It’s hard to find someone that has never had to overcome procrastination. It’s a common problem because most people naturally put off activities that they don’t enjoy.

On some days, procrastination might be a more difficult problem for you to conquer than others. One day you might sail along smoothly and the next you might not feel like leaving your bed. While everyone has a bad day from time to time, it’s also a good idea to overcome a procrastinating mindset.

Consider these following tips to help overcome procrastination:

1. Take small steps. When you’re putting off starting a large project it may be because it seems like a huge task that’ll eat up all of your time. Instead of expecting yourself to work for hours on end, try starting with 10 minutes. This will get you going on it and then it will be easier to continue.

2. Give yourself breaks. While sitting down for 8 hours to complete a task sounds daunting, try dividing it up into small steps and take a break when you complete each step. Another method is to give yourself a 10 minute break every hour.

   • Go for a walk in the fresh air, surf the ‘net, or text a friend on your break. Doing so will refresh your mind so you can get back to your project with renewed energy.

3. Make a plan. It’s easy to continue on the path of procrastination when your goals remain unclear. Give yourself a strict deadline if necessary. Write down the tasks you need to complete and the details of those tasks. It’s a way of holding yourself accountable for what is or isn’t done at the end of the day.

4. Get to the root of the problem. Sometimes there’s an underlying reason why you’ve been procrastinating on one specific issue. You might not be able to identify this reason until you really think about it. If you can identify the reason, you might solve your procrastination problem for that specific issue.

5. Reward yourself. While a break might seem like a reward, you can promise yourself other types of rewards for completing tough tasks. Decide on something you want to have or want to do. Allow yourself this luxury once you’ve completed the task at hand.

6. Believe in yourself. When you believe in yourself, you gain a passion for life and an enthusiasm that will help you get through the day. Once you believe in yourself, you have the power to overcome procrastination and reach your ultimate goals in life.

7. Do the least-liked task first. When your day consists of many tasks you need to complete, start with the one that’s hanging over your head. While you might be procrastinating against all of them, once the bad ones are out of the way, your day will improve.

8. Schedule fun tasks, too! It’s important to make time for yourself, so enjoyable tasks should be a part of your day, too. Since your to-do list is usually packed with undesirable tasks, you should include enjoyable activities as well.

   • For example, if you want to play volleyball on Tuesday nights, write it down on your to-do list. When you cross it off your list, you’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something important – and you have!

Practice these techniques to help you fight procrastination and soon you’ll find that much of your stress has melted away and you’ll have more time for enjoying the things you love the most! Here are some more ways to turn the procrastination habit around: The Habit Of Procrastination: A Procrastinator’s Guide to Becoming More Punctual.