When you’re setting goals, it’s important to remember that doing the work to achieve them doesn’t come easy. Even with your best efforts to stop procrastinating on your goals, you will sometimes find yourself stalling and not following through with the commitments you made to yourself. When this happens, use these eight tips to help you get back on track and stay there.
Video: https://youtu.be/0p2UpJzxgG0?si=rzM3LDxy19Kzk1gx
1) Break Down Large Goals into Bite-Sized Actions
No matter how large your goal is, it can be broken down into a series of smaller actions. This helps you get started and prevents perfectionism. When you feel paralyzed by an insurmountable task, sit down and make a list of everything that needs to be done, starting with the first step. Then move on to action number two and so on until you’ve taken concrete steps toward completing your goal.
2) Write Down Your Next Steps in an Organized Way
Whenever you think about what you need to do, make sure you actually take some action. Instead of writing your goals down and letting them collect digital dust, use a system that’s optimized for getting stuff done. For example, instead of just listing out tasks in a document or on paper, create an outline with deadlines and next steps (i.e., create a business plan by June 1; write an executive summary by July 1; submit a business plan to investors by August 1). This will help you visualize how far along you are in completing each goal—and how much work is left before it’s complete.
3) Complete One Task a Day
So you don’t procrastinate on your goals. So what? If all you do is work on one thing every day, then tomorrow there will be another task waiting for you—and so will next week and next month. Break it down into little pieces, and complete one small part of it each day. It’s a long-term strategy, but ultimately it pays off when you achieve your goal instead of letting tomorrow become today without making any progress.
4) Focus Only on Today’s Tasks
When we look at what’s ahead, it’s easy to feel like we have a lot of work to do—so much that it becomes intimidating. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, focus only on your today’s tasks. Once you take care of them, then you can think about tomorrow. This is easier said than done, but it will help you manage your time better by breaking down bigger projects into manageable tasks and goals.
5) Create a Structure Around Your Life That Helps You Do This
If you have trouble getting yourself going, then structure can be your best friend. Get up early, when there are fewer distractions. Consider a morning ritual that helps get you motivated and moving—like meditating or jogging before you begin work. It’s important not to overload your days; instead of waiting until a project is due to start, focus on doing one thing at a time and completing it before taking on another task. This way, you won’t be overwhelmed by having too much to do in too little time. Finally, schedule breaks throughout your day: even if they’re just five minutes long, breaks will help prevent burnout and give you more energy for what comes next. Need help planning and staying organized? Try this planner to help you get back on track (12 Month Planner Paperback).
6) Make Tomorrow’s Tasks Easier by Doing Today’s Work
If you’re struggling with procrastination, one of your best weapons is actually an old-fashioned approach: To-do lists. They’ve been around for decades for a reason—they work! Make sure to add tasks from today onto tomorrow’s list, so that when tomorrow comes around, all you have to do is review what needs to be done and knock it out.
7) Practice Batching Important Tasks
Studies show that by practicing batching together similar tasks in one block of time, we can actually increase our productivity significantly. For example, rather than emailing your contacts individually during business hours, spend a few hours at once sending out emails. Instead of eating three times a day, try eating six times over two or three days instead. The more you practice it, the better you’ll get.
8) Give Yourself Recurring Reminders to Stay on Track
One of our favorite apps for Android, Sunrise Calendar, has a great feature that allows you to schedule recurring reminders. This way, no matter what day it is, you’ll be getting reminders about your goals at regular intervals—which will not only remind you to stay on track but also keep you motivated. It’s an excellent way to stay focused on your progress. You can set these up as alerts through any calendar app or email system you have installed on your phone or computer. We recommend setting them up through Google Calendar so they sync across all devices and are easy to manage in one place.
