How to Stop Procrastinating: A Simple Guide to Mastering Difficult Tasks and Breaking the Procrastination Habit

by S.J. Scott

Everything you need to get started is included in the PDF that’s part of the free companion website. >> Tap Here to Grab the How to Stop Procrastinating Quick Start Guide << www.developgoodhabits.com/procrastination-website

Exercise #1: Identify Your Procrastination Reasons

Step #1: Identify Your Current Commitments

Option #1: The Getting Things Done (GTD) Method Detailed in one of the classic books on productivity, the GTD method rests on the idea of moving planned tasks and projects out of the mind by recording them externally and then breaking them into actionable work items. This allows one to focus attention on taking action on tasks instead of recalling them.

Option #2: How to Stop Procrastinating Method The exercise that I recommend for readers of this book is to think about everything that you must (or would like to) do for the next 3–12 months. Forget about your long-term goals or bucket list items. Just focus on the items that you have the ability and capacity to do from today until one year from now. That’s it!

In the notebook that you started using during the previous exercise, write down the answers to these questions: Is there a medical issue that you’ve been putting off? What work-related projects are coming up? What personal projects are coming up? Is there a vacation that you’d like plan with your family? What habits would you like to build? Are there incomplete household tasks that you keep putting off? What meetings and appointments are coming up? What goals would you like to accomplish? Are there any important events coming up for your family members? Is there an exercise program you’d like to start? Are there any projects that you know you need to do but you’ve been putting off? Do you keep ignoring important—but not urgent—daily tasks?

Exercise #2: Write Down All Your Current Commitments

Focus on the immediate future by using these prompts: Is there a medical issue that you’ve been putting off? What work-related projects are coming up? What personal projects are coming up? Is there a vacation that you’d like plan with your family? What habits would you like to build? Are there incomplete household tasks that you keep putting off? What meetings and appointments are coming up? What goals would you like to accomplish? Are there any important events coming up for your family members? Is there an exercise program you’d like to start? Are there any projects that you know you need to do but you’ve been putting off? Do you keep ignoring important—but not urgent—daily tasks?

Step #2: Focus on Five Core Projects

To figure out where to direct your attention, I suggest completing a seven-step exercise to identify the values in your life: Get in the right state of mind by challenging every belief that comes from an outside source. If you feel that a thought has been influenced by someone else (parents, friends, religious institutions, media, and so on), then take a few minutes to reexamine your thoughts to see if they are something that you truly believe in. Reflect on the times in your life when you were the happiest. Ask yourself, “What was I doing? Who was I with? Why did I feel happy?” Think of the times when you were proud of yourself. What did you accomplish? How did that achievement make you feel? What was it about this activity that made you feel fulfilled? Identify what has made you feel fulfilled or satisfied in the past. How and why did the experience give your life meaning? Determine your core values based on your past experiences of happiness, pride, and satisfaction. Review the previous steps and identify the common elements of these peak moments. Align these experiences with value words like accomplishment, enjoyment, philanthropy, and creativity. Prioritize these values in order of importance. After you’ve identified your values, complete another 30- to 60-minute exercise where you identify your five core projects: Write down (at least) 25 projects or activities you could focus on. Take 30 minutes to examine this list and narrow down your focus to only five projects. ...

Exercise #4: Set Your Quarterly S.M.A.R.T. Goals We often procrastinate on tasks that don’t provide instant gratification. However, if you attach each task to an immediate goal, you increase the odds that you’ll be motivated enough to get started. The simplest way to do this is to set S.M.A.R.T. goals for every quarter (i.e., three months) instead of the yearlong goals that most people set. S.M.A.R.T. stands for: Specific; Measurable; Attainable; Relevant; and Time-bound. You can create these quarterly goals by completing a simple six-action exercise: Focus on five projects and commit to focusing only on these activities. Create goals with an immediate deadline (I suggest every three months). Use a weekly review to track and adjust your goals. Turn each focus into a project by clearly identifying all the steps you need to complete. Review your goals to remind yourself of the long-term benefit of taking action on the activities you might want to procrastinate on. Evaluate your goals every quarter and use this feedback to make more effective goals for the next three months.

Exercise #5: Say No to Anything That Doesn’t Match Your Goals A simple way to avoid procrastination from happening in the first place is to say no when it comes to any task, project, or obligation that doesn’t perfectly align with the goals that you’ve set for yourself. This will help you in three ways: You remove the feeling of overwhelm that often happens when you’ve overbooked yourself. You stop agreeing to tasks simply because you don’t want disappoint others. You eliminate the likelihood that you’ll “tinker” on activities that don’t directly relate to your quarterly goals. You can say no by practicing five habits on a consistent basis: Say no politely but firmly if you know there’s no chance you’ll follow through on a task. Simply tell the person that you have a few priority projects that require your full attention and you can’t afford the distraction. Identify the mandatory tasks that can’t be avoided and attach them to an important goal or value. Compare each request for your time to your current five projects. If they don’t match, then have the courage to say no to the requester. Talk to your boss about your work projects and make sure that you both agree on the priorities for your job. Then eliminate any task or project that doesn’t align with these priorities. Ask yourself, “What will my obituary say?” Make choices based on the values that truly matter.

Exercise #6: Plan Your Weekly Schedule Creating a weekly schedule gives you an opportunity to identify the crucial tasks that you choose to focus on for the next seven days. It also acts as your first line of defense against those random tasks that could potentially derail your week, causing you to feel overwhelmed. To get started, set aside a few hours, preferably on Sundays, to schedule the tasks you’d like to accomplish in the next seven days. You should focus on five core actions during this review session:

Action #1: Answer Three Questions Determine what deserves your attention by answering three basic questions: What are my personal obligations? What are my priority projects? How much time do I have this week?

Action #2: Apply the 80/20 Rule to Your Schedule Apply the 80/20 Rule to your schedule by spending as much time as possible focusing on the actions that generate a significant result. You can do this by scheduling activities based on the answers to these questions: What tasks are causing 80% of my problems and unhappiness? What core activities have the biggest impact on my career? What experiences produce 80% of my fulfillment and happiness? Who are the people that cause 80% of my enjoyment and make me feel truly engaged? Who are the 20% of people who cause me to feel angry, unhappy, and unfulfilled? What habits make up 80% of my efficiency or effectiveness? If you get busy, you can simplify everything by answering one question about the tasks you’re scheduling: “Does this task help or hinder my ability to work on one of my five goals?”

Action #3: Block Out Time on a Calendar Block out time on a calendar by scheduling time for your priority tasks, personal hobbies, and “flex time” to reflect on new opportunities or take action on any emergencies that pop up during the week.

Action #4: Practice Batching and Create “Theme Days” Practice batching by grouping similar tasks together at a ...

Action #5: Set Aside Time for Deep Work Set aside time for Deep Work, where you eliminate all distractions and completely focus on an act...

Practice #1: Resolve Any Potential Emergency

Practice #2: Do a 5- to 10-Minute Daily Review

You should ask yourself these key questions during the review session: What appointments and meetings require me to be somewhere at a set time? Are there any emergency emails that need to be immediately addressed? What specific tasks, which relate to the batches or blocks of time that I’ve scheduled for the day, can I complete? Is there an appointment or activity that could take longer than expected? How will this change my schedule if it does spill over into another task’s time? What are the 80/20 tasks that will have the biggest impact on my long-term success? How does each task relate to my quarterly S.M.A.R.T. goals? What is the hardest, most challenging task that I’m dreading?

Practice #3: Focus On Your MITs It’s easy to feel overwhelmed (and then procrastinate) if you start the day with a to-do list full of tasks, appointments, and projects. You can simplify your list by identifying the tasks that have the biggest impact on your career or life and do them first thing in the morning. This is a concept commonly known as your most important tasks (MITs). My suggestion is to pick from one to three MITs that absolutely must be completed by the end of the day. Two should relate to an urgent project with an immediate deadline and one should be part of a long-term goal.

The Eisenhower Matrix prioritizes your tasks by urgency and importance, which results in four quadrants that each require a separate approach and strategy. In addition to sorting tasks by urgency and importance, the matrix also identifies tasks that you should either delegate or completely remove from your life. Following is a brief overview of this system. (If you want a downloadable version of this matrix, then you can grab a copy by signing up for the free companion website.)

How to Use the Eisenhower Matrix to Overcome Procrastination To get started with the Eisenhower Matrix, I recommend a simple exercise: Print out the list that’s included in the companion website or create one on your own that’s divided into the four sections previously described. Make seven copies of a blank grid for each week. Each day, write down the tasks that you’d like to accomplish, putting them in the appropriate quadrant. Whenever something new pops up, take a minute or two to think about the nature of the task and put it in the appropriate quadrant. At the end of the week, when all of the grids are full, evaluate how effectively you spent your time and whether your process needs to be reorganized. Keep adjusting your schedule until you’re spending as much time as possible completing Q1 and Q2 activities.

Practice #6: Complete Quick Tasks Immediately

Practice #7: Create a Mini Habit for Challenging Tasks

Elephant habits are designed to overcome the natural resistance we all feel whenever we’re forced to do a potentially unpleasant, massive project. We know it must be done, but we avoid starting because dedicating a few days to it sounds as fun as getting a root canal. Thankfully, an elephant habit will help you complete a project one bite at a time.

Practice #9: Use Sprints to Work On Challenging Projects

Practice #12: Bundle Rewards with Actions

Practice #13: Attach All Tasks to a Goal

I’ve created a small companion website that includes many resources mentioned throughout How to Stop Procrastinating. Here are just a few things I’ve included: How to Stop Procrastinating Quick Start Guide, which is a printable reference guide of all the exercises, checklists, and action items included in this book.