Do you have trouble persuading yourself to do the things you should do or even the stuff you’d LIKE to do? Instead of working on important, useful tasks, you find yourself performing distraction activities – that you then pretend to yourself are useful. We procrastinate on tasks that we find difficult, unpleasant or just plain boring! We’ve all been there and done it. But you can overcome it.

Here are 5 ways you can kill off procrastination.

Hang out with people that inspire and encourage you.

It is quite certain that when you spend time talking with similar, hardworking people, you will be more inspired to work and act than do nothing. We know that other people influence our behaviour. Find the people who bring positive influence in your life. You could also hang out with experts in personal development, as these people can give you more tips on how to deal with procrastination using the right approaches. My Growth Group is a lovely place to start! It’s a small group of empowered, determined women who are carving out a happier life. With a mental health overarch and a non-judgement policy, it’s the perfect safe space!

Create a timeline or schedule of tasks that need to be performed, along with respective deadlines.

Timelines are essential to any project or to-do list. They are not only helpful in organising the work that needs to be done, but it holds you accountable for completing the work. They encompass what you will accomplish and help you to set clear direction and priorities.

Prioritise projects and tasks in order of great importance.

Keep priorities and deadlines in mind at all times. Getting things done, no matter how big or small the task is, gives you an instant buzz, helps you feel a sense of achievement and has tons of benefits to both your professional and personal life. Overcoming procrastination makes you more organised and persistent with your work or tasks, meaning you are more productive. Use my free Box of Productivity download to start Planning Like A Pro!!

Allocate additional time to complete your jobs and meet deadlines.

Saving everything for the last minute will just invite catastrophe and stress (I cannot stress how much I know this as a proper lastminute.com woman!) Our days don’t always go to plan. Maybe the car wouldn’t start so you were late to visit a potential client, or your child was sick so you couldn’t work for some of the day, or maybe your laptop died a sad, dramatic death! These unplanned occurrences can’t be helped, so allocating yourself a sensible, maybe even generous, amount of time to complete a task is super important.

Set specific goals and create an action plan to beat procrastination.

If you want to accomplish things, you need to determine if your goals are realistic. By doing this, you are able to get a clear visualisation of what you really want to achieve in life. When you have set your goals, you can start meeting them by being committed. You need to have great focus – and remember no goal is too small.  You must be patient and realistic and keep in mind that most big goals cannot be reached overnight – so stop comparing yourself with people “ahead” of you. It’s not a fair comparison.

When you accomplish things, tick tasks off or reach your goal, you should reward yourself for your effort in getting things done. Many of us are caught up in working continuously (me!) and we forget to relax and reward ourselves. If you keep on working long hours, you might also end up exhausted and this can trigger procrastination and even burnout. But if you take even a short break, you may end up more energised and productive.