Do you often catch yourself wasting time instead of spending it on tasks that matter? Do you always feel guilty when you can’t catch up with deadlines or fail to finish anything of significance?

Although many people share this bad habit of procrastination, it doesn’t mean that it is a habit worth continuing. You have to correct it as soon as you notice it, if you want to avoid disappointing yourself over and over again. The worst case scenario is when procrastination causes depression and lack of self-worth, as you see yourself wasting your time and your opportunities to succeed in life.

There might even be a time when getting started is a challenge in itself, but you need to change this behavior if you don’t want to establish it as a habit that you can’t abandon for life. You need to get yourself moving and get started on your to-do list.

If you find yourself procrastinating, then consider doing these things and making a habit out of them:

  • Manage your time better by starting your day with a to-do list. Write down all the tasks that you want to finish for the day and arrange them by priority. It would be even better if you make your list the night before so you can get started on it first thing in the morning.
  • Get up early with an alarm. Don’t waste your time by procrastinating in bed because this can delay all the other tasks for the day and you’ll end up chasing time. Being an hour ahead of your tasks can give you a sense of satisfaction rather than catching up with deadlines.
  • Break your tasks down into smaller tasks. That way, you will avoid feeling overwhelmed about all the things that you need to do. Once you get that sense of satisfaction from accomplishing a small task or two, you will likely have the motivation to finish all your tasks for the day.
  • Learn to negotiate with yourself. If you finish your tasks, you can go out with friends later, watch a movie with them, or reward yourself with a trip.
  • Don’t spend too much time in front of the TV. You might not notice how much time you waste on your favorite TV programs. Be picky in choosing your TV programs, or record them, and watch them only when you’re done with your tasks. This might even serve as a good reward to get you through your tasks because you know that you can relax later.
  • Give yourself a break, especially when everyone has lazy days too! However, don’t overdo it. Instead, imagine how happy you’ll feel once you reach your goals. Visualization is an effective tool to help replenish your energy and motivation to make your dream a reality.
  • Punish yourself with a consequence if you can’t finish your tasks. For instance, if you don’t work out three times a week, you have to stay at home during the weekends.
  • Feed off on your fear to get you going. Fear is an intense emotion. If you focus on the things that you don’t want to happen, you can use it in your favor. Write down exactly what might happen or how you will feel if you fail to achieve your goals after a certain time. Be honest about what it would cost you if you continue doing nothing and failing.
  • Be accountable. Find a support team or someone who will hold you accountable. Make time to check-in with them regularly and tell them what you are up to, where you are in your journey towards achieving your goals, and what your support team can do to help. They could help you recall about your past achievements or kick-start the changes that you need to do in life.
  • Be brave. It is important that you build momentum when you start doing something. Starting today, stop making excuses and fight your laziness. You can start small, as long as it takes you forward towards the direction of achieving your goals. Take that first step, second step, and so on. Start now!