How to Stop Procrastinating: 7 Techniques That Work

Most people think procrastination is a time problem. If that were true, a good calendar would fix it. Usually we put things off because a task makes us feel bad, and avoiding it makes that feeling go away for a while.

Why we put things off

We delay tasks that bring up something unpleasant. Maybe the task is boring. Maybe you don't know where to start. Maybe you're worried you'll do it badly, or you're annoyed that it's your job at all.

When you avoid the task, the bad feeling goes away right away. That relief feels good, so your brain learns to do it again. The cost shows up later.

This is why willpower doesn't help much. The tips below work in one of two ways. They make the task feel less unpleasant, or they make starting so easy that the bad feeling never kicks in.

1. Make the first step tiny

Don't plan to "write the report." Plan to open the file and write one rough sentence. Don't plan to "do your taxes." Plan to find the folder.

Starting is the hardest part. After a few minutes, most tasks feel easier than you expected. Unfinished work also tends to stay on your mind, and that pulls you back to it.

A simple rule: if you keep avoiding something, the first step is too big. Cut it in half. Then cut it in half again if you need to.

2. Decide when and where

"I'll do it this week" isn't a plan. It loses to anything that has a real time attached. Studies on planning show that when people decide exactly when and where they'll do something, they're much more likely to do it.

So instead of "sort out the invoices," try "invoices at 2 p.m. at the kitchen table, laptop only." You make the decision now, so you don't have to make it later when you don't feel like it.

3. Work in short blocks with an end time

The Pomodoro method is 25 minutes of work and then a 5-minute break. The exact numbers don't matter much. What matters is that the block ends. Twenty-five minutes of something boring is much easier to agree to than a whole afternoon of it.

Set a timer and let yourself stop when it rings. Most of the time, you'll want to keep going.

4. Break a vague task into steps

A lot of procrastination comes from not knowing what to do first. "Fix the website" isn't one task. It might be nine, and you're not sure which one comes first.

When you catch yourself avoiding something, write down every step. Often it turns out to be four small things, and two of them take five minutes. Once you can see the steps, it's much easier to begin.

5. Make starting easy

Small obstacles decide a lot of what we do. If it takes six clicks to find a file, you won't open it on a tired day.

• Leave the document open at the spot where you'll start tomorrow.
• Put your phone in another room. Not face down on the desk. Another room.
• Before you stop for the day, close every tab you won't need tomorrow.

You won't be more disciplined tomorrow than you are today. So make the right thing the easy thing.

6. Track your time for one week

Procrastination likes vague feelings. "I wasted the afternoon" is a feeling. "I spent two hours on email and 40 minutes on the report" is a fact you can do something about.

Writing down what you did also helps with all-or-nothing thinking. Days that felt like a total loss usually had some real work in them. When you can see that work, the next day is easier to start.

7. Let go of the guilt

This one is hard, and it might matter most. When you beat yourself up for putting something off, the task feels even worse next time. So you avoid it again.

Try this instead: notice that you avoided it, skip the self-criticism, pick the smallest next step, and do it. Being kind to yourself here doesn't mean letting yourself off the hook. It's what breaks the cycle.

When it's more than a habit

These tips are for everyday procrastination. If putting things off is hurting your work, school or relationships, it can be linked to ADHD, anxiety or depression. In that case, talk to a doctor or a therapist. A better system alone probably won't fix it.

Pick one to start

Don't try all seven on Monday. That's just another way to put things off. Pick the one that fits your problem:

• Can't get started? Make the first step tiny.
• Keep pushing it back? Pick a time and a place.
• Dreading how long it will take? Set a timer with an end.
• Don't know where to start? Write down every step.
• Losing whole days? Track one week and look at it.