5 tips to help you stop delaying your tasks

Keep missing deadlines? Have you been delaying a training course for months now? Find out why you keep delaying your tasks and discover 5 tips to help you stop procrastinating your tasks in this article.

Are you reading this article while you are wating for 'inspiration' to start working on your task? Maybe your deadline is in three weeks, that means you can read this article before you start on it, right? There are plenty of excuses you can use to delay your tasks: from 'I have a hard time focussing' to 'I work better when the pressure is on' and 'no I need to relax first, after I've done that, I will start working on my task'.

Up to 20 percent of all adults delays (or procrastinates) their tasks, according to science magazine Quest. 95% of this group is unhappy with their current attitude.

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Do you find these numbers unsettling?

Don't click away just yet. You might think this is another article, written by a planning expert, to tell you how to do better. But I'm not an expert in planning - I know exactly how you feel.

As procrastination specialist, I have almost missed a lot of deadlines. I like to write articles an hour before the deadline ('because the story exists in my head, I just need to come up with a good sentence to start with'), friends leave their house an hour later if they have an appointment with me because I never get somewhere on time and I also like to learn new things whenever it fits my schedule (and by that I mean: when the need has become so urgent I can't delay it any further). It's a miracle I have never missed a deadline or forgot to pay an invoice - because I delay almost everything.

Why do I (and this applies to you too) keep delaying my tasks?

In order to change your behavior, you need to understand where it's coming from. There are multiple reasons (reasons, not excuses) why you and I have difficulty starting things on time.

1. It's genetic
   According to Quest, people that are impulsive, often delay their tasks. This is something you don't have much control over, because according to reseach by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, how impulsive we are stems from our genetics.
2. You are frustrated easily
   According to Psychologie Magazine, people who get frustrated easily tend to procrastinate more. You might finish tasks you like to do on time, but as soon as a task becomes frustrating, you delay it like there is no tomorrow, in hopes it will just dissapear eventually.
3. You preform better when the pressure is on
   It's simple actually: you don't start your work when you still have plenty of time before the deadline. You start when the task becomes urgent - because why would you work on something for three weeks, when you can get it done in one?

Is the reason you keep delaying your work not listed? You might be lazy, or easily distracted, or suffer from fear of faillure, or you might be such a perfectionist, it get's in your way. There are hundreds of reasons possible why you would delay your work (and while you are thinking about these reasons, you can delay it some more.)

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What can I do?

Once you have discovered the reason for your procrastination, it's time to think about the solution. You might get away with missing a deadline once, but once it starts happening more frequently, you get into trouble. That's something you would like to prevent.

Read tips to manage your tasks better below.

1. Make sure to have short-term deadlines before the final deadline
   My favorite tasks to delay are the ones that aren't urgent enough.
   
   Make your tasks more urgent by setting mini deadlines for yourself. You can also ask your supervisor to help you with this.
   
   Make sure you have multiple of these mini-deadlines before the final deadline. By doing this, you get a sense of urgency (and you stay motivated). When the final deadline comes, you don't have to start from scratch. You will probably have the majority of your task done by then.
2. Divide your work into smaller assignments
   If I put the task 'Newsletter including 8 articles' in my list of things to do, chances are I start working on it a week before teh deadline. But if I set deadlines for articles in my agenda throughout the month, I probably won't start last minute.
   
   This is something that might work for you too: divide the big assignment into smaller ones. By doing this, you won't have to do a large amount of work at the end of the month.
3. Avoid distractions
   I spend approximately three hours every day starting at my phone. If I want to finish something, I have to put my phone away. In an ideal world I would have the self control to not stare at my phone constantly - but we don't live in such a world - so in the meantime I just put time limits on my apps when I really have to finish something. That way, I am not able to grab my phone to quickly update LinkedIn or write a WhatsApp message to someone.
   
   Avoid things that distract you. Easier said than done - but there are apps to help you with this lack of discipline. Put time limits on your apps, set your status on Microsoft Teams to 'Do Not Disturb' and turn all notifications of applications you don't need in that moment, off. That way, you won't get distracted when you get a new e-mail.
4. Make sure there is a reward
   Finished a task that frustrated you? Take your time and do something you do enjoy, or go for a walk, send that message you've been wanting to send for an hour or do something else to reward yourself with. If you reward yourself for finishing a task, you motivation increases.
5. Repeat these new habits
   Started with the tips in this article or other tips and tricks to avoid procrastination? Keep repeating what you started doing differently. When you do this, the new habits you made will actually stick. If you have divided your task into smaller tasks once, but you never do it again, you will fall back into your old pattern. If you repeat what you have learned continuously, you can break old habits.

What about training?

Great, all these tips to stop delaying your tasks, but what about training? Procrastinaters (like the one writing this article) like to learn when it suits them best, at their own pace and about a wide range of topics. You prefer to get your knowledge when you need it most, because you probably aren't great at planning.

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_{The following sources were used in the process of writing this article: Quest, Psychologie Magazine.}

_{Charlotte Boudesteijn is procrastination and distraction expert and content specialist at Global Knowledge.}