How To Stop Procrastinating At Work

A few years ago, in 2007, psychologist Piers Steel outlined a scary prospect: procrastination is getting worse in the United States. Steel, an academic at the University of Calgary, suggests that Americans are more prone to procrastination in the present day than we ever were before. “Virtually all of us have at least dallied with dallying,” he concedes, but college students have it the worst: “estimates indicate that 80%–95% of college students engage in procrastination”; “approximately 75% consider themselves procrastinators”; some “students [report] that it typically occupies over one third of their daily activities, often enacted through sleeping, playing, or TV watching.” Sound familiar?

Even worse than that general prognosis is the cause behind the influx. Steel suggests that as procrastination is on the rise, so too are some apparent catalysts: unstructured work and lack of “imposed direction” in the workplace. And even more striking? “The prevalence and availability of temptation…in the forms of computer gaming or internet messaging” are ever-present. If procrastinators put off long-term gains in favor of short-term pleasure, our immediately gratifying technology-driven world is a scary enabler.

So how do you stop? (Or, since we’re talking about procrastination here…how do you start?) There’s no easy fix, and since the problem starts internally, it’s gotta end there too. But at least there are some tools that’ll help you lure yourself out of the vicious cycle.

Check out our list of tips for how to stop procrastinating below:

• Make a to-do list and set reminders. Plenty of us procrastinate not only because we’d rather lounge than work, but because we don’t even want to think about a hard task to begin with. Nothing’s gonna make you want to work, but forcing yourself to remember that you have to work is a good start. When you put on a movie or boot up your video game console you’re often doing your best to shut down mentally for a couple hours. And while there’s nothing wrong with taking a break, fooling yourself into relaxation isn’t the best way. Making a to-do list and setting up reminders will at least force you to think about how you’re spending your time, which is the first step, if nothing else.
• Complete an easy task first. If you can’t see the end of a project, the beginning is all the more daunting. But if you can get a little bit done, or complete a primary and easy task, then the sense of accomplishment might provide a little inspirational momentum.
• Complete the hardest task first. Sometimes it’s all the little things that bog you down and clutter up your day. So when it feels like there are too many things to do, tackling a big project first might help carve out some mental space.
• Plan your breaks. Rather than trying to dig your way out of a relaxing rut, work towards them. Planning your breaks out gives you something to work for and puts a determinable end in sight.
• Get up and walk around. Sure, you’re probably not getting too much work done while you take a walk around the block (or office), but at least you stopped playing Candy Crush Saga for a while. Getting up and away from your desk (or off the couch) will help clear your head, and sometimes a little exercise is more relaxing than sitting around.