4 Scientific Doable Methods to Avoid Procrastination
You have a deadline staring at you in the face and yet you’re occupied with organizing the books on your shelf in alphabetic order. Sounds all too familiar? It might be human to want to procrastinate but such excuses will only hinder your work efficiency and be detrimental to any projects in the offing.
Not to worry, though. Science has a solution to help you put a stop to any futile dilly-dally.
What makes you put off things for the next day?
Psychology reckons that you stall your work by engaging in something comparatively trivial (arranging your bookshelf, for example) so that you can later lay the blame on the latter action for not getting any work done.
Studies at Yale University showed that in order to feel more productive, your brain tricks you into completing smaller and doable tasks rather than starting on the big project. These simulations are aimed at making you feel productive or accomplished whereas, in reality, they get you nowhere near accomplishment.
How to Stop Procrastinating and Get Going
No amount of motivational quotes or posters is going to be beneficial when it comes to actually kicking off your work. However, the following tips are science-proofed and will aid you conclusively in putting an end to procrastination.
1. Set Mini Milestones by Following the Progress Principle
The feeling after completing a huge assignment is incomparable. But unless you’re part robot, you will find it incredibly hard to do it every single day.
This is why breaking up the large task into doable bite-sized tasks is effectual. This way, you have a map you can stick to- you know where to begin, how to go about the subsequent tasks and adeptly work until you see the finish line. Besides, each time you pull off one task, you feel accomplished thereby providing you with the motivation to start on the next one.
Indulge in a celebratory pirouette if you must. It will actually help.
2. Think of your Deadlines in Terms of Days
Ask yourself which one of the following statements drills in the gravity of the situation: that your deadline is in one month or your deadline is in 30 days? Although they’re literally the same thing, the second statement sounds more urgent, while the first one is a bit more comforting. So, the trick here is to set deadlines in terms of days rather than seemingly long weeks or months.
Evidence for this comes from a study held at the University of Michigan and USC, where participants were split into two groups. The first group was asked if they were to retire in 40 years, when should they start saving for retirement? The second group was asked the same question with the time frame being 14,600 days (the same as 40 years). Predictably, the group given the measurement of time in days were recorded to feel the need to start saving up sooner than the other group.
The researchers inferred that our brain works this way because thinking of deadlines in terms of days ties our future self to our present self, which intensifies the feeling that time is passing quickly.
3. Work for Short Periods of Time
If you’re considering temporarily moving into your office with the aim of working continuously until you’ve completed the assignment, we’re going to stop you right there and offer you a better solution.
Research tells us that working for shorter periods is more productive than whizzing through it. Look up the Pomodoro technique, which is a 25-minute time management method that involves taking enough breaks alongside the work. These breaks, although seemingly counterproductive, are necessary so
that you finish your work without losing patience.
4. Stress is Inimical to Productivity
The importance of detaching yourself from work once in a while by taking deep breaths cannot be stressed enough, no matter how many times you’ve
heard it. The Towers Watson study revealed that 57% of employees under high stress were less productive by a big difference. Moreover, such levels of stress were linked to absenteeism.
Give yourself a breather when it gets too suffocating. You’ll panic less frequently and concentrate more sharply.
Stop Procrastinating Once And For All
It is understandable if you become intimidated by the sheer mountain of work before you. But the sooner you begin it, the sooner the mountain shrinks to a hillock, then to a dune, and so on. Accordingly, employ these science-backed methods, and your assignment will be in the bag- complete with gift-wrap and ribbon.
