Hey guys! So listen, I use to be Queen Bee of procrastination. Literally something about doing things at the last minute gave me a thrill inside. To be honest I had to change my ways because things were getting out of hand. Like I would literally remind myself constantly about doing something important and then the day after its due not a minute later I'm like "oh shit, I forgot to do this". Now my whole life is in shambles. I wouldn't say I don't procrastinate at all anymore but I moved down to princess/ duchess status. So I'm going to give you the tea on how to start your non procrastination journey.
Create a schedule and stick to it
One thing to start doing when you feel like you might procrastinate is create a schedule and stick to it. So what I like to do is create schedules in more than one place. I put things down in my notebook, my notes on phone and computer, and in my planner. It all varies on how big of a priority it will be to get done. When you start creating schedules and getting into habit of writing things down in familiar places then you'll be more prone to do it.
Stop indulging in bad habits
Usually our procrastination stems from feeling like you have other things that are more important. Sometimes that may be the case but for me I was participating in more bad habits than good. One thing I would always do when I had something due was get on my phone or start watching tv. Now I'm not saying it is all bad but when you feel like you just wasted a whole day because of it, then babyyyy its a bad habit. These things aren't the best because it blocks us from getting things done and once you start getting rid of bad habits you'll be able to have a clearer conscious.
Set hourly to daily reminders
Depending on the severity of when something is due you should always create reminders even if its to do something small to complete it. Lets say we have to complete a speech for a job board meeting and you have 2 weeks til its due date. What I would do is create a schedule around your schedule where you can complete the smaller things such as creating a list of important points, setting up the presentation and the sequences, and do research one hour a day. This creates a routine inside of a routine and helps you become more consistent when trying to get work done.
Have others hold you accountable
This is something that can help with being more consistent. What you should do is ask friends, family, or even coworkers to ask you questions to make sure you're staying on time with the task at hand. Sometimes we need an extra push/reminder to help us when we forget on our own.
Put reminders everywhere
To be honest, to not procrastinate is to be reminded and set in motion that you have to get shit done, more importantly just do that shit. Get sticky notes and put it in common spots you look at every day. Get a white board and write down a schedule. This helps you to be constantly reminded that you have something to do and it does get annoying to see everywhere so you'll just do it so you won't have to keep seeing it.
Guys, remember procrastinating sucks. Forgetting to do things or rushing to do things isn't the best on your mental so try these steps and get into the habit of doing it once you think about it. At the end of the day you don't want to produce low budget work and that is exactly what procrastination does.