Recent research shows 88% of workers procrastinate 60+ minutes daily on the job, which can ultimately cost the US economy an estimated $70 billion per year.
It can personally cost us as well.
A report from McLean Hospital states that people who procrastinate are usually linked to high levels of anxiety, poor impulse control, chronic stress and other health issues over time.
Essentially, putting things off can set a litany of other negative things in motion if you can’t get a handle on it. Luckily, there are research-backed ways to tackle your procrastination.
Visualize how you’ll feel once you’re done
A 2009 study (Munzert, Lorey & Zentgraf) suggested that mental rehearsal, or visualization leads to sharper mental acuity, meaning that those who practice a task in their head demonstrate similar brain activity to those who actually perform the task. In layman’s terms, utilizing visualization when a nagging task is on your, envision yourself starting, doing then completing the task and how you’ll feel when the assignment is done.
Use AI To Move Tasks Forward
AI is now being integrated into nearly everything, particularly for systems dedicated to administrative tasks. One of the great aspects about the tool is being able to leverage it to gain a deeper understanding of your schedule and daily duties thus decreasing the urge to put things off.
For instance, Motion acts as an intuitive personal secretary that ultimately helps organize events, meetings, tasks arranges your ideal schedule. Often times, half the battle is anticipating the planning and the prioritization of tasks before even doing. Using a tool that takes that off your plate leaves you the mental space to do the heavy lifting.
Let go of the perfectionism
We all want to produce great work, but sometimes the quest to perfection hinders overall progress. Procrastination can sometimes be the manifestation of perfectionism, which can exacerbate anxiety, overwhelm and stress. Sometimes its best to just start with brain-dumping, or the act of writing down everything that comes to mind on a particular topic, to just get the project going. Worry about polishing it later.
Promise, you’ll feel so much better when you realize how much easier it is once you just start moving ahead, even if that means taking messy baby steps.