7 Unusual Cures and Remedies for Procrastination

Everyone procrastinates, who doesn’t? Some of us are better at dealing with procrastination than others. You’re not alone if you procrastinate.  People who get things done on time are more effective at minimizing procrastination. You don’t have to remain a master at procrastination. You can choose to become a master of productivity!

Getting things accomplished on time can be a real challenge rather than not getting things done, in the short (very short) term.

Keep in mind that procrastination has a steep price. It creates a lot of stress. Even while you’re avoiding a task, you feel nervous, uneasy, stressed, and anxious. You’ll also be much more worried and tensed at the end when your deadline approaches.

Try these unusual strategies to deal with procrastination:    

1. Put your procrastination to good use. Reflect on what you do when you delay. Did you need to delay because you need to perform one activity in lieu of performing another activity that you should be doing?  First, create a list that includes a couple of necessary, but awful, tasks that you can add to your to-do list. This way, you’ll know which tasks should be done ahead of the others and you can do the tasks you need to accomplish with priority.

• It might sound silly, yes, but this method is highly regarded by many productivity professionals. Simply put, you’re willing to do any unpleasant task if you can avoid something even more unpleasant.

2. Get to a new location. Head to a coffee shop, the library.  Move to a different space of the house or find a vacant office at your place of work. A change of view can often minimize the tendency to postpone. Part of your brain associates procrastination with your traditional hangouts, like your desk, your room, or even your chair!
3. Use a timer and a very short time frame. Oftentimes, getting started is the most challenging part. It’s surprising how easy it is to accomplish a task versus taking the first step. Set a timer for two minutes and see how much you can finish. If two minutes is too much, then try one minute!

• Have a list of steps and begin on the first one. When you have a list, you won’t waste any mental energy trying to figure out what to do first, what to do next, and so on.

4. Try working at an unusual time. Get out of bed at 4:00 in the morning. See how much you can accomplish before your normal wake-up time. Get out of bed late and compare what happens. Change your routine and you’ll be less likely to engage in your old habits.
5. Focus on improving your mood. You procrastinate when you are not feeling well, and the thought of performing the task makes you feel even worse. Why not do just about anything that you think will make you feel better, work on enhancing your mood and you’ll be less likely to procrastinate.

• Think only of happy thoughts, indulge in eating a healthy snack, or listen to music that lightens your mood. Once you feel better, get started on your task without overthinking it.

6. Give your friend money. Did you enlist the assistance of a friend in the past, but you failed to do it in the most effective way? As an incentive, give the money up front instead of telling your friend that you’ll give her $50 if she doesn’t complete her to-do list by Friday. You only get your money back if you’re successful. It changes the dynamic considerably.

7. Give yourself a big reward. Make completing the job as positive as possible. Begin to view a task as desirable as possible, instead of viewing it as painful.  Make a promise to yourself to take a day off, to treat yourself at your favorite restaurant,  enjoy a day at a massage parlor, get a bit of shopping, once you completed a project.

Procrastination happens when not performing a task is perceived as less miserable than doing the task. Procrastination creates anxiety, and can even put your employment and relationships at risk. When you overly procrastinate, you eventually fail to live up to the reasonable expectations of others.

Deal with procrastination by confronting it head-on. Dig in your heels and try these strategies. Do it not tomorrow, do it today. You’ll find out that you can beat procrastination and get things done even ahead of schedule.