Procrastination Get Thee Behind Me: 7 Tips to Accomplish Your Goals

Photo by Nick Owuor (astro.nic.visuals) on Unsplash

Updated March 20, 2020, Carla J. Curtis

As I sit here at this computer, I am staring at a folder filled with study resources. All I have to do is take an exam to become a licensed clinical professional counselor, yet for the last several months, I have been procrastinating about committing to a daily study schedule for me to be prepared to take the exam. 

The struggles I’ve had with procrastination over the years has been a thorn in my side and a vicious cycle. I have allowed procrastination to stall my progress, and every time this happens, I end up in a rut, and before I know it, working on my goals is no longer a priority. 

Yes, I’ve accomplished many of the goals I’ve set for myself: I became a published author. I went back to school to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a therapist. I organized and alphabetized my bookshelf and finally bought an electric piano. But trust me, none of these have been without an overwhelming amount of anxiety and stress. That’s why my number one goal in 2020 is to not allow procrastination to be so emotionally challenging. 

You know, for a procrastinator like myself—or shall I say, recovering procrastinator, since my goal is to stop procrastinating—social media has caused me to drag my feet even more, and I then have the audacity to get mad at myself when days, weeks, and even months go by with some of the same things on my “to do” list not being completed. I don’t even want to think about all the times I have used social media to procrastinate.

The bottom line is that it’s really time for me to pull up my “big girl” panties and stop procrastinating, and, as the young folks say, “turn up” by getting focused on completing my goals. 

I am too old to continue riding this roller coaster. 

Here are 7 tips to help me deal with procrastination:

1.      I set aside some time to meditate, pray, and play the piano to decrease anxiety that often comes with procrastinating. 

2.     I determine exactly what’s causing me to procrastinate and not pursue my goals.

3.     I break my goals down into manageable tasks. 

4.     I put my phone on airplane mode or turn it off for a few hours a week to make my goals a priority.

5.     I don’t beat myself up because sometimes I will not be able to complete certain goals in the timeframe that I want due to various reasons.

6.   I am flexible and try not to over analyze the steps it takes to accomplish my goals.

7.     I relax, breathe, and pat myself on the back for not giving up.

If you struggle with procrastination, you will surely understand my challenge. Today, I pledge to do some re-prioritizing and get rid of procrastination because, after all, it’s for my sanity’s sake. When procrastination wants to creep onto the scene, I am going to say the words, “Procrastination get thee behind me” and truly mean it...