3 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Start Accomplishing Your Goals

We’ve all procrastinated at one point or another. It can be something small like forgetting to cancel a subscription. Or it might be more significant like putting off when you’ll start that business venture. And while procrastination isn’t a great habit to have, it can also feel impossible to break. Luckily, you can say goodbye to the delays in productivity with these three ways to stop procrastinating and to start accomplishing those tasks!

Have an ‘Accountability Partner’

Procrastination can stem from multiple moving parts in our life. According to CEO and founder of Lifehack Leon Ho, some of the root causes include a lack of motivation, fear and not prioritizing time to completing the task. And this can cause us to put things off another day or week because there’s no one to tell us that we can’t.

However, having an “accountability partner” can help you finish tasks and accomplish those goals. This could be someone in your circle such as a family member or a friend. It can also be someone in your career field like a peer or a mentor. You can even get a virtual accountability partner though Focusmate which is great if you’re still working remotely.

The idea is that they’re there to alleviate any self-doubt or lack of drive surrounding a project. Talking to your accountability partner regularly can help you re-focus at times when you really need it. Most importantly, you’ll stay on track to finish the task. Depending on the person, you probably won’t be able to get any excuses from them as to why something’s not completed.

But that’s what they’re there for so embrace that extra push to cross the finish line!

Carve Out Time to Get the Task Done

Yes, it’s great to have someone holding you accountable but you also need to hold yourself to that standard. This means carving out time to get the task done. Sometimes we procrastinate with a specific project or goal because there’s a million other things that need to get done.

But, that doesn’t make the task go away. So carving out time and not compromising on when you’ll complete means you can be more productive and stop procrastinating. Plus, it allows you to set boundaries and really prioritize what’s actually important to focus on in a given day or week.

One way to do this is by getting a journal or calendar to keep track of your day-to-day responsibilities. You can easily block off 30 minutes or an hour of your day just for that one specific project. Using the “do not disturb” feature on your phone also helps so that you don’t get distracted and start checking social media. We all have the same 24 hours in our day so using that time wisely can make sure that we’re not procrastinating and putting off deadlines.

Reward Yourself Each Step of the Way

At this point you’ve chosen your accountability partner, you’ve been carving out time to complete the task and now it’s time to reward yourself. Things like starting a business or doing a project at work take time to fully complete. But that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate each step that it took to get there.

This reward system has the stamp of approval from psychologist Alexander Rozental who believes in regularly rewarding accomplishments. This keeps you motivated and constantly inspired throughout the process. And it can prevent you from getting burned out once you finish all of those steps.

Finding small ways to reward yourself after completing a chunk of a larger project is a more balanced approach to preventing boredom or procrastination midway through. This can mean having a self-care night after a long day of work or grabbing dinner from your favorite restaurant. Regardless of how you treat yourself along the way, be sure that you do because you deserve it.

If you choose to try one of these tips or all three, the need to stop procrastinating is something that we’ve all dealt with. So take time, reevaluate your schedule and start getting those tasks or goals accomplished. You’ll definitely thank yourself as time goes on!