Spent all day answering emails instead of diving into a career-defining project? Schedule another meeting to discuss an action plan instead of immediately starting implementation? None of us has escaped procrastination at work. Though it influences the team’s performance, hardly any employee dares to discuss this problem with a manager. But how does one deal with an unrecognized problem in the workplace?
That’s where the Headway app can come in handy. It provides fun and easy growth for everyone, helping people become a better version of themselves, develop soft skills, and defeat procrastination. Headway recently launched a corporate subscription program for boosting teams’ growth. So providing your employees with corporate access can unlock your team’s new level of productivity.
Already wondering how it works? Read this article and get ready to eliminate procrastination.
What’s really behind procrastination?
Many people think procrastination results from poor time management, and some believe it is all about laziness. Hence, they try to overcome it with time management techniques or self-commitment plans that eventually don’t work. Indeed, the reasons for procrastination differ, and so do the effective solutions.
Modern psychology considers procrastination a coping mechanism to avoid unpleasant emotions caused by a specific task or action by doing something with a more positive experience. For example, you need to start a new project, but it is so complicated and unclear that you would rather turn to some habitual tasks or take one more coffee break and postpone that new project to tomorrow.
To escape procrastination, you must cheat on your brain. Simply put, you have to make it believe that all you are going to do will bring only positive emotions. More importantly, you need to make this approach a sustainable habit. How do you do it? Follow the next three tips to learn more about how to root out procrastination from your workflow with the Headway app.
5 Tips to Getting Rid of Procrastination
Tip 1 — Turn complex tasks into small and clear ones
The vast amount of information we receive daily from various sources, too many choices, and a large number of decisions to make paralyzes many people. And here comes procrastination. That’s the case where prioritization can help. Here are some tried and true ways to do it:
If you deal with a big project, transform it into small goals according to SMART criteria (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound).
Divide large and complex tasks into small ones that you can complete in one day or several hours.
Try to plan no more than two or three critical daily tasks and focus on them.
Lower the bar of expectations and don’t try to accomplish a task all at once. Think of it as an MVP that you can improve afterward.
Don’t forget to record your performance in the task tracker. Ticking done tasks is always satisfying and boosts motivation.
Do weekly reviews of your progress.
Say ‘‘no’’ to any extra work that doesn’t lead to achieving your goals.
The 10 Best Books on Procrastination
You can share these techniques with your team and help them boost their productivity with the Headway app. You will find core ideas from world-recognized nonfiction bestsellers on productivity and even accept a personalized challenge to eliminate procrastination.
Tip 2 — Сhange perspective from “I have to do it” to “I want to do it.”
Sometimes procrastination indicates that we don’t want to do certain things. So, try shifting from “I have to do it” to “I want to do it.” But don’t forget to find compelling reasons why.
For example, you have to make a usual monthly project analysis, but you postpone this task for the third day. Think about the benefits you will gain from it, such as getting numbers confirming the excellent performance you can share to inspire your team.
You can also link your actions with rewards when dealing with unpleasant tasks. For example, after answering all your emails, arrange a dinner with friends, get a massage, or take 15 minutes for fun and easy learning with the Headway app on any topic of interest.
Tip 3 — Procrastinate with a purpose
Procrastination commonly causes guilt and shame, exacerbating delaying important work, driving you into a downward spiral, and hindering productivity. However, there is a way out.
The next time you catch yourself indulging in procrastination, analyze what kind of tasks caused it. Continue to monitor your procrastination for a week to discern its causes. Awareness of the problem is an essential step toward solving it. Perhaps, this may lead you to delegate some responsibilities that no longer spark you off.
As soon as you notice that you are procrastinating, try to take advantage of it. This way, you change passive procrastination to a conscious choice to distract from work for a while. And after that, get back to work with fresh thoughts and a motivation boost. Don’t forget to share this approach with your team members.
During your break, you can take 15 minutes to listen to or read a book summary, watch visual explainers, or get your portion of inspiration with daily insights on the Headway app. The variety of engaging content formats on the Headway app inspires more than 12M people all over the world to gain knowledge on Productivity, Business & Career, Happiness, Leadership, Money & Investments, Health, Negotiation, and many more topics. So you can turn your procrastination habit into a learning one for all of your employees and help them become even more productive and happier.
