For a long time, I struggled to get things done.
I was a chronic procrastinator. This behavior impacted my life in many ways. My grades, relationships, and even my mental health suffered a lot.
Luckily, I overcame this problem with a combination of 3 things. Whenever I had these 3 things, it was almost impossible to procrastinate.
I think this strategy can help some of you as well, so I want to share it here.
Here are the 3 things you need:
- A deadline.
- An accountability partner.
- A painful consequence of not doing the thing.
I would tell a friend something like this:
"If I don't go the gym at least 3 times this week, I will go everywhere by bike for the rest of the month. Please hold me accountable."
If you want to make it even more effective, you can set up a contract between yourself and your accountability partner that both of you sign.
We tend to procrastinate because of negative emotions around a task. We believe the task will be painful in some way. So we avoid it.
The strategy I just described works so well because it leverages urgency, social pressure, and your aversion to the consequences to make procrastination more painful than doing the thing.
So you take action.
I hope this strategy helps. You got this.
P.S. If you want to learn more about how to overcome procrastination and become more productive, check out this free newsletter.