5 Daily Habits to Help You Overcome Procrastination

I could not overcome procrastination for many years. Whenever I postponed a decision, pressed the snooze button to get more sleep, delayed going to the gym, or did not complete my tasks because I did not feel like it, I always had a justification for continuous postponement.

Note: This article is by Darius Foroux, who tells us about his experience in overcoming procrastination.

Sometimes, I am tired, or this task can wait until tomorrow. Still, being the person in charge of your life, you may often look at productivity tips, applications, or tools as the magic solution to your problems, but this also means that you hold external factors responsible for your lack of productivity, such as saying:

• “It's not my fault; the laptop is old-fashioned and annoying, and I can't work that way.”
• "The office is too noisy."
• “People keep calling and emailing me.”
• “I never have time.”

Overcoming procrastination is a psychological battle; I have many examples of this in my personal life. In 2013, I felt like I was standing still; two years earlier, I had started working with my father, but two years later, I became anxious because I wanted to do more and learn more.

So, I did some freelancing, created websites, and worked on content writing, advertising marketing, and some design work, but it didn't work. I never did a hard job; instead, I found a job to escape those difficult tasks.

We all run away sometimes

It is challenging to create a new business or profession, as it requires you to do difficult, boring, and unsatisfactory tasks, and if you want more clients or work, one of them will not simply come and present it to you.

Still, you have to struggle for it, so try to find some side business such as content writing, retailing, or any way you use to grow your business. If you want to progress within the company, you have to form alliances, have strategic thinking, achieve your goals, and be creative in what you do.

You have to do this, and most of us already know these things, or you will figure it out for yourself; there is no such thing as the secret of success at work. However, we prefer to run away from work, and this is the essence of procrastination for me.

You know what you need to do, but you don't. Instead, you open a news website and start reading useless news or scroll through Instagram stories without liking one picture because you hate your life; you might browse popular clothing websites or any online store you want.

This struggle to overcome procrastination, which I still suffer from to some extent, is the story of my life. For example, I am now trying to write a new book, and all my ideas are ready, and I have a title for it, too, but starting to write is very difficult for me.

So, I look for rest; I answer emails, read articles, go for coffee, shop online, and work on repetitive tasks to run my business, not because I'm disorganized but because I'm fighting myself.

The American writer Steven Pressfield calls this psychological enemy of resistance in his classic book The War of Art, which he says about it: "Resistance is always false and full of folly."

Overcome procrastination by performing tasks on time

"Do not put off today's work until tomorrow," I must constantly remind myself of that. When I procrastinate, I want to postpone my tasks for the next day, and I still like to do that. It is inherent in us, but the difference between my situation now and my situation three years ago is small and simple. I now rely on a specific system to live a productive, happy, and purposeful life.

Previously, I had no idea how to overcome procrastination and get things done. I always gave up quickly, feeling helpless, unhappy, and frustrated, but now, I have found a way to overcome my challenges.

I did this by following these five habits:

1. Activate mental strength daily

I used to neglect my mental strength. I was mentally weak, thought a lot, and did not rely on myself, and this was not because of my lack of skills but because I did not trust my ability to discover things.

So, I began to read about Stoicism, pragmatism, mental alertness, or anything that helps me control my thoughts and improve my mental strength. I do not want to be a slave to my ideas; I want the complete opposite.

2. Exercise daily

When I do not exercise, I feel anxious and lack focus, energy, and confidence. By training my mind and body every day, I am always ready to face difficult challenges during the day. I have learned that overcoming procrastination begins before fighting the war. Soldiers do not go to war without training, so keep your mental and physical health.

3. Follow a set of daily habits that help me control my life

I write, read, set my daily priorities, do not read useless topics, and interact with my friends and family daily. Human communication is essential and gives me a sense of calm and rationality. I have no high expectations in life; I enjoy my days and look no further.

4. Identify a list of small important tasks I need to complete

Let's take my new book, for example. I often want to run away from difficult things like starting to write, so I tell myself today is inappropriate and postpone work for later. Still, every time I think of it this way, I open a small to-do list and work on one of these things today.

5. Study and practice the science of persuasion to deliver my message

My coach taught me: “You can be the best writer and teacher in the world, but if no one knows about it, you can't make an impact. Persuasion science helps you write better presentations, apply letters, emails, etc.

In conclusion

Of course, it takes time to overcome procrastination, develop this strategy's foundation, and more effort. Though it is not difficult, living a productive life is also not easy.

It is undoubtedly not about technology or quick solutions but about developing a sustainable system to build your life, career, and work. Whatever your system is to live a productive life, start with it today, not tomorrow.