Best Ways to Not procrastinate

The Zeigarnik effect explains that unfinished tasks stick around in your memory for longer.

If you know that you’ve been putting something off for a long time, just take the first step and the rest will follow.

If the task at hand is overwhelming for you, just give it five minutes of your time and see where it takes you. It’s quite likely that you’ll end up feeling confident and finishing the task entirely. 

Do you remember eating the Oreo first and then the creamy layer? It’s like that. Leave the easier tasks for later because you're probably not too motivated to procrastinate them anyway.

You might be putting off your entire to-do list because of this one big thing that feels like a drag to do.

But guess what? Once you start doing it, it’s generally over in no time. It will get the ball rolling and help you unclog the system so you can move on to other tasks and finish them off.

If you don’t know what’s on your to-do list, there’s little chance you’ll be able to do those things on time.

Organize your tasks and assign deadlines. Use the calendar app on your phone to remind yourself about things that need to be done by a certain date. Always have a list of things that you need to get done so you eliminate the chances of forgetting anything. 

When you're more organized, you'll also be motivated to stay on top of the unfinished tasks on your to-do list.

Making goals every night for the next day helps you get out of bed and get going the next day. Think about what lies ahead and how many things are yet unaccomplished. Create a list in your mind and go to sleep. Don’t overthink about your goals but make sure you keep them in mind.

Right after you wake up, remember the goals. This can help you stay on track and achieve the daily goals. Even if you find yourself procrastinating or distracted, remember the goals and how much they mean to you. Nothing can motivate us better than our desire to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. 

Mindfulness is knowing what is going on inside and outside your body. It has calming and other beneficial effects on our mind, body, and work routine. Many companies including Google offer their employees to enroll in mindfulness training programs to become more productive.

To practice mindfulness, once in a while looking at what you are doing, where you are, and why you are doing it. Let yourself immerse in the thoughts of the present reality and take a deep breath. Your mind can connect better to the outside world when you remind yourself, that you are doing something in the present moment that matters to you. 

The biggest problem of a procrastinator is not knowing that they are procrastinating. In the middle of work or study, they could be doing anything but what they are supposed to be doing. To get rid of procrastination, form a habit of checking what you are doing.

The sooner you catch yourself procrastinating, the sooner you can get back to work. Procrastinators want to change and focus on what’s important but they get easily distracted and start feeling lazy. Acknowledging the fact, that you are procrastinating and important work is pending can motivate you to get back to what you were doing earlier.