Keep calm: 5 brain hacks to beat procrastination

People procrastinate for many reasons, but the result is always the same: they rush to get the task done at the last minute or miss the deadline. Even though it feels frustrating to procrastinate, people still continue this bad habit. Why?

According to Caroline Webb in the Harvard Business Review, our brains are programmed to put off tasks.  But just because our brains are seemingly working against us doesn’t mean we cannot overcome procrastination. Instead, it should inspire us to work at the task even more because it isn’t a personal flaw but a part of our natural make-up that can be re-trained. Compiled from The Huffington Post, here is a list of five ways to beat the so-called “Tomorrow Syndrome” that everyone faces.

1- Find an accountability partner

When we share our goals with someone else, it creates social pressure, but unlike the peer pressure we faced in high school, this type can lead to success. Sharing your goals with a partner can create a system where you have a cheerleader and a walking talking reminder to stop procrastinating. In fact, according to Webb’s research, experts have found that we instinctively want to be respected by peers, and are more likely to reach our goals this way.

So when you have a task at work to complete, tell someone when you will finish it. If you tell a client or employee exactly when you will get something done, your brain will feel more obligated to actually do it.

2- Make the cost of action feel smaller

Sometimes we are just daunted by the task we are avoiding. We might have “learn French” on our to-do list, but who can slot that into the average afternoon? Webb says the trick here is to break down big, amorphous tasks into baby steps that do not feel as painful. Identify the smallest first step, something that is so easy that even your present-biased brain can see that the benefits outweigh the costs of effort. Achieve that small goal, and you’ll feel more motivated to take the next small step.

3- Tie the first step to a treat

We can make the cost of effort feel even smaller if we link that smallest first step to something we are actually looking forward to doing. In other words, tie the task that we are avoiding to something that we are not avoiding. For example, you might muster the self-discipline to complete a slippery task if you promise yourself you’ll do it in a nice café with a favorite drink in hand.

4- Remove the hidden blockage

Sometimes we find ourselves returning to a task repeatedly, still unwilling to take the first step. We hear a little voice in our head saying, “Yeah, good idea, but… no.” At this point, we need to ask that voice some questions, to figure out what’s really making it unappealing to take action. This doesn’t necessarily require psychotherapy. Patiently ask yourself a few “why” questions  —  “why does it feel tough to do this?” and “why’s that?”  —  and the blockage can surface quite quickly. Often, the issue is that a perfectly noble competing commitment is undermining your motivation.

5- Focus on the results of procrastination

Ponder over what will happen if you put off a task or project until the last minute. You might have an emergency come up causing you to miss the deadline. The result is you miss out on a good deal or you hurt your business image. Your client may feel you provided poor customer service, which could also affect your reputation and ability to obtain future work.

As you think more about the negative effects of putting off a task, you’ll be more motivated to avoid those effects and get the job done. According to Webb, psychologists call this a Prevention Focus, because most people seek to avoid negative consequences even more than receiving positive results.

This mindset will keep you pushing on even when you want to quit or put the job off to another day.

Accept that procrastination is a natural part of who you are, but just like anything else, you also have the power to retrain your brain and overcome it with these practical steps.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2016.

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