Most of us procrastinate. We criticise ourselves for it and feel bad about it. Yet we continue to do it. Why? Because of at least three things: our own flawed thought processes, an intolerance for certain feelings (like stress or boredom), and the lack of healthy habits and processes (bad discipline).

You may use strategies that specifically address these issues if you are aware of them. You may prevent the major issues that your habits of delay are producing by minimising little instances of procrastination, such as when you drag your feet and begin a project just before its deadline.

Ways you can stop procrastinating:

1. Changing Habits- Procrastination is said to be caused by a lack of discipline. Procrastinators prefer entertainment and fun over hard work. They don’t have good systems and habits. Trying these approaches might help you stop procrastinating:

• Consistently plan your significant work- Your major long-term project should be your main emphasis. For example, it can require creating a business plan, doing extensive data analysis, or authoring a book. Deep work is normally difficult, but if you persistently perform it every day in a regular routine, it will get easier.
• Develop a method for starting new tasks- What about tasks you’re taking on for the first time that seem out of your comfort zone? If you have a well-established method for addressing fresh jobs, you’ll be less prone to put them off. You’ll develop your own particular form of habit when you face something new, which will reduce decision fatigue over where to begin. For example, Think about three possible approaches to the task first. After that, perform a premortem analysis to determine what is most likely to go wrong. Next, determine how much time you should allot to the work. Finally, look for ways to easily test your ideas.

2. Emotions- Negative emotions tend to make us avoid tasks. When you’re stressed out, you’re more likely to procrastinate. Even basic tasks, like responding to emails, might feel difficult in this mood. Ways to work on it:

• Untangle your emotions- It’s helpful to assess how much each emotion is influencing your attitude toward a task when it comes to procrastination. Writing a presentation for your boss, for instance, can cause you to experience anxiety at a level of 8, resentment at a level of 6, and boredom at a level of 4. After you know that, you may talk to each emotion separately. You may evaluate how successful you are at minimising them with the help of the rating system. For example, If a task bores you, plan a reward for finishing it or complete it in a more enjoyable manner, such as with enjoyable colleagues. Another instance, when anything makes you nervous, start with the part that worries you the least and work your way up from there.
• Self-compassion can help you get over troubling memories- Sometimes our feelings toward a task are influenced by an earlier experience. Check to see whether it has anything to do with an experience from your youth, early career, or more current job. Also think about if the tasks and memories involved follow any patterns.Lots of convincing research demonstrates that using kind self-talk can help you recover from these emotional scars. An illustration of how that sounds is as follows: “I’ve been dissatisfied in the past with my performance, and that’s making me nervous. That sensation is common and reasonable. But back then, I was a beginner; I’m not anymore. Learning from experience is acceptable. Find self-talk that works for you, then repeat it.

3. Your Thinking Patterns- If you struggle in certain areas but are generally disciplined in others, certain thought patterns may be to fault. Many people tend to underestimate the intricacy of activities that have extended deadlines, for example. However, certain cognitive characteristics that contribute to procrastination are quite personal.

• Brainstorming in reverse- When used in relation to procrastination, it is imagining how you would make your work impossible to do or how you would truly want to avoid completing it. You may then come up with their opposites, which will help you feel less blocked, after you have the solutions.
• Learn to accept friction-filled work- Those that are easy to do but are familiar and relatively productive might feel more rewarding than tasks that are novel, more challenging, but have more potential value. Because of this, we frequently decide to do unimportant tasks rather than taking on tasks that would have a greater impact. Remember that even though it may not seem like it, if you show up to perform critical job and approach it as strategically as you can, you will make progress. You’ll procrastinate less if you can tolerate difficult tasks better.
• Limit yourself to short work periods- We frequently think we need long work sessions when a job is necessary or we’ve been putting it off. This kind of thinking is typically the result of self-criticism brought on by guilt about missed productivity. However, the idea of working tirelessly on a difficult subject all day often leads to greater procrastination. For example, set aside 10 minutes today to work on whatever it is you’re avoiding, then pick it up again tomorrow. You may get over the initial emotional hurdle by taking a little step today.