Do I do it today? No, come on, better tomorrow! Let’s face it, it often happens to us, especially in some particularly intense phases of our lives, it seems impossible for us to stop procrastinating. We tend to postpone, prevaricate, avoid solving a problem by trying to divert and postponing its resolution to a later date. Procrastination is a condition that unites everyone, regardless of the more or less combative and determined spirit with which we face everyday life, and it often turns out to be real self-sabotage .

Whether it’s students struggling with exams and homework or established professionals one step away from delivering an important project, it doesn’t matter, the act of procrastinating knows no age, gender or nature. Why do we procrastinate? And above all, how to learn to stop procrastinating?

We will discover it through some valuable suggestions able to make us regain active control over our commitments and our activities, avoiding infinitely postponing all those situations that – we know well – the time has come to face head on, starting from today. Below we have identified 4 simple and truly affordable strategies that work to stop putting off commitments.

1. Perfection Does Not Exist

When we think about the act of procrastinating, rather than associating it with an idea of ​​perfection we tend to associate it with the idea of ​​laziness. In reality, procrastination and laziness are very different. Laziness represents a condition of apathy, which has nothing to do with procrastination where instead one consciously chooses to postpone a task and/or a problem.

This awareness is associated with the idea of ​​perfection. What does it actually mean? That usually perfectionists in order not to fail or to complete a job that they believe they cannot do flawlessly, tend to postpone it as much as possible.

The first step in overcoming all of this is realizing that perfection doesn’t exist and that only those who don’t try don’t fail. And at this point we connect to the third suggestion.

2. Reward Yourself

Taking an exam, completing a work project, handing in an assignment, are all activities that require time and energy. For this reason, if you’ve figured out how to learn to stop procrastinating and you’ve finally decided not to put off any more tasks, know that your efforts must be rewarded. Oh yes, you got it right, you deserve a reward for every goal you achieve, especially if you’re at the beginning of this new journey.

Achieving certain results takes effort, so dedicate some time to yourself between tasks to enjoy small rewards that boost your confidence. Some examples? Relax listening to a song, send messages to your friends, treat yourself to a coffee and a couple of those chocolate biscuits that you like so much. They are small things that don’t take much time, but they will reward you just enough to continue to face every challenge with grit and determination. And above all to face it today, without putting it off until tomorrow.

3. Set Yourself Goals And Priorities

Often, especially in the workplace, we are overwhelmed by deadlines and last minute requests. This leads many of us to feel overwhelmed and find the only solution to postpone the confrontation with what makes us so worried and distressed as much as possible. But postponing cannot and should not be the solution. Because? Because avoiding tackling a problem when it arises doesn’t mean making it disappear, but simply postponing it with the risk of having to deal with it when it’s too late to solve it in the best way.

For this reason it is good to set priorities. Organize your work by scheduling your tasks, use apps designed to increase efficiency and productivity, they will help you always keep an eye on your daily, weekly and/or monthly goals, allowing you to avoid overloads.

It is very important to remember that even tasks that seem like impossible mountains to climb can be scaled down: the secret is to divide them into small, easily measurable objectives. This strategy has a double utility: on the one hand, “breaking up” the work to be done allows us to deal with it concretely, on the other, also psychologically, drawing a line on every small goal achieved makes us more satisfied and motivated and triggers a virtuous circle.

4. Overcome The Fear Of Failure

How to learn to stop procrastinating if you are constantly afraid of failing ? Sense of inadequacy, low self-esteem , fear of stepping out of one’s comfort zone are all characteristics common to those who live with the fear of failure. Also known by the term atychiphobia, fear of failure is an often irrational and debilitating self-sabotage, which leads those who suffer from it to avoid facing any kind of problem by resorting to procrastination.

How to get out of this vicious circle? Facing and overcoming the fear of failure. To error is human, and failure is in no way indicative of our worth. But more than anything else it’s important to understand that living with this fear means living with a sort of metaphorical paralysis that prevents us from realizing dreams and projects, just because in our minds we imagine that they can turn out to be a failure even before we’ve tried.