Everyone struggles with procrastination.

Personally, I have for years. 

As someone who has completed an associate's, a bachelor's, a master's, and multiple extracurricular courses, procrastination with schoolwork and professional projects has always been a challenge. I vividly remember back in grade school, waiting until the night before to finish science projects, leading to stressful and scarring experiences. These tactics I recommend are the tangible steps I’ve developed to overcome procrastination and create a predictable process.

Here's what I now do instead:

Get It on the Calendar

Scheduling the time to do the work is crucial. 

For some, this might seem a little obsessive. However, if getting the task done really matters to you, then you will quickly understand how putting it on the calendar makes sense. It's about prioritizing what’s important.

Make the Task Small and Manageable

Focus more on the act of doing rather than the completion. 

Keep the time increments small at the start, even down to 15 or 20 minutes. 

When I first started journaling and meditation, I quickly realized that keeping up the routine was way more important at the outset than the progress to the final goal. In the beginning, routine is progress—not necessarily the amount achieved each day.

For example, when I started journaling, I set a timer for 10 to 15 minutes and made a rule not to get up until the timer went off. This approach helped me form the habit. Similarly, at the gym, I set a 45-minute timer and don’t leave until it’s up, ensuring a focused workout.

If after 15 days you are still showing up each day for a small amount of time committed to your task, then that is a win.

Set a Timer

Keep your times short. Often, the hardest time for me to stay focused is in the first 5 minutes. I have now realized that after 5 minutes every additional minute is incrementally more difficult to break away from that current task and then onto the next task. 

Get Clear on Why You Are Doing This

Before diving into the technicalities of habit formation, it's essential to clarify your end vision. 

Why are you doing this? When the going gets tough, a clear “why” can be a rallying cry. 

In a previous piece I wrote I discussed the importance of getting clear on you vision before diving into the technicalities of habit formation.

When I started meditating, sitting down to practice was tough. But I had a vision that I wanted to be someone with a calm mind and being aware of my emotions. While it was not a panacea, this vision state helped to grease the wheels, motivating  me to sit down even for five minutes. And often, after 10 minutes, after feeling fulfilled and euphoric from the calmness I wondered why yet again I hadn’t scheduled to stay longer.

Procrastination can be a formidable foe.

With the right strategies, it's entirely possible to overcome it. Schedule your tasks, break them into manageable chunks, set a timer, and always remember your "why." 

By doing this, you’ll find that what once seemed like an insurmountable challenge becomes a series of small, achievable steps towards success. 

If this resonated with you, please leave a comment below or message me on LinkedIn or X/Twitter!