ABSORB 360 Blog

2 Ways To Overcome Procrastination


Most of us procrastinate some times.  Some people make a habit of it.  WHY?

Why do we procrastinate if we know it causes us more stress, and we know, in the end we will have to do it anyway.

People who struggle with self-motivation and organization tend to be more likely to procrastinate.  So if that is you, you must make more of a conscious effort to get started and get things done.

There are two proven ways to help people overcome procrastination if they are willing to follow this advice.


1.     Get Started!

Getting started is usually the hardest part for anybody, but especially for procrastinators.  We need to remember that once we start momentum will carry us forward.  There is something called the Zeigarnik Effect.

"The Zeigarnik Effect is the tendency to experience intrusive thoughts about an objective that was once pursued and left incomplete (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, pg. 122). The automatic system signals the conscious mind, which may be focused on new goals, that a previous activity was left incomplete. It seems to be human nature to finish what we start and, if it is not finished, we experience dissonance. 

A study done by Greist-Bousquet and Schiffman (1992) provided evidence for the Zeigarnik Effect. In this paper, the authors stated that there is a tendency or “need” to complete a task once it has been initiated and the lack of closure that stems from an unfinished task promotes some continued task related cognitive effort. The cognitive effort that comes with these intrusive thoughts of the unfinished task is terminated only once the person returns to complete the task." (http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Zeigarnik_Effect)

The only way to take advantage of this is to get started and use that momentum to help us complete the task at hand.


2.    Break Tasks Down Into Bite Sized Chunks

Many have a problem with getting started because the task seems so big and overwhelming. Psychologically we can overcome this fear of starting if we break the task down.  Mentally we can grasp starting and doing two to three small things, rather than one enormous thing.  This makes getting started easier.

We need to take a big task and break it down into smaller steps.  This makes it easier to commit to doing something.  We need to see that it will not be overwhelming and that it is realistically doable.

Once we start, that momentum will help us to finish what we need to do.


So, break your task down into smaller steps and you will be better able to motivate yourself to get started.  Once you do, that momentum will help you carry on until completion.  In the end you will accomplish much more and overcome your procrastination.



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Feel free to share with someone who needs an encouraging word to help them overcome procrastination.