Are you a procrastinator? Don’t procrastinate and do something about it!

Everybody has chores that still need to be done: emails have to be sent, cupboards that have to be cleaned, magazines you’re saving up to read later … But when you keep on postponing these tasks because you don’t feel like it, or just because you don’t know where to begin, you’re procrastinating. Your list of chores to be done gets longer and longer, and your stress levels get higher, which makes you feel unhappy! Deal with your procrastination today, with these 7 tips:

Be well prepared

When you really don’t feel like starting something, just try setting up everything up ready. Put on your computer, fill a bucket with water and soap, get the vacuum cleaner out of the closet. When everything is set up already, the step to starting will get smaller and it becomes clearer what it is that you want to do.

Don’t get distracted

Facebook, Twitter, Email, Whatsapp … The list is endless. Taking a quick check on your social media usually turns out to be 5 or 10 to 15 minutes, and before you know it, it’s been half an hour and you’ve forgotten what you were doing in the first place, and you’re procrastinating again. Put your phone away somewhere safe, turn off the sound or close any windows on your computer you don’t need. Avoid all distraction and focus on the task!

First, do the small things

Do you have things to do that take a few minutes? Do them immediately! Does the trash need to be taken out? Does the dishwasher have to be emptied? A mail to be sent? Don’t postpone these chores, or you’ll get overwhelmed. When doing these tasks immediately, you will get a feeling of satisfaction which will give you more energy to do the other tasks.

Divide your tasks

Ten emails to answer? Three cupboards to reorganize? Two storeys you have to vacuum? Sounds like a big job. The answer is to divide up the chores into smaller parts. Start with one email, one drawer, one room of the house. After doing these, you can go on to the second, the third and so on. This way, your chores won’t seem so big and you’ll have more courage to start them.

Give yourself a deadline

It often helps if you add a deadline to your task. When agreeing with yourself to a certain point in time on which the chores have to be completed, remember this is your deadline, there’s a bigger chance that you will complete the task successfully. Be realistic and only add deadlines which you can meet. This way, you stimulate yourself and prove to yourself that you are able to get things done.

Visualize the result

When you’re feeling like giving up, think about the result. Have you had to search for something many times in a certain cupboard, where everything’s a mess, and thought about reorganizing? Visualize that the closet is tidied, and that everything is orderly and organized. This helps you to know what you’re working for, and will give you more motivation to finish the job.

Do one thing at a time

When you’re finally starting your list of chores, you want to do everything at a time, to be done with it as soon as possible. This, however, will give you the opposite result. It will make you lose oversight, and you will be unlikely to compete all your tasks. Start with something easy and work step by step. When you’ve finished something successfully, you will feel more like starting the next thing. Before you know it, all procrastinated tasks are history!

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