{"id":10613,"date":"2012-06-05T23:06:17","date_gmt":"2012-06-06T07:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=10613"},"modified":"2013-09-18T12:36:57","modified_gmt":"2013-09-18T20:36:57","slug":"6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Ways to Beat Procrastination \u2013 on Big and Little Tasks"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/a><\/p>\n

Ask almost anyone what holds them back from reaching their goals, or what bad habit they\u2019d like to overcome, and there\u2019s a good chance they\u2019ll say \u201cprocrastination.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of us procrastinate, at least a little bit. <\/strong>We put off things that we feel we should<\/em> do, and even things that we want<\/em> to do: anything from doing the dishes to writing a book.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, a certain level of putting-things-off is a smart move. After all, if you\u2019ve got a bunch of tasks on your list, you\u2019re much better off prioritizing the important ones and letting the others slide for a few days, instead of running yourself into the ground trying to get everything done.<\/p>\n

Often, though, procrastination is simply a bad habit. If you constantly procrastinate over little tasks, to the extent that they cause problems, or if you never get round to tackling bigger tasks, even though you\u2019d really love to complete some major projects … then read on.<\/p>\n

Big Projects<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve got a big project in mind \u2013 perhaps writing a book, taking a new qualification, or changing careers \u2013 then you probably feel that there\u2019s never enough time. Maybe you\u2019re waiting until you\u2019re not quite so busy, or until you feel more motivated.<\/p>\n

Often, the best way to get motivated is to get moving \u2013 and you may have to make<\/em> time for your goals rather than find<\/em> it. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

#1: Set Yourself a Deadline<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re 30lbs overweight, and you want to get healthier. A sensible goal might be to lose those 30lbs within the next six – nine months. You might want to look for a particular milestone (like a vacation, your next birthday, or Christmas) to help you stay focused.<\/p>\n

Goals often remain dreams until they have a firm timescale attached.<\/strong> Once you\u2019ve set that deadline, you can work backwards and pick milestones to help you keep up a good rate of progress with your project.<\/p>\n

#2: Make it a Priority in Your Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re not really a morning person, making time for a big project first thing can be very powerful \u2013 it gets your day off to the right start. If you wait until all your other tasks are done, you\u2019ll often find that you simply run out of time, or don\u2019t have the energy.<\/p>\n

For personal projects, try setting your alarm 20 minutes early, and spending those 20 minutes making progress.<\/strong> That might mean reading a book related to your goal, doing some research, writing, exercising…<\/p>\n

#3: Be Accountable to Others<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you find yourself hitting \u201csnooze\u201d on the alarm every day, and if your deadline is getting closer and closer without you taking any action, then you need an extra motivational boost. By making other people aware of your goal, you\u2019re much less likely to procrastinate (even if you still feel like it sometimes!)<\/p>\n

You could join a group or club to help you along (offline or online) and get the support of like-minded people.<\/strong> Alternatively, you could simply announce your goal to your friends and family on Facebook: even if they don\u2019t fully understand what you\u2019re trying to achieve, they\u2019ll want to encourage and support you.<\/p>\n

Small Tasks<\/h2>\n

If you find yourself putting off chores and other little tasks, you might think that this isn\u2019t a problem \u2013 especially if you\u2019re making good progress towards your goals. But all those incomplete tasks tend to mount up, and can lead to a lot of wasted time. (If you\u2019ve ever lost one vital piece of paper in the chaos that is your workspace, you\u2019ll know what I mean..!)<\/p>\n

By finding time to take care of the little things, you\u2019ll feel more relaxed and on top of life. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

#4: Batch Similar Tasks Together<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you switch from one task to another, you tend to lose a bit of time \u2013 and concentration. For instance, if you answer one email, then file a few pieces of paper, then update your Facebook page, then answer another email, you make it very easy for procrastination to get the better of you.<\/p>\n

Batching together similar tasks makes it much easier to stay focused and you work more efficiently. <\/strong>This might mean answering all your emails at once, then closing your inbox, or making several phone calls in a row.<\/p>\n

#5: Set a Timer Going<\/strong><\/p>\n

However much you dislike a particular task, it\u2019s on your to-do list for a reason. If you keep putting off the housework, your filing, or some other dreaded chore, try doing it for just 15 minutes. Set a timer going and work on that one task until the time\u2019s up.<\/p>\n

You can face just about anything for 15 minutes<\/strong> … and you may well find that, once you get going, it\u2019s really not so bad as you thought.<\/p>\n

#6: Create a Schedule<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps you tend to procrastinate on some tasks because you simply forget about them \u2013 or remember them at completely the wrong time, like when you\u2019re in the shower or driving to work.<\/p>\n

If you have certain tasks that really should be done on a weekly or monthly basis, put them into your calendar.<\/strong> That way, you won\u2019t have to worry about forgetting them \u2013 and you\u2019ll have time set aside in order to get them done.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Where in your life do you struggle with procrastination \u2013 on your big projects or your small tasks? Let us know your experience (and your tips!) in the comments.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sometimes, a certain level of putting-things-off is a smart move. After all, if you\u2019ve got a bunch of tasks on your list, you\u2019re much better off prioritizing the important ones and letting the others slide for a few days, instead of running yourself into the ground trying to get everything done. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":10615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[30,6],"tags":[4631,66,186,4639,4629],"yoast_head":"\n6 Ways to Beat Procrastination \u2013 on Big and Little Tasks - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Often, though, procrastination is simply a bad habit. If you constantly procrastinate over little tasks, to the extent that they cause problems, or if you never get round to tackling bigger tasks, even though you\u2019d really love to complete some major projects ... then read on.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6 Ways to Beat Procrastination \u2013 on Big and Little Tasks - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Often, though, procrastination is simply a bad habit. If you constantly procrastinate over little tasks, to the extent that they cause problems, or if you never get round to tackling bigger tasks, even though you\u2019d really love to complete some major projects ... then read on.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-06-06T07:06:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-09-18T20:36:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ptb-fb-profpic2-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bigstock-Time-s-Up-1042621.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bigstock-Time-s-Up-1042621.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/\",\"name\":\"6 Ways to Beat Procrastination \u2013 on Big and Little Tasks - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-06-06T07:06:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-09-18T20:36:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"Often, though, procrastination is simply a bad habit. If you constantly procrastinate over little tasks, to the extent that they cause problems, or if you never get round to tackling bigger tasks, even though you\u2019d really love to complete some major projects ... then read on.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"6 Ways to Beat Procrastination \u2013 on Big and Little Tasks\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\",\"name\":\"Erin Falconer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Erin Falconer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"6 Ways to Beat Procrastination \u2013 on Big and Little Tasks - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"Often, though, procrastination is simply a bad habit. If you constantly procrastinate over little tasks, to the extent that they cause problems, or if you never get round to tackling bigger tasks, even though you\u2019d really love to complete some major projects ... then read on.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"6 Ways to Beat Procrastination \u2013 on Big and Little Tasks - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","og_description":"Often, though, procrastination is simply a bad habit. If you constantly procrastinate over little tasks, to the extent that they cause problems, or if you never get round to tackling bigger tasks, even though you\u2019d really love to complete some major projects ... then read on.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_published_time":"2012-06-06T07:06:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-09-18T20:36:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ptb-fb-profpic2-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@pickthebrain","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erin Falconer","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bigstock-Time-s-Up-1042621.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bigstock-Time-s-Up-1042621.jpg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/","name":"6 Ways to Beat Procrastination \u2013 on Big and Little Tasks - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2012-06-06T07:06:17+00:00","dateModified":"2013-09-18T20:36:57+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5"},"description":"Often, though, procrastination is simply a bad habit. If you constantly procrastinate over little tasks, to the extent that they cause problems, or if you never get round to tackling bigger tasks, even though you\u2019d really love to complete some major projects ... then read on.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-beat-procrastination-on-big-and-little-tasks\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"6 Ways to Beat Procrastination \u2013 on Big and Little Tasks"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5","name":"Erin Falconer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Erin Falconer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10613"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10613\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Photo credit: ‘Time’s Up<\/a>‘ by Big Stock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"