letter to each task or activity. Then arrange these tasks alphabetically, add numbers to letters when tasks share the same letter, and start with task A-1, focusing on completing it first.
Commit yourself to focusing only on task A-1 and don't think about anything else until it's finished.
Apply this technique to daily, weekly, or monthly tasks, and prepare them in advance before starting work.
After a month of using this technique, you'll discover that you consistently focus on important tasks first and give them adequate time, and you'll be amazed by the future results.
Define the results you're seeking through completing your tasks.
Write down these results so that if you achieve them, you'll be able to complete your work or project well.
Give yourself a grade from 1 to 10 for each result you achieve from your work, then identify the skill you need to reach the highest level of results, and focus on developing this skill.
If you're working as an employee in a company, take this list to your boss and discuss it with them to get their opinions about these results and accept any ideas or criticism they offer regarding these results.
This method will help you first evaluate results, and second understand different opinions and reactions whether from your boss or anyone else.
Always remember that criticism is the first step toward development, so accept criticism and always strive to improve yourself each time.
Define the 3 most important tasks in your work or personal project.
Ask yourself this question: "If I could only accomplish one task today, which task would create the greatest value in my professional life?"
After identifying these 3 important tasks, answer the above question and focus on completing that task, then repeat the same process with the remaining tasks throughout the day.
The Rule of 3 works with anything in your life - it helps you focus on the most important work and start immediately!
Identify the top 3 goals in each aspect of your life, and arrange them by priority and importance.
Make plans to accomplish them each day, and you'll be amazed by the results later!
Look at your desk, whether you work at a company or at home, whether you're working or studying,
then ask yourself "Is this desk suitable for work? Is it clean? Does it make you feel positive and ready to start working?"
Clean your desk or workspace - don't let chaos affect your work efficiency.
Remember that your environment plays a role in affecting your mood and effectiveness.
If the space is chaotic, your productivity will be lower compared to a clean and organized space.
Fix what can be fixed, clean what can be cleaned, and organize what can be organized.
Then begin your work.
Identify the goals you've been procrastinating on and write them on a separate paper. (or digital note)
Then identify all the tasks you need to do to achieve this goal, and break these tasks down into smaller sections that are easy to start.
Start with the first task NOW! It's very simple.
Sometimes all you need is the initial push to start, so making the start easy will encourage you to do it.
Then complete the next task because it's also simple, and the one after it, and the third and fourth until you've swallowed them all.
If you don't feel in the mood to start, just rebel against your emotions and start doing it since the task is simple.
You'll be surprised that your mood will change to match what you're doing.
Identify the core skills that can help you achieve better and faster results.
Identify the basic competencies you'll need in the future to achieve your goals in a specific field.
Whatever the goals, identify them, make a plan, and start developing and increasing your ability to achieve them.
Always decide to be the best at what you do!
Focus on areas you excel at and enjoy doing, and focus on developing them more each time. Create a future personal development plan to work toward.
The path between you and your goals is full of obstacles and constraints, and it's wise to recognize and identify these obstacles in order to face and overcome them.
Your main task in this method is to identify these obstacles.
These are some of the most important questions you should ask and answer on your path toward achieving high levels of productivity and personal effectiveness.
Whatever task you're doing, there are always consequences that determine the speed and effectiveness of completing this task.
Your main mission is to study the task and identify the consequences that are delaying you now, or that might hold you along the way.
You must then eliminate these obstacles or at least reduce their impact on your task completion.
The key difference between tasks with deadlines and those without is commitment.
Tasks lacking specific deadlines often get postponed repeatedly, indicating a lack of commitment to completing them.
Push yourself by setting a deadline for each task or specific work, then set additional deadlines for each component of the task.
Be strict with yourself and commit to finishing the task before its specified deadline.
Write down all the stages needed to complete a specific task, determine the number of hours needed to complete each stage, and race against the clock to complete the task in its appropriate time.
Motivation plays a crucial role in achieving desired goals.
If you're not enthusiastic about completing your tasks, your mind will begin to become lazy, ultimately leading to procrastination.
Control your thoughts, and remember that you're the only decision-maker, and your decisions have made you who you are now and will change your future.
Always ensure you're thinking about things you actually want to do, rather than focusing on things you don't want.
Keep your mind positive by taking full responsibility for yourself, your decisions, actions, and everything that happens in your life.
Don't blame anyone or any entity (like the government, for example) and don't complain about others, as this is a negative action that will weaken your character.
Motivate yourself more by removing distractions around you.
Don't be a victim of smartphone addiction and remove any other distractions that might interrupt your task completion or work.
Always control the things around you, rather than letting them control you.
Give up using your phone or any type of technological entertainment for one full day each week, and you'll discover the mental and psychological clarity and calm you'll experience.
Just as technology has negatives in distracting your attention, it also has positives that can help you focus more.
First, try disabling notifications from all applications by going to Settings > Notifications, then disable them all without exception.
As for productivity applications, there are countless options available. You can find them on Google Play Store or App Store.
Use the application that you feel suits you and will achieve the maximum possible productivity. (I will share later on another thread the apps and extensions I'm using to boost productivity)
Looks like a weird sentence right?
We all suffer from losing focus from time to time, but if you think about it, you'll find that you lose focus on unproductive things, in addition to doing them unconsciously.
For example, checking email frequently is an unconscious action that affects your focus on your work.
The solution is simply to rebuild these negative habits that occur unconsciously, and the first step is to set a specific time for doing these things, and commit to this time by using applications/extensions that prevent you from doing them at other times.
If a task is large, your mind will start thinking about postponing it, and consequently, you'll fall victim to procrastination again.
To avoid this, break down the task into smaller tasks, and divide these tasks into even smaller tasks... until you feel capable of starting.
Remember that starting the task is the most important thing to eliminate procrastination and delay.
A common trait among successful people is that they begin immediately upon hearing a new idea.
Think creatively about different ways you can carve out and combine larger blocks of time.
Use these periods to work on important tasks that have long-term results.
Focus on making every minute of your life count by giving it greater value.
Work steadily and continuously without distraction by planning and preparing your work in advance.
Most importantly, maintain focus on the key results you're responsible for.
In this method, use time management applications like Google Calendar.
Develop a sense of urgency with everything you do in your life, especially with tasks that you find difficult to complete and often end up postponing.
Make a decision to approach such tasks with urgency.
Develop quick and urgent decision-making every time you face a problem, and do the same with new tasks by starting them urgently without overthinking.
Albert Hubbard defines commitment as
Success in any field requires a great deal of commitment.
Commitment and self-control are the basic building blocks of every strong, highly competent personality.
Focus on the most important work you consider valuable to you, and commit to doing it until it's 100% complete.
You'll discover afterward that your personality has become stronger than ever before.
Starting a priority task and continuing with it until it's 100% complete is the true test of your character and willpower.
The beautiful thing about commitment is that the more you commit to continuing with a major task, the more you'll love yourself and increase your self-respect and self-esteem.
The problem of procrastination is one of the main issues facing the majority of people in our current era.
The high increase of information, distractions, and new things appearing day after day has distanced us from focusing on what's important and from defining our goals and pursuing them.
Always remember what are your goals in this life, and focus on them by applying the methods mentioned in this article.
Note again that these methods are practical, so it's best to start actioning them now to eliminate procrastination and put an end to this problem.
Now, tell me, which method(s) do you like the most? And have you tried these methods already?
The book presents 21 practical methods to overcome procrastination. I have used many of these methods, and I can say that some of them truly helped me reduce procrastination and increase my focus over time.
So, without further ado, here are the 21 methods to stop procrastination. All you need to do is take action - find what works best for you and your situation, and just do it. No more excuses.
Small note: The original article was written in a non-English language, and this version is a translation. But, I made sure to keep it simple and easy to read.
21 Methods to Help You Overcome Procrastination
Picture made by MidJourney
Before diving into these methods, it's crucial to focus on 3 important points in your journey to overcome procrastination:
Decision-making: You must make a decision to achieve a specific goal.
Commitment: You must be committed to the things that will enable you to achieve your desired goal.
Persistence: You must be determined and resolute in changing your life until you establish the desired habits that will help you achieve your goals.
And now, let's check these 21 ways to stop procrastination:
1- Put Everything on the Table
Take a blank paper now and write down 10 goals you seek to achieve in the coming years of your life. Write these goals in the present tense as if you're writing them a year or more from now, and use "I" statements in a positive manner.
For example, you can write "I earn X money per year" or "I weigh X kilograms" or "I own an X car." Whatever your goal is, write it in these formats in your own handwriting, and be somewhat realistic.
Review this list and choose one goal from among the 10 goals, where achieving this goal would have a significant positive impact on your life.
Whatever this goal may be, write it on another separate paper, set a deadline for achieving it, then create a detailed plan to achieve it, and finally determine the things you will do every day to reach this goal.
Remember that goals cannot be achieved overnight, and they cannot be achieved by just writing them down!
You need to work every day to achieve them, and it doesn't matter how small the amount of work you do toward achieving the goal - the accumulation of days will make you better each time.
2- Set a Pre-planned Schedule for Each Day
Starting from today, begin planning for each day, week, and month in advance.
Get a fresh piece of paper, dedicate a special notebook, or create a computer file and write down the things you want to accomplish in the next 24 hours.
Note: I'm using google calendar (tasks) and Trello, and it's doing really great for me. There are many apps you can use, so just check which one is good for you.
Add any new tasks you want to accomplish to this list. Then write another list with all your projects and the major important tasks for your future life.
After doing this, now arrange all your projects, tasks, and daily activities according to priority, importance, and sequence. (What you should do first, then second, etc.)
Keep your planning notebook close by, where you can review it every day. Simply reviewing it daily will make you more productive and enthusiastic about achieving your goals.
3- Apply the 80/20 Rule to Everything
You may have heard this "method" before on so many books, but believe me, it works!
Create another list and write down all the goals, projects, tasks, responsibilities, and activities you're currently pursuing in your life.
Identify which top 10 or 20% of these goals could achieve 80 or 90% of the results for you?
Decide today that you'll spend more time and focus on the top 10 or 20% of goals that can transform your life and achieve bigger results, and conversely, decide that you'll focus less on the remaining tasks that might not yield significant results in your life.
In todays life, we want to achieve a lot of things, I guess it's natural, but guess what? YOU CANNOT achieve everything, because YOU CANNOT focus on everything.
This method will enable you to focus on the important goals in your life that can create meaningful change in both your personal and professional life.
4- Focus on Results
Regularly review your list of tasks, work, and projects.Ask yourself daily "Which projects and work, if done well and at the right time, would have the greatest positive impact on my work or personal life?"
Identify all important tasks you can accomplish in each hour of every day, and commit yourself to working on them during your most valuable time periods.
5- Apply Creative Procrastination
What the hell is Creative Procrastination?Creative procrastination means consciously delaying tasks that you recognize as truly non-essential or that can't reasonably be done today.
Postpone certain activities that can be done later and may not yield good results. As simple as that.
For example, watching TV can be delayed in favor of focusing on what's urgent and important, or doing productive and meaningful work.
Always start with your most important and challenging tasks, and regularly review your daily tasks to evaluate and prioritize them according to your current situation.
Identify at least one task or activity to postpone in order to achieve maximum results.
6- Use the ABCDE Technique
This method will help you prioritize your daily tasks.
Review your current daily task list and assign an ABCDE letter to each task or activity. Then arrange these tasks alphabetically, add numbers to letters when tasks share the same letter, and start with task A-1, focusing on completing it first.
Commit yourself to focusing only on task A-1 and don't think about anything else until it's finished.
Apply this technique to daily, weekly, or monthly tasks, and prepare them in advance before starting work.
After a month of using this technique, you'll discover that you consistently focus on important tasks first and give them adequate time, and you'll be amazed by the future results.
7- Grade Yourself
Define the results you're seeking through completing your tasks.
Write down these results so that if you achieve them, you'll be able to complete your work or project well.
Give yourself a grade from 1 to 10 for each result you achieve from your work, then identify the skill you need to reach the highest level of results, and focus on developing this skill.
If you're working as an employee in a company, take this list to your boss and discuss it with them to get their opinions about these results and accept any ideas or criticism they offer regarding these results.
This method will help you first evaluate results, and second understand different opinions and reactions whether from your boss or anyone else.
Always remember that criticism is the first step toward development, so accept criticism and always strive to improve yourself each time.
8- The Rule of 3
Define the 3 most important tasks in your work or personal project.
Ask yourself this question: "If I could only accomplish one task today, which task would create the greatest value in my professional life?"
After identifying these 3 important tasks, answer the above question and focus on completing that task, then repeat the same process with the remaining tasks throughout the day.
The Rule of 3 works with anything in your life - it helps you focus on the most important work and start immediately!
Identify the top 3 goals in each aspect of your life, and arrange them by priority and importance.
Make plans to accomplish them each day, and you'll be amazed by the results later!
9- Prepare Well Before You Start
Look at your desk, whether you work at a company or at home, whether you're working or studying,
then ask yourself "Is this desk suitable for work? Is it clean? Does it make you feel positive and ready to start working?"
Clean your desk or workspace - don't let chaos affect your work efficiency.
Remember that your environment plays a role in affecting your mood and effectiveness.
If the space is chaotic, your productivity will be lower compared to a clean and organized space.
Fix what can be fixed, clean what can be cleaned, and organize what can be organized.
Then begin your work.
10- Swallow it All at Once
Identify the goals you've been procrastinating on and write them on a separate paper. (or digital note)
Then identify all the tasks you need to do to achieve this goal, and break these tasks down into smaller sections that are easy to start.
Start with the first task NOW! It's very simple.
Sometimes all you need is the initial push to start, so making the start easy will encourage you to do it.
Then complete the next task because it's also simple, and the one after it, and the third and fourth until you've swallowed them all.
If you don't feel in the mood to start, just rebel against your emotions and start doing it since the task is simple.
You'll be surprised that your mood will change to match what you're doing.
11-Develop Your Core Skills
Identify the core skills that can help you achieve better and faster results.
Identify the basic competencies you'll need in the future to achieve your goals in a specific field.
Whatever the goals, identify them, make a plan, and start developing and increasing your ability to achieve them.
Always decide to be the best at what you do!
Focus on areas you excel at and enjoy doing, and focus on developing them more each time. Create a future personal development plan to work toward.
12- Identify Obstacles That Hold Your Progress
The path between you and your goals is full of obstacles and constraints, and it's wise to recognize and identify these obstacles in order to face and overcome them.
Your main task in this method is to identify these obstacles.
- What's holding you back?
- What determines the speed at which you achieve your goals?
- What determines how quickly you move from where you are to where you want to go?
- What's preventing you from working on important tasks that could make a big difference in your life?
- Why have you stopped pursuing your goal?
These are some of the most important questions you should ask and answer on your path toward achieving high levels of productivity and personal effectiveness.
Whatever task you're doing, there are always consequences that determine the speed and effectiveness of completing this task.
Your main mission is to study the task and identify the consequences that are delaying you now, or that might hold you along the way.
You must then eliminate these obstacles or at least reduce their impact on your task completion.
13- Push Yourself More
The key difference between tasks with deadlines and those without is commitment.
Tasks lacking specific deadlines often get postponed repeatedly, indicating a lack of commitment to completing them.
Push yourself by setting a deadline for each task or specific work, then set additional deadlines for each component of the task.
Be strict with yourself and commit to finishing the task before its specified deadline.
Write down all the stages needed to complete a specific task, determine the number of hours needed to complete each stage, and race against the clock to complete the task in its appropriate time.
14- Motivate Yourself More
Motivation plays a crucial role in achieving desired goals.
If you're not enthusiastic about completing your tasks, your mind will begin to become lazy, ultimately leading to procrastination.
Control your thoughts, and remember that you're the only decision-maker, and your decisions have made you who you are now and will change your future.
Always ensure you're thinking about things you actually want to do, rather than focusing on things you don't want.
Keep your mind positive by taking full responsibility for yourself, your decisions, actions, and everything that happens in your life.
Don't blame anyone or any entity (like the government, for example) and don't complain about others, as this is a negative action that will weaken your character.
15- Eliminate Technological Distractions
Motivate yourself more by removing distractions around you.
Don't be a victim of smartphone addiction and remove any other distractions that might interrupt your task completion or work.
Always control the things around you, rather than letting them control you.
Give up using your phone or any type of technological entertainment for one full day each week, and you'll discover the mental and psychological clarity and calm you'll experience.
16- Use Technology's Benefits
Just as technology has negatives in distracting your attention, it also has positives that can help you focus more.
First, try disabling notifications from all applications by going to Settings > Notifications, then disable them all without exception.
As for productivity applications, there are countless options available. You can find them on Google Play Store or App Store.
Use the application that you feel suits you and will achieve the maximum possible productivity. (I will share later on another thread the apps and extensions I'm using to boost productivity)
17- Focus on Focus Itself
Looks like a weird sentence right?
We all suffer from losing focus from time to time, but if you think about it, you'll find that you lose focus on unproductive things, in addition to doing them unconsciously.
For example, checking email frequently is an unconscious action that affects your focus on your work.
The solution is simply to rebuild these negative habits that occur unconsciously, and the first step is to set a specific time for doing these things, and commit to this time by using applications/extensions that prevent you from doing them at other times.
18- Break Down Your Tasks into Smaller Tasks
If a task is large, your mind will start thinking about postponing it, and consequently, you'll fall victim to procrastination again.
To avoid this, break down the task into smaller tasks, and divide these tasks into even smaller tasks... until you feel capable of starting.
Remember that starting the task is the most important thing to eliminate procrastination and delay.
A common trait among successful people is that they begin immediately upon hearing a new idea.
19- Create the Necessary Time
Think creatively about different ways you can carve out and combine larger blocks of time.
Use these periods to work on important tasks that have long-term results.
Focus on making every minute of your life count by giving it greater value.
Work steadily and continuously without distraction by planning and preparing your work in advance.
Most importantly, maintain focus on the key results you're responsible for.
In this method, use time management applications like Google Calendar.
20- Develop a Sense of Urgency
Develop a sense of urgency with everything you do in your life, especially with tasks that you find difficult to complete and often end up postponing.
Make a decision to approach such tasks with urgency.
Develop quick and urgent decision-making every time you face a problem, and do the same with new tasks by starting them urgently without overthinking.
21- Commitment is the Key
Albert Hubbard defines commitment as
Success in any field requires a great deal of commitment.
Commitment and self-control are the basic building blocks of every strong, highly competent personality.
Focus on the most important work you consider valuable to you, and commit to doing it until it's 100% complete.
You'll discover afterward that your personality has become stronger than ever before.
Starting a priority task and continuing with it until it's 100% complete is the true test of your character and willpower.
The beautiful thing about commitment is that the more you commit to continuing with a major task, the more you'll love yourself and increase your self-respect and self-esteem.
Conclusion
The problem of procrastination is one of the main issues facing the majority of people in our current era.
The high increase of information, distractions, and new things appearing day after day has distanced us from focusing on what's important and from defining our goals and pursuing them.
Always remember what are your goals in this life, and focus on them by applying the methods mentioned in this article.
Note again that these methods are practical, so it's best to start actioning them now to eliminate procrastination and put an end to this problem.
Now, tell me, which method(s) do you like the most? And have you tried these methods already?
![image.png"]414415](https://i.postimg.cc/5yqSPk21/image.png"]414415)
![image.png%22]414415](https://i.postimg.cc/5yqSPk21/image.png%22]414415)
