So, it is Friday afternoon and the clock is ticking. You are working hard to finish off that meeting with the client and resume the pending task that you promised yourself to finish today. But, instead of doing anything, you start cursing yourself and the time.

It is not the time that is affecting you, it is your procrastination. Procrastination is lethal if you do not do anything about it.

That meeting you missed because you were too busy checking your schedule for the day. That client you missed because you’re too busy in talking with your colleague.

Sound familiar? If so, you're not alone!

According to the well-known scientist, procrastination is a natural thing, but what you do with that procrastination is all the makes the difference.

You can either procrastinate or do nothing about it, or you can do creative procrastination.

What is Creative Procrastination?

Creative procrastination is making use of your commute time. This means doing something productive when you feel like procrastinating.

A good example is the morning pages. When to wake up in the morning, you feel all lazy. Feeling lazy is natural, but you can use that laziness to write things down.

Morning pages is a way to jot down your thoughts at the start of your day. This simple habit when done right can help leaders turn their ideas into reality.

Leaders can analyze data and take out something from it.

Because in the morning our brain is in the highest form of thinking and figuring out things. And if we do something in that time we can surely make it to some good use.

To overcome procrastination, you need to follow the below-mentioned steps.

Step 1: Identify That You're Procrastinating

The first step to improving anything is to know that you have a problem.

Being mindful will help you take care of this problem. When I was about to start my mobile app development agency it took me a week to clear the clutter off my mind and focus at the task at hand.

One identification of you being procrastinating is finding yourself doing the following tasks again and again:

• Checking emails again and again
• Filling your day with low-priority tasks
• Leaving out items from to-do list for a long time, even when they are important.
• Starting a high-priority task and then going for a Coffee to forget about the task.
• Asking other people to do your task

Whenever you find yourself in the following task list, just shake yourself and come back to the present moment.

Step 2: Figure out why you’re procrastinating

You need to understand the reasons why you are procrastinating before you can begin to tackle it. If you have a clear vision of what outcome you want, it would solve half of your problem.

For instance, if you feel that you’re delaying a task, you know that you’re procrastinating.

You need to work on the solution right at that moment. What is making you lazy?

Is it the delay in the task? Is it the amount of work you need to do, or is it just the start?

Figure out and schedule a deadline to complete the task. Setting deadlines are sure-shot ways to succeed.

Setting a deadline will also make it easy for you to take instant-decisions. If you know you have time to work on the task, your mind will be relaxed and you’ll be able to do the hard work with ease.

Step 3: Adopt Anti-Procrastination Strategies

You need to adopt the strategies that can prevent you from procrastination.

On the grand level procrastination is a habit that is ingrained in us with a pattern of behavior. Habits only stop being habits when you stop practicing them.

So, you need to gear up and move away from your comfort zone to apply the tips mentioned below to drive away procrastination.

Firstly, forgive yourself for the procrastination done in the past. What is past, is past, and will never come to your present.

Second, commit to the task at hand. Do not try to do multiple things at the same time. Do one task that is at hand. Proactivity works on that task and finishes it off no matter what your lizard brain say about it.

Promise yourself for the reward. If you complete an important task, make sure you put a reward for yourself. A cup of great Coffee, a good book, or your favorite chocolate.

Rephrase your internal dialog. Remove the words “needs to” and “have to”. Instead, take control of the situation by saying “I chose to” to everything project that you came across. “I chose to complete this task” this will keep you pumped up

Use task-management apps. These apps are designed to save your time and add productivity in your life.

To end it all

On the end note, if you feel that you a putting something off because you cannot decide to go for it or not, you need to make well-informed decisions for it.

Use the above-mentioned tips to take full control over your life and see how things turn out.

Take whatever is working for you and leave the rest.