5 Sneaky Ways to Stop Procrastinating Dreadful Tasks and Get Things Done Quickly
You’re probably guilty of putting off almost everything in your daily life. Well, we have some tricks for you to speed things up and be stress-free.
Updated 12 May 2021
Have you ever put off that horrid 25-page assignment? What about applying for jobs? Perhaps even making that urgent phone call.
Admit it, you’re a procrastinator. But not to worry — we all are. It’s a nasty habit that we can’t shake off but it’s also human nature to put off the unpleasant work so we can save ourselves the trouble.
Whether you’re struggling with motivation or lacking time, completing everything that needs to be done takes time and effort. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By incorporating these tricks into your daily life, you’ll be flying through your to-do list with ease.
#1. Got a heavy workload? Sort out the most difficult ones first
You know that procrastinating on your revision or stalling on your assignments bear negative consequences. But whether you like it or not, you’ll have to get to it eventually.
Tackle this by getting the most challenging tasks out of the way first. That way, you’re less likely to be overwhelmed when you only have the easier ones left. While doing the simple tasks first sounds like the right thing to do, research has shown that this strategy doesn’t pay off in the long run. You’ll only end up feeling fatigued with barely enough time to do the hard ones.
So start revising that dreaded subject you’ve been putting off!
#2. No time to start a hobby? Take it along with you
Do you have a passion project or a personal goal that you’ve been meaning to work on but can’t seem to find the time? Take it along with you so you can make use of all your in-between time that you would have otherwise spent scrolling through social media.
For instance, if your goal is to read more books, download an ebook on your phone so you can read a couple of pages while commuting, waiting for a friend or queuing at the supermarket. If you’re trying to improve your drawing skills, bring along a small sketchbook. And if your hobby is more involved like setting up a vegetable garden at home, you can read gardening blogs or watch YouTube tutorials that will inspire you to work on it when you’re back home.
Whatever the hobby is, squeezing in a few minutes a day to work on it will yield significant results in the long run.
#3. Lazy to hit the gym? Skip it and work out at home instead
Is working out part of your New Year’s resolution that you somehow haven’t checked off? Perhaps you haven’t figured out the right training plan or just don’t have the motivation to get started.
Although going to the gym can help solve these problems, you don’t necessarily need it to get started. There are a plethora of workout and fitness apps that can help you track and plan your progress — and most of them are free too! From targeted HIIT workouts to yoga and basic cardio, you’re bound to find something that suits you. Some apps even offer meal plans for weight loss specially curated by personal trainers. Not only that, there are also plenty of YouTube home fitness channels that you can tune in.
So really, exercising doesn’t have to cost a lot of hassle or money. Even a quick 15-minute workout that you can do at home can get your heart pumping and is beneficial to your health.
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Start now#4. Life admin tasks piling up? Spend 5 minutes on it each day
Do you have a pile of laundry that’s just begging to be washed? Procrastinating on signing up for your next semester’s classes? Or perhaps you have a large number of notifications sitting on the corner of your email and WhatsApp icons — messages that are screaming for attention.
Having a mountain of such tedious and boring tasks can not only be mentally stressful but could also cause problems later on. A good strategy to handle this is to set aside 5 minutes each day to do something administrative, no matter how small. Whether it’s replying to an email, sorting out your clothes for laundry day or setting an appointment with the dentist, working on it every day will prevent these small but annoying tasks from piling up and getting overwhelmed.
#5. Procrastinating on your college plans? Speed it up with EduAdvisor Virtual Education Fair
Are you dreading the idea of going to college? With all the financial planning, tedious paperwork and not knowing what you want to pursue, it’s no surprise that you’d want to prolong your decision to continue your tertiary education.
But what if we tell you that it doesn’t have to be that difficult?
At our EduAdvisor Virtual Education Fair, you can leave all the planning to us! If you’re unsure of what type of paperwork you’ll need, we’ll brief you. Indecisive of what you want to study? Talk to our education advisors and we can help you find the right course. In fact, there are a variety of scholarships available you can choose from.
Planning the next chapter of your life can be daunting but don’t let that stop you from moving forward. Register for our EduAdvisor Virtual Education Fair and consider your tertiary education planned!
With the help of these procrastination hacks, best believe that you’ll never be plagued by procrastination again.
Nina Fazil
A work in progress — has been for the past 24 years.
