How to beat procrastination, the main rules of time management

Procrastination is one of the major factors that slow us down and prevent us from living a fulfilling life. A recent study has shown that people on their deathbed regret the things they have not done more than the things they have done.

Procrastination causes us to waste time that could be used for good. If we can beat it, we can get more things done and realize life’s potential more effectively.

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I love the phrase Steve Jobs uttered in 2005 when addressing Stanford University graduates: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it or live someone else’s life. Let go of the notion that you have to live your life according to what others think.”

Why you have to fight yourself

Procrastination is a kind of struggle between the limbic system and the brain’s prefrontal cortex.

The term “limbic system” was first introduced into scientific circulation in 1952 by the American researcher P. McLean.

The function of the limbic system is very significant:

is responsible for human memory, food search and defense;
helps to shape emotions, experiences and feelings;
selects and adjusts the pattern of appropriate behavior depending on the situation;
influences the expressiveness of speech;
helps to develop reactions of caution and preparation for action.

It is the limbic system that causes us to procrastinate and leave things for later. If you’ve noticed yourself constantly putting off important tasks and getting distracted, it’s time to remember the classic “10 minutes of productivity” rule.

The rule states that when we don’t want to do something, we imagine that the task is much more difficult than it really is. This is what distances us from accomplishing it.

Why it works:

When you complete some task or action within ten minutes, chances are you can work on it further. But it’s important to say to yourself, “Once I get to the ten minute mark, I’ll decide if I want to continue.”
it’s harder for a person to start something than to continue. When things are already started, it’s easier to get into the flow of performance and focus on the task at hand;
focusing on results rather than the goal helps one feel the ease of work more quickly than completing a large task;
forming new habits helps simplify life. When we think about the big goal, our lives seem very complicated, which affects productivity.

Do some to-do sorting. A wonderful tool is the Eisenhower Matrix. It helps you organize your tasks into boxes: important/urgent; important/term; unimportant/urgent; unimportant/term. Look at your to-do list, there are probably some that will take 5-10 minutes to complete. Do them so you don’t put them off until later. Don’t try to accomplish all tasks in one day; spread your efforts wisely.

Systematize your work. If the task is large and it will take several days to complete (for example, to write a term paper), then break it into pieces. In this way, you are decomposing one big project. Move towards realization gradually, because it makes it easier to fight against putting things off.

Motivate yourself. People need motivation. Where do we get it? We are influenced by several types of motivation, and some can harm rather than help. So you need to choose the most appropriate one. The right motivation settings will subsequently reduce procrastination and propel us forward each day, bringing us closer to long-term satisfaction.

Focus on the path to be traveled, not the goal. As wisdom says, “and the path can be the goal.” A very important point in the fight against procrastination is knowing how to forgive yourself. Not everyone knows how to do it properly, so sometimes it is important to seek the help of a coach. In this way, the process will go faster, because the specialist with the help of coaching techniques will also lead to awareness, which will then help you to cope with emotions and resist stress.