Here are four simple, fresh ways to stop putting things off and finally get moving. These ideas can help you whether you’re a perfectionist, feeling unmotivated, always making excuses, or easily distracted.
Procrastination is a sneaky problem. It hides in the background, rarely showing its true face, and it’s responsible for more crushed dreams than outright failure ever will. You end up looking back at what could have been your big achievement and regretting that you didn’t take action.
You might have promised yourself you’d work out, surprise your partner with a trip, or follow through on a great business idea. But instead, you found yourself watching funny videos online. Realizing you’ve wasted your time and potential can feel awful. Just imagine where your life could be if you had just taken that small step a few years ago.
As someone who used to be a very lazy student but is now a hardworking business owner, I know firsthand the struggles of procrastination. There’s no single magic bullet for everyone, so you need to think a bit differently.
If Perfectionism Is Holding You Back, Try This Mindset
Often, we spend too much time trying to make something perfect before we even begin. It’s like we’re waiting for everything to be just right, but that moment never really comes. It’s better to start with what you have and improve it as you go.
How you look at things really shapes your reality. You can see a glass as half full or half empty; the amount of water is the same, but your perspective changes everything. I used to be a total perfectionist. But my desire for everything to be perfect often meant I ended up doing nothing at all because the timing, place, or even the stars just didn’t align perfectly.
This is where changing your perspective helps. Instead of seeing a less-than-perfect result as a waste of time, think of it as "version 1.0" – the first step toward the best you can do. My first article wasn’t great. My first workouts at the gym were clumsy. My first dates were pretty embarrassing.
But you have to start somewhere. Even if you don’t have all the time, skills, or energy to create something flawless right away, you can still do something valuable. Send out one email. Read one page. Do one exercise. Meditate for one minute. Eat one healthy meal. That’s really all it takes to begin. Once you get going, it’s much easier to keep that momentum and get better over time.
If You Lack Motivation, This Powerful Idea Can Get You Started
Here’s a tough truth: there’s more to see and do in this world than you’ll ever have time for. This is especially true if you lack the motivation to make things happen. But there’s a powerful reason to get motivated if you think about it a little more: you will die, probably before you’re ready.
That thought alone can be all the motivation you need. Just look around you at all the endless possibilities, adventures, fun, and emotions you can experience. Do you really want to leave all of that on the table because you feel a bit lazy or prefer scrolling through memes?
Deep down, you get this. You feel the same existential awareness everyone else does. But often, those thoughts are too distant to truly spark change – the Netflix show is on now, and your mortality seems decades away. But when you truly face the fact that your life is limited, it can really kick you into gear.
Whenever I feel lazy and unmotivated, I picture myself on my deathbed. Not in a scary, accident-filled way, but simply imagining falling short of all the things I wanted to achieve and experience, all because I kept putting them off. It’s not a pleasant feeling, but it’s an incredibly strong motivator. Sometimes, all you need is a good kick in the pants.
How to Change Your Habits If You’re Always Making Excuses
You can actually trick yourself into being productive in the same way you trick yourself into procrastinating. When I went hiking with my dad, who’s an endurance machine, I noticed something interesting. When you have a long, straight path ahead, it feels endless. You count every step and question your life choices. But if you’re on a winding forest path where you can only see about a hundred feet ahead, your perception changes. It feels much more manageable – you just have to get to the next bend.
Procrastination works similarly. You tell yourself "just one more video," "just five more minutes," or "just one more snooze," and before you know it, three hours have vanished as you jump from one "one more" to another.
The cool part is that you can use this trick in reverse. When you want to quit before you’re finished, tell yourself "just one more." One more page to read. One more line of code. One more exercise. With each "one more," you not only accomplish more but also feel your motivation grow because you’re overcoming your lazy self. Your brain is easy to trick – so make sure you’re tricking it in a way that benefits you.
How to Get Rid of All Distractions
Your environment has a much bigger impact on you than you might realize. If you’re in a room with fit people, you’ll feel more like working out. Around entrepreneurs, you’ll want to build things. And if you surround yourself with distractions, well, you’ll get distracted.
Just one phone notification can pull you into a digital time warp for hours. But you can get rid of most distractions using a simple technique called environmental design. Set up your surroundings to help you, not hinder you.
For example:
- Put your phone out of sight and reach when you need to focus.
- Hide the TV remote and grab a book instead.
- Download an app that blocks distracting websites on your computer.
- Clear your desk of anything that might pull your attention away.
- Even set your Wi-Fi router to turn off at a specific time.
The possibilities are endless. By setting up your environment smartly, you can beat procrastination almost automatically.
A Quick Recap to Help You Beat Procrastination
Every day, you make a choice. You choose whether, in the future, you’ll look back and say, "I wish I had," or "I’m so glad I did it." If procrastination is getting the best of you, try one of these four approaches:
- If you’re a perfectionist: Start with small steps and think of your initial efforts as "version 1.0." It’s okay if it’s not perfect right away.
- If you lack motivation: Remember that your time on Earth is limited, so there’s truly no time to waste.
- If you find yourself making excuses: Trick your brain into doing more by breaking tasks into tiny chunks and telling yourself "just one more" until you’ve made progress.
- If you get easily distracted: Design your environment to encourage focus and productivity. Remove temptations and set yourself up for success.