7 Clever Psychological Tricks To Stop Postponing Important Tasks And Start Working

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You have to do something important, but you make excuses and put it off. Is this familiar to you? Have you ever said, ’I have a lot of time, I’ll do it later.’ If so, you’re not alone. We often let ourselves relax when we start doing something, but we eventually realize that the deadline is approaching more quickly than we thought and there’s not enough time to do everything.







As long as we allow ourselves to be distracted into thinking that everything is under control and we still have a lot of time to finish the task we will never be able to complete our work in time. The reality is that procrastination always ends up costing you. Sooner or later you’ll get to a point where you realize that the deadline on an assignment is too close.

But why do we get caught in this trap over and over again?

Scientists say that procrastination can be traced to five major causes:

• We tend to put off things that are unpleasant.
• We fear we’ll fail.
• We are used to working in tense or high-paced situations.
• We overestimate our own strength.
• We prefer doing nothing because we are overloaded with work.

The time that we spend on ’harmless’ distracting activities is playing against us. We tend to become less confident and lose our motivation and understanding of the situation. This makes us feel depressed when the deadline is close.

If we keep delaying things for a tomorrow which never seems to arrive, we may end up with stress, frustration, broken friendships, unpaid bills, a spoiled reputation, and a huge workload.







According to American psychologists Dianne Tice and Roy Baumeister, procrastination is the habit of enjoying a momentary rest you then will have to pay for. Researchers say that the habit of delaying work has lots of negative effects, including:

• Depression
• Low self-esteem
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Irrational beliefs

Procrastination is not an innocent behavior, and we should learn how to get rid of this bad habit.







According to psychological research, all we really need is a system for doing work. A lot of people avoid systems and rules because they are afraid of monotonous lives and want to have freedom. But it’s not as scary as it may seem, and it’s one of the best ways to improve your personal effectiveness.

Effective workflow process:

1. Internal motivation.
2. Self-imposed deadlines.
3. Accountability systems (commitment with friends or a coach).
4. Working/studying in intervals.
5. Eliminating distractions.
6. A healthy diet.
7. Exercising for 30 minutes a day.

The most important thing here is motivation. Annoying tasks are often the ones that help you develop your inner strength. So every time you start doing a new task, you have to ask yourself a simple question: ’Why am I doing this?’ This strategy will help you keep yourself motivated.

Muhammad Ali once admitted that he hated his monotonous daily training sessions. But he continued to work hard, as he understood that was the only way to become a champion





Taking breaks while working or studying is also very important. If you stay too focused on one thing for a long period of time, you will become stressed and exhausted. Try to identify the end point for each step of your task, and give yourself a small reward for achieving them. Working with friends or a coach can help you maintain a responsible attitude towards your work. Eating a healthy diet and exercising are also among the top ways to fight procrastination. Not only will training and good nutrition boost your mental skills, but they’ll improve your willpower as well.

If you combine all of these things you’ll have a system that will help you achieve your goals while enjoying life. And don’t forget that the philosophy of change is based on three main things: self-reliance, positive thinking, and good relationships with other people.

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