Everyone has a goal in their life; whether it’s for a short or long period of time, big or small, we all have a goal to strive for or would like to strive for. One thing, however, always stops us from doing so: procrastination.

Procrastination comes in many different forms, but there is always an underlying reason why someone may be procrastinating. Ironically, everyone has procrastinated on some task at one point or another and knows the struggle of overcoming it, but when another person brings the excuse that they couldn’t complete the task or didn’t have the time, they’re seen as “lazy” or “sluggish.” Some of the biggest reasons for someone to procrastinate could be due to a mental or physical issue,  fear of perfectionism, or simply being too disorganized with their time and resources. 

“According to a 2014 study on procrastination and coping, 20-25% of adults worldwide are chronic procrastinators. The issue can be linked to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, ADHD, and poor study habits,” says McLean Hospital. When given a task or goal, people often get stressed out because they know it’ll be difficult to handle,’ so they either subconsciously or knowingly put off the assignment and use sidetrack excuses to work on menial tasks rather than the task at hand. 

However, procrastination is preventable.

It could be 3 a.m and you have that feeling, that motivation or inspiration where you want to start turning your life around and doing the right thing. It could be getting in shape, or reaching a goal you haven’t dared to try yet. You think “I’m going to do this, this is the plan and it’s going to be tough but I’m going to get it done.” Maybe you do it for a week or more but fail to keep it long-term and give up.  Or maybe you push it off due to not having the time or being too busy, overestimating the amount of motivation you’ll have in the future so when the plan doesn’t come to life, self-esteem or confidence in your own self-esteem is brought down.

As an article by PhychCentral describes, “A person believes that they need to be in the right mood to be successful in completing the task and that, if they’re not in the right mood, they won’t be very successful at the task.”

To get ahead or learn how to stop procrastinating, you should change your lifestyle and the way you do things little by little. Sometimes, the issue when starting this process is adding too much change to your routine so that staying consistent is viewed as pointless or overwhelming.

Creating or buying a planner to keep organized or scheduled as to what you need to get done and when is a great way to put your goals on paper and into the world. If you are not a planner or don’t like the idea of a planner then invest in a whiteboard for short-term and long-term goals.

You could also try to invest in a dream board for a more personal long-term goal. Whiteboards allow you to change or check off the goals and tasks you’ve completed and erase or even add more to the list. The dream/vison board allows you to see your goals on a big board so you’ll be reminded of that goal or goals. Countless tutorials of “How to make a Dream Board” can be found on YouTube, but essentially it should be designed and made in a way to keep you reminded of your goals. It should be placed where you can see it almost every day.

Understanding your emotions and why you are putting off this task is also helpful. Avoiding tasks because you know they are going to rise negative emotions is a good thing but figuring out why those emotions become negative is key to overcoming that roadblock and moving forward. This is called emotional granularity and is useful to this process. Another technique is psychological flexibility. Part of it is where you turn difficult emotions into greater focus and dedication. In the case of being given a long and boring task, think of a way to make it fun, if you like games try out flashcards or if you are good at multitasking play some music in the background to help concentrate and make the mood less stressful.

You could also try finding something that lets you stay motivated, like another person or even yourself. Listening to inspirational podcasts or finding that one song that gets you ready to reach your dream. A YouTuber, TikToker, artist, or author could even given you a drive and keeps you motivated. If a person is chosen as an inspiration or a source of motivation, it works best if you compare yourself to this person in a positive way, like saying “If they can do it, so can I.”

If you are a person that compares yourself to others in a negative way then this option is not recommended. Comparing yourself to others in a negative way can affect your work ethic and cause doubt in yourself. When comparing in a positive way it can make a person strive for better or reach the level or far beyond the one they look up to.