How to stop procrastinating: 5 ways to start

Procrastinating means choosing to put off a task you meant to do, even though you expect to be worse off for waiting (Steel, 2007). These five ways to start each take a few minutes, and you can use them on any task.

1. Name the next action

A task like “do my taxes” is too big to start. Write down the next action instead: “find last year’s return” or “open the tax website.” It should be something you can begin right now.

2. Shrink it to five minutes

Cut the action down until it fits in five minutes. Agree to do only that much, then decide what comes next. The 5 minute rule has examples.

3. Say when and where

Write down a time and a place: “At 4pm, at my desk, I open the reading and read the first page.” Plans in this if-then form tend to make people follow through more often. A review of 94 tests, most with university students, found a medium-to-large effect (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006). Those studies tested planning, so of the steps on this page, this is the one with strong research behind it.

4. Set a timer

Set a timer for five minutes so you know when you can stop. The procrastination timer guide compares ways to set one up.

5. Stop when it ends, then choose

When the timer ends, you may stop. If you want to keep going, you can set it again. Either choice counts, because the task has started.

Two examples

• At work. Next action: open the draft of the report. Plan: “At 9:30, at my desk, I open the draft and write one sentence.” Timer: five minutes.
• Studying. Next action: open the first chapter. Plan: “After dinner, at the kitchen table, I read two pages.” Timer: five minutes.

What the research says

One of these ways, planning when and where you start, has strong research behind it. The others are common techniques with little direct research. Try them and keep the ones that help you start.

When this is more than a habit

If putting tasks off is affecting your sleep, your work or how you feel day to day, a GP, doctor or psychologist can help. In Australia, Beyond Blue is on 1300 22 4636.

If you're thinking about ending your life, or you're not safe right now, call 000 in Australia or 911 in the US. You can also call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or call or text 988 in the US, any time. Anywhere else, findahelpline.com lists free local lines.

Sources

1. Steel P (2007). The nature of procrastination: a meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin 133(1): 65–94. doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65
2. Gollwitzer PM, Sheeran P (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 38: 69–119. doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1