Procrastination. The act of acknowledging an important thing that needs to be done, but pushing it back until the last minute to work on it instead.

We all suffer from procrastination at one point or another. At the moment, you’d much rather do anything else instead of starting that tedious project that’s due in a few weeks. And whenever there’s still plenty of time to work on something time-consuming, we fall into the false sense of security of “there’s always tomorrow”.

But, that can only be true for so long. Before you know it, time will fly by so quickly that you’ll only have a few days left to get started.

And when it’s down to the wire, that’s when the effects of procrastination can really take its toll. Productivity is bad, there’s poor decision-making left and right, and stress levels can go through the roof. Those are only a few, but there’s many more that are even worse.

The good news is that there are many effective ways to help prevent procrastination. They all vary from easy to extreme measures, but almost all can help you get the job done. And if you implement some into your daily routine, you might actually start that work sooner than later.

These methods have helped me before, and they may do the same for you. Here are 5 ways to stop procrastination!

1.) Stop waiting for the “right time”

For certain projects, assignments, or tedious tasks in general, people often wait for the “right time” to get started on it. Then, when the “right time” comes, there’s always a reason why they can’t work on it, so they push it back to another day. And nine times out of ten, they push it back for a petty reason.

Don’t wait for the “right time” or “perfect moment” to start. Instead, start whenever you’re free, or if you’re bored and have nothing to do. If you have a little extra time during the day or right before bed, then those are opportunities to get something done. Use any available time to your advantage!

2.) Work on a little bit over time

Work on the task over time. If you have a big project with many parts to it, don’t use the weekend right before it’s due to work on it. That would be very stressful. But if you spread the work out over time, you’d be able to work on the project more efficiently overall.

For example, Monday can be used for researching. Tuesday can be the day for outlining and planning. On Wednesday, you can write and edit the first draft of your paper. So on and so forth. Spreading the work out over time can be a very productive strategy.

3.) Work somewhere else

Work in a different area. If you try working in a room with TV, video games, or your bed nearby calling out to you, chances are you won’t get anything done. You’ll barely have any motivation for your work and end up focusing on those things instead.

Change your environment to a place that’s more productive and has fewer distractions. Libraries, coffee shops, or even a local park can serve as good environments to work in. Just put on your headphones, start your study playlist, and voila! You’ll be more focused on what you need to do.

4.) Avoid distractions

The #1 distraction for many people is their phone. Whether they’re working, shopping, or “watching” a movie, they’re on it scrolling or typing away. They can barely put it down for anything, and not only is distracting, but it can also slow down productivity as well. They’ll hop on social media for one second, but once they start looking through their feed they’ll end up scrolling for hours.

If your phone distracts you, try turning off all social media and game notifications before you start working. Better yet, try silencing it and put it somewhere completely out of your sight. The main thing you need to focus on is the task at hand.

5.) Just do it already!

I get it, that project is boring, tedious, and unnecessarily difficult. And it’s easier said than done to start working on it right away. But waiting until the last minute can be damaging in many more ways than one. So just do it already! Don’t wait forever when you have plenty of time to work on it. You’ll benefit more from doing that in the long-run.

Every now and then, procrastination will creep its way in and try to keep you from working. But you must fight it. And if you use one or two of these effective ways, then you’ll be more ready to start those tasks head-on!

How are you going to prevent procrastination? Share in the comments below!