How to Beat Procrastination: 8 Tips

Procrastination is choosing to delay something you meant to do, even though waiting makes you worse off overall.

Disengaging from the task makes us feel better immediately, explains Fuschia Sirois, PhD, a professor of social and health psychology at Durham University in England.

Think of it like a Band-Aid for any uncomfortable feelings a task brings up (whatever it is — stress, fear, anxiety, or something else). Difficulty with regulating emotions is the underlying cause.

But make no mistake, it’s harmful to use an emotional quick-fix over healthy processing that supports achieving your goals.

Table of Contents

8 Tips to Procrastinate Less

“Procrastination, by definition, can never be beneficial,” says Dr. Sirois. Not only does procrastination get in the way of your productivity, it tends to increase stress and anxiety, while lowering self-esteem, erasing any temporary emotional relief that putting things off gave you.

To reduce procrastination, says Sirois, address the reasons behind it by turning down challenging feelings and dialing up helpful ones. These eight evidence-based tips can help.

1. First, Address Stress

When you’re stuck on starting a task, difficulty coping with stress and anxiety is likely to blame.

Stress can make it harder to get organized and prioritize tasks, explains Risa Williams, a licensed marriage and family therapist and clinician specializing in ADHD and time management in private practice in Los Angeles, and author of The Procrastination Playbook for Adults with ADHD: How to Catch Sneaky Forms of Procrastination Before They Catch You. “This is why some days you can’t even make a decision of what sentence to type in an email. Your brain just feels jammed up.”

One study examining academic procrastination found that students who struggled with regulating or coping with their emotions were more likely to procrastinate, which, in turn, made their emotional state worse.

Research suggests that indeed procrastination can sometimes (but not always) be an effect of stress.

Bringing your stress down in the ways you know work for you will make it so that procrastination loses its luster as an emotional relief valve. Try sitting outside, going for a walk, or doing breathing exercises. “Get your body and brain regulated so that you can deal with the hard thing that you have to do next,” she says.

2. Be Mindful of Your Procrastination Warning Signs

“Develop a mindful awareness of what your own procrastination tendencies are,” says Williams.

If you’re impulse shopping or cleaning your kitchen instead of starting that project, notice what you’re doing. If you feel guilty for not focusing, you’re likely procrastinating, she says.

Once you recognize and name what’s happening, respond nonjudgmentally. Williams suggests being a little playful and saying, “Hey, brain, what are you doing? What can I do to get you focused again?”

Research suggests that using mindfulness tactics, such as nonjudgment, nonreactivity, acting with awareness, and describing, help reduce anxiety and procrastination.

3. Practice Self-Compassion

Self-compassion works by shifting your thinking from a self-critical or self-judgmental stance to one that’s more balanced, says Sirois, who is also the author of Procrastination: What It Is, Why It’s A Problem, And What You Can Do About It. Practice self-compassion by reminding yourself that we’re all human, flawed, and make mistakes, Sirois says.

That helps you manage your emotions in a healthy way so you aren’t tempted to deal with them by avoiding your responsibilities.

One study that looked at how to help people stop procrastinating when it comes to exercise, for example, found that being self-compassionate helped people beat procrastination to stick to their workout plan.

Whatever you do, don’t be hard on yourself. It’s counterproductive because it creates more negative emotions, says Sirois. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. Just get on with things.”

4. Find the Bigger Meaning

You’re less likely to procrastinate going to the gym when you believe being active will help you spend time with your grandkids someday, says Sirois.

That’s because meaning helps you see beyond the immediate and connect small tasks with your own big-picture goals and values, she says.

Purpose, direction, and a sense of something larger lead to good feelings. On the flip side, having a reason to tolerate boredom, embarrassment, or other emotional discomfort makes these difficult feelings more bearable, Sirois explains.

In one study that looked at revenge sleep procrastination (when people put off going to sleep so they can enjoy some extra downtime, even knowing they won’t get enough sleep as a result), four sessions of motivational interviewing (a short-term therapy that helps you link your behaviors and values) reduced bedtime procrastination significantly more compared with the group that didn’t receive treatment.

5. Script Yourself for Success

“When something feels hard for us, we need to soothe ourselves into doing it, not beat ourselves up into doing it,” says Williams.

Extreme self-talk, like “this is the worst” or “I hate this,” amps up stress, she says. “We have to be really careful about how we’re talking about the thing we have to do and our ability to do it.”

When you tell yourself that you’re interested in a task and believe you can do what it takes to achieve it, you’re less likely to procrastinate, research suggests.

Having trouble finding a kind internal monologue? Try talking to yourself like you would a friend or your own kid, suggests Williams.

6. Make Big Tasks Smaller

If you’re overwhelmed with a large project and find yourself procrastinating, break it down.

“Make the first step forward so easy sounding to your brain that it almost feels ridiculous not to do it,” says Williams.

When a client procrastinated on creating a painting for a big art show, Williams told her to start by putting the paintbrushes in the middle of the dining room table. That little nudge was enough to bust through her creative block so she could meet her deadline.

Try giving yourself time limits to complete various tasks or parts of tasks. Designating those time frames can transform a project from downright overwhelming (finish the project by Friday) to doable (work 30 minutes today).

7. Get the Clarity You Need

Ambiguity is kryptonite for productivity. If you can’t break a project down into doable tasks, get clarity on what those more specific steps should be. Step one might be: Figure out how to get started.

In one study on academic procrastination, those who didn’t know what to do were more likely to put things off.

“It’s always good to get clarity,” says Sirois. If you feel uncertain about a project, ask questions or do research (or both). In a professional setting, managers can help, too. Reduce workplace procrastination by making sure that your colleagues have enough guidance and support on what they’re supposed to do, she says.

8. Team Up

When you pair up, you procrastinate less, according to new research on workplace procrastination.

In the study, colleagues procrastinated the least when they worked cooperatively with a partner rather than alone or in a competitive duo.

Buddies are great procrastination busters from an emotional-regulation perspective, says Sirois. “Doing things together is emotionally pleasant,” she says. But competing? That just increases negativity. And being alone leaves you to face negative thoughts by yourself, she explains.

The Takeaway

The reason people procrastinate is to quickly regulate emotions by avoiding a task.
The best tools for procrastination address why people procrastinate and help regulate emotions in healthier ways.
Research shows that the most effective techniques to combat procrastination help you cope with task-related stress and anxiety and boost positive feelings.

link