How to Overcome Procrastination in 5 Simple Steps

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Okay, let’s do this before I inevitably open TikTok again. Overcome Procrastination

Overcoming procrastination is literally the thing I’ve Googled at 2 a.m. while eating cold pizza in my underwear, so yeah, I’m basically an expert now. Hi, I’m the girl who once put off filing taxes until the IRS sent me the scary letter with the red stamp. I’m writing this from my apartment in Columbus, Ohio, where it’s currently 34°F outside and my heat just clicked on like it’s judging me too.

Step 1: Admit You’re Screwed (The “I’m a Procrastinator” Wake-Up Call)

First, you gotta say it out loud. I stood in my kitchen two weeks ago eating leftover Skyline Chili straight from the container and whispered to my cat, “I’m a chronic procrastinator and my life is chaos.” Felt stupid. Felt freeing. Like, seriously—until you own that you’re the problem, you’re just gonna keep doom-scrolling X instead of doing the thing. https://www.rescuetime.com/blog/how-to-beat-procrastination

Eating Skyline Chili, confessing to judgmental cat
Eating Skyline Chili, confessing to judgmental cat

Step 2: Make the Task So Tiny It’s Embarrassing (The 2-Minute Rule on Steroids)

I used to think “just start” meant writing the whole damn blog post. Nope. My new rule? If it takes less than two minutes, do it right now. Email reply? Send it. Dish in the sink? Wash it. This snowballed into me accidentally doing a whole load of laundry yesterday because I “just put the clothes in the washer” and then felt too committed to stop. Beat procrastination one pathetic baby step at a time, baby.

Why My Brain Actually Falls for This Overcome Procrastination

  • My ADHD gremlin can’t argue with “just open the laptop”
  • Momentum is real and I’m lazy enough to ride it once it starts
  • Turns out I’m extremely susceptible to the sunk-cost fallacy in the best way

Step 3: Set a Timer and Race the Clock Like It Insulted Your Mom Overcome Procrastination

Pomodoro? Too formal. I set my phone timer for 12 minutes—because 25 felt like a hostage situation—and scream “GO” like I’m on a game show. Last week I cleaned my entire fridge in three 12-minute sprints just to beat the buzzer. There’s something unhinged about sprinting against a $10 kitchen timer that makes procrastination run away crying. Overcome Procrastination

Step 4: Bribe Yourself Like the Toddler You Are Overcome Procrastination

Current bribe list on my fridge (yes, written in dry-erase marker like a psychopath):

  • Finish this post → buy myself the dumb $7 pumpkin candle I’ve been sniffing at Target
  • Answer all emails → one (1) pumpkin spice Oreo per 10 replies
  • Do taxes → get to watch trash reality TV guilt-free Overcome Procrastination

Don’t judge me. Rewarding yourself to overcome procrastination works because adulting is hard and dopamine is fake anyway.

Step 5: Forgive Yesterday’s You (This One Still Feels Fake) Overcome Procrastination

Here’s where I get annoyingly soft. I still beat myself up for the three days I spent watching TikTok cleaning videos instead of actually cleaning. But I’m trying this new thing where I go, “Past me was overwhelmed and doing her best with the coping skills of a raccoon.” Then I move on. Weirdly, self-compassion makes future me less likely to yeet responsibility into the void. https://jamesclear.com/procrastination

Monster can Stonehenge and "do the thing idiot" note
Monster can Stonehenge and “do the thing idiot” note

Look, I’m never gonna be that 5 a.m. club girlboss. But these five dumb steps took me from “haven’t answered an email in nine days” to “actually kinda functional human” in like two weeks. If a chaotic gremlin from Ohio can overcome procrastination using bribes and 12-minute sprints, you’ve got zero excuses. Overcome Procrastination https://nesslabs.com/2-minute-rule

Your turn—what’s one thing you’ve been putting off that we can bully you into doing in the comments? I’ll start: I still haven’t taken out the recycling and it smells like regret. Drop yours below and let’s shame each other into productivity. Love you, mean it. 💀

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