How to Actually Get Unstuck and Get Things Done

We’ve all been there. Leaving that task to do at a later date, often to the very last minute, building up our stress and reluctance to complete it even more. But why do we procrastinate and how do we break the habit? Here’s my advice on how to get unstuck and overcome your procrastination. 

The act of delaying or putting off work that you need to get done, a tale as old as time. (insert music here) But why do we do it? Most of the things we put off aren’t even challenging, or hard to complete. Usually, we can do it, we just don’t want to. You might think it’s just laziness, but that’s not the case most of the time. When you’re being lazy, you are absolutely fine with just not doing anything. When you’re procrastinating, you’re just having trouble forcing yourself to start, even though you want to get it done. 

I would say I am the queen of procrastination. But what I found over the last few years was the times I would procrastinate the most were times when I felt uninspired. You see, when I realised that inspiration was my biggest factor in my procrastination I knew where to start. I would do activities that I knew would spark my creativity and allow me to get a lot of work done. Once you find out the root of your procrastination moment, only then can you flip it.

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Why Do We Procrastinate?

The first step in overcoming your procrastination is to acknowledge why it’s happening in the first place and take action to defeat those reasons. Take these common causes, for instance:

1. Timing. Sometimes, your biggest problem is that the timing just isn’t right. You may be more of a morning person and find yourself most productive at the start of your day. In that case, don’t put it off until the evening, when you know it will be more challenging for you to complete.
   
   
2. It’s too big of a task. You might put off tasks simply because they seem too big to conquer. The best way to solve this problem is to split it into smaller tasks which are easier to manage. Instead of ‘Design ebook’, break it into several sections: ‘Choose style’, ‘Pick your images’, and ‘Organize pages’, for example. 
   
   
3. Distractions. One of the biggest causes of procrastination is being easily distracted. When we have our phones nearby, constantly buzzing with notifications, or thirty tabs open on our computers, we’re just begging to lose focus on the task at hand. Instead of responding to customer emails, of course we’d rather text our friends back. Out with phone and other distractions.
   
   
4. Delayed gratification. In some cases, you might struggle to feel rewarded by a task’s completion unless it is done just under the wire. Again, break it up. Reward yourself after small checkpoints – answer three customer emails and then make yourself a smoothie (or anything that will get you fired up, chocolate & mcdonalds anyone?)
   
   
5. Multi-tasking. Plenty of people  find themselves juggling multiple tasks at the same time instead of focusing all energy on one, giving the illusion that you’re never fully completing anything. Start with one task, spend enough time on it to finalize it, then take a break and go for a walk or make yourself a hot drink before jumping into the next task. It will give you the satisfaction of completing it and that little reward we need to keep going and onto the next.
   
   
6. You’re disorganised. Many of us struggle to keep track of everything on our plates and find it difficult to prioritize tasks, especially if we’re our own boss and don’t have someone telling us what to do next. Take the time to sit down and write out what you need to do, then re-organise this based on importance. (check out the post on effective time management) What needs to be done first? Which tasks are the least desirable? Getting the worst jobs out of the way first can make the rest of them a breeze. A checklist will help you keep on track and also show your progress, which can be a great motivator itself.
   
   
7. You’re uninspired. Sometimes, just like writers get writer’s block, we simply get stuck. We feel uninspired and not motivated enough to get the work done, something is holding us back. The best way to get your mojo back is to just embrace the break; get some fresh air, take a nap, rest, and go search for that creative spark. Whether this is walks in nature, driving to a different city, new Pinterest boards, reading a book or magazine or meditating – do what you love and what you think works for you.

Everyone procrastinates at some point; it’s just a fact of life. Try not to beat yourself up about it, you’re only human. (insert more music here) For those days where you’re really struggling to defeat your procrastination problem, use this checklist to get unstuck and get things done.

Procrastination Checklist

• Utilise to-do lists (sounds like a no-brainer but it needs to be on this checklist, I LOVE and swear by Trello but find which tool works for you and get everything noted down)
• Divide tasks into smaller, easier jobs so you feel less overwhelmed
• Prioritise your tasks into importance and urgency categories
• Complete the tasks which you dread the most first – the rest will seem easier
• Avoid multi-tasking where you can, focus on one task at a time
• Create milestones or small rewards along the way to motivate yourself
• Talk to yourself in a way as if these tasks are the easiest in the world to release some of the weight, “these few things will be a breeze it will be done before I know it, it’s always so easy for me to get work done quickly”
• Take a break and go out in nature to feel more grounded and refreshed
• Tackle the toughest activity at your most productive time of day
• Remind yourself why the task is important and why you want to finish it
• Try to set timers for each task to give yourself mini deadlines
• Eliminate distractions: turn off your phone, silence notifications, close unnecessary tabs (that includes emails)
• Take a breath and get started

Last but not least; be kind to yourself. Beating yourself up for not having done all the things you wanted to accomplish yet is not going to get it done any faster and you’ll be worse off because of it. Be kind to yourself and know, you got this.