How to stop procrastinating and get things done. This is what today’s post is all about.

We all tend to procrastinate sometimes. Either because we can’t organize our lives well or because the tasks are too overwhelming for us. You know what I’m talking about.

How many times have you told yourself to finish something later, only to forget like the hundreds of other times? Its happened so many times to me that I can’t even count. I, of course, would find all kinds of excuses for why I didn’t need to finish something. And with that, my task list just grows and grows with no end in sight.

THIS IS WHAT WORKS FOR ME

Write it down.

This is a big one. If you don’t write “it” down, you’re more likely to forget about it. So right after you decide you have to do something write it down. Put it in your reminders, add it to your calendar or even in a regular notebook. Have one that you carry with you everywhere and make sure you use it. I personally love the reminders app on my phone. You can move things around easily and organize your tasks in order of priority.

 

Time block.

So there are many ways to time block. You can use any timer, app or tool. But I recommend you download the app “Focus“. It’s super easy to use, and it’s a real life changer. Basically, choose one thing you want to do and set the timer on the app for 25 minutes. Then only do that one thing. Don’t go on Facebook or check your Instagram, don’t pop in a load of laundry, just focus on that one specific task. Once you are done, you get a 5-minute break. You decide how you want to use those 5 minutes. Go on social media, read an article, do whatever relaxes you. These are your 5 minutes. Then once you are done, you move on to the next task. You’d be surprised how much you can get done when you have a timer running.

Honestly, this has worked so well for me that I even time block my daughter’s day. She gets easily distracted and tends to spend hours on one thing. So instead of telling her, go and do your homework, I tell her to set the timer on her iPad for 25 minutes and do as much homework as she can in that time. Once she is done, she gets a break. She knows that the faster she finishes all of her homework the faster she can play or watch her favorite show. Most of the times she is able to finish her homework in 25 to 40 minutes, instead of 2-3 hours.

Break big tasks into smaller tasks.

Big tasks can be overwhelming, making procrastination look like an easy fix if you are stressed out. Break the big task into smaller ones and do them one by one. For example, we just moved into a new place. After our big move to the Netherlands two years ago, we sold pretty much all of our belongings. No couch, no dining table, nothing. So I had a million things to do. Feeling extremely overwhelmed, I ended up postponing tasks for later.

The problem with postponing tasks is that new tasks won’t stop coming your way.

So what worked for me instead of adding “Decorate the house” as my task, was making a list of everything we needed and added each thing as a separate task on my list. I started with the things we needed the most, and little by little tasks were checked off.

Give yourself a deadline.

Any task without a deadline is a task you can postpone for months from now. I learned that the hard way, so now I set deadlines for everything. Like places we have to go, things we need to do, everything. I’m not joking. My husband thinks I’m nuts, but this is just what works for me, so I don’t go crazy.

Reward yourself.

It may not seem like an important step but it is. The reward is what you are going to look forward to at the end of each day. And that same reward (how little or big it may be) is going to give you the motivation to continue the next day.

So these are my 5 steps on how to stop procrastinating and get things done. What works for you?

// JACKET // PANTS // SUNGLASSES //

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