{"id":3715,"date":"2024-12-29T18:02:57","date_gmt":"2024-12-29T18:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anitasanz.com\/?p=3715"},"modified":"2025-04-09T22:20:19","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T22:20:19","slug":"how-to-stop-procrastinating-a-three-step-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anitasanz.com\/wp-dev\/how-to-stop-procrastinating-a-three-step-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stop Procrastinating: A Three Step Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I\u2019m probably the best procrastinator in the world. I could have procrastinated for England\u2026 if I got round to it and didn\u2019t keep getting distracted by other stuff. But, it made me sad that everyone else got stuff done and I didn\u2019t, so I asked my psychologist friend, Dr Anita Sanz, for some tips on how to stop procrastinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She told me that there are three things that productive people do that procrastinators don\u2019t, and they all involve looking at things differently. I also made a few changes \u2013 tough but necessary changes \u2013 to cut out the distractions that were making it hard for me to stop procrastinating. Be careful though, this stuff works for industrial-scale, world-class procrastination. It might be too extreme for you\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Step 1: Make a Choice<\/strong>. You know you have to get things done. That\u2019s not what the problem is.If just telling yourself \u201cI have to do this\u201d was enough you wouldn\u2019t procrastinate. You already know that \u201cJust Do It!\u201d doesn\u2019t work. In fact, you might have noticed that it often leads to even more stalling. That\u2019s because knowing you have to do something and actually doing it are two very different things.That\u2019s because knowing you have to do something and actually doing it are two very different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is that? The answer is, because we don\u2019t like to be told what we have to do. Even by ourselves! Instead of trying to force yourself, follow the advice of wise psychologist and expert in will-power, William James. James suggests you rephrase any statement that begins with \u201cI have to\u2026\u201d with \u201cI can\u2026 and I have a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you realise you have the power to choose, you\u2019ll be less likely to procrastinate, because you\u2019ll be the one making the important decisions in your life. And the thing is, you do<\/em> have the power to choose. Unless someone\u2019s holding a gun to your head, you don\u2019t have to<\/em> do anything. You don\u2019t have to<\/em> get that project started, pay your taxes or clean up the kitchen before heading for bed. You always<\/em> have a choice, and you are always choosing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What you need to realize though, is that choices have consequences. When you choose not to do something, you\u2019re choosing the consequences. For example, you don\u2019t have to<\/em> work on your project, but if you choose not to, then you are choosing not to pursue your dreams. So, instead of rebelling and refusing to do something, consider whether you choose to take action or you choose the consequences. It\u2019s your choice, and you are in charge.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Step 2: Process not Outcome.<\/strong> Procrastinators are almost always perfectionists in disguise. Perfectionism causes paralysis, because when the perfectionist thinks about a project, the next thought they have is how good it must be. This is outcome-focused thinking \u2013 worrying about what others will think about the project, instead of focusing on the first step in making the project happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, it\u2019s better to use process-focused thinking \u2013 committing to doing the best that you can, deciding to engage in the process. If you chose to just do the best you can, then you reduce the paralysis that comes with perfectionism. Instead, you are free simply to take the steps that, one by one, will get you to the end of the process. And the good news is, there\u2019s a correlation between those who engage without anxiety in the creative process and those who feel happy with their achievements. There\u2019s no guarantee that just because you do your best, you\u2019ll get that good mark, promotion, or public acclaim that you want. But you\u2019ll have something<\/em> to show for your work\u2026 unlike the person who never even gets started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Step 3: Micro-Movements.<\/strong> Many people who procrastinate say they can\u2019t get started on a project because they \u201cdon\u2019t have enough time\u201d or they\u2019re \u201ctoo busy\u201d. There\u2019s a myth in their heads that one day everything will come together: time, energy, caffeine-intake, adrenaline-fueled deadline fear\u2026 and then they\u2019ll \u201cget it done.\u201d They\u2019ve arbitrarily decided they need everything to be perfect before they can get their masterpiece completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sorry, but it\u2019s time to grow up and forget that fantasy \u2013 come back to the real world, and learn the power of working in small bursts. We brush our teeth a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes at night, not for an entire day the day before we have our dental checkup. At least, I hope not! Instead, become flexible. Learn to jot down ideas on your phone. Write out a paragraph on the back of a magazine while waiting for an appointment. Brainstorm or outline drafts between clients. I call these micro-movements\u2014moving forward a bit at a time. As well as seizing those opportunities, schedule short bursts of time to work on your project. Whatever gets done in that burst is great \u2013 congratulate yourself! Again, engage in the process, not the outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And note that planning, organizing, and brainstorming counts. If you schedule twenty minutes every morning to work on your story, and you spend those twenty minutes thinking about how your main character would eat a sandwich, that counts, even if you don\u2019t write a word.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dr<\/em>.\u00a0Anita Sanz<\/em>, PhD, Psychologist<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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