How to Stop Procrastinating: Start with 10 Minutes and Follow Through

We are all well acquainted with procrastination. Only some may not know that this state is called exactly that. But almost everyone who has faced this phenomenon is tormented by the same question – how to stop procrastinating and start working without additional effort.

Procrastination is understood as a state of apathy and an inability to focus on one task. At the same time, a person is well aware that they need to complete it. They may even feel an internal readiness to finish the task. But as soon as they start executing it, they fall into a sort of stupor. As a result, the task remains unfinished. To bring it to completion, a person has to exert immense effort, literally fighting against themselves.

Many call this state plain laziness. In fact, procrastination has nothing to do with it. Its causes are not related to immaturity or irresponsibility.

Often, procrastination is a consequence of some serious stress or even earlier depression. It "hits" when everything is already going well in your life. That’s why it seems from the outside that a person is just being lazy. Outsiders may not even realize how hard this person may be struggling at that moment.

The state of procrastination poses a serious threat. Struggling with concentration, a person constantly gets distracted by other tasks – or simply sits, staring at their phone, scrolling through social media. Gradually, they start to feel worthless, deficient, incapable of anything.

But it is possible to overcome procrastination and emerge from a life stupor. Here are some tips on how to do it:

• Create a task plan for the day – don’t take on too much, start with 2-3 of the most important tasks.
• Schedule the time for each task – and be sure to allocate time for breaks.
• Follow your plan strictly in order – moving from the first task to the last.
• Start with 10 minutes – during this time, your brain won’t have a chance to start "slowing down," and you can complete the planned task.
• Be sure to praise yourself for the result – and mark it with a special checkmark in your list.

If you didn’t manage to complete all the assigned tasks on the first day – don’t rush to scold yourself. Perhaps you simply made the list too long for your current state. Reduce the number of tasks for the next day.

Stick to your schedule daily. Don’t forget to praise yourself for your successes. You can even introduce some kind of reward – like treating yourself to something tasty. Or spending an hour in a bubble bath. But these bonuses should also be included in your plan, at the very end.

As you start to successfully complete all the tasks on your list, begin to increase their daily number. And expand the time frames – allowing 20-30 minutes for each duty.

Essentially, you are just organizing your daily life and developing your willpower. If you strictly follow your schedule – you will, often without noticing it, increase your organization and focus. And most likely, you will get so used to living by a plan that you won’t want to give up your "magical" to-do list.