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New Year New Resolutions: 10 Tips To Overcome Procrastination & Achieve Your Goals in 2021

The New Year is finally here. You may have started to think about your New Year's resolution and the goals you want to accomplish this year. If you find yourself carrying goals over from last year to this year, it might be a good time to take a deeper look at the underlying cause that is driving procrastination for you.

Procrastination is not the source of putting things off, it’s a confirmation that things are being put off. When procrastination is present, the underlying cause could be a variety of things such as:

low self-esteem
perfectionism
fear of failure
ineffective goal-setting
an imbalance between work and leisure
and the list goes on…

Procrastination can be a major obstacle to achieving your goals and creating your best life. If you find yourself struggling with getting things done, I am going to share with you 10 tips to help you take control of your life so you can achieve your goals and overcome the procrastination that has been holding you back.

Tip #1: Choose to do

When thinking about the goals you want to accomplish, it is helpful to think of them as goals you CHOOSE to do. Procrastination often creeps in when you think of the goals you want to accomplish as goals you HAVE to do. Having to do something can feel forced and if you feel there are many things in your life currently out of your control, procrastination could be a possible defense mechanism keeping you from getting things done to feel in control.

Tip #2: Break goals down into smaller steps

If you have a big goal, it can be very hard to know where to start, and as a result, you may find yourself frequently putting your goal at the bottom of your list. Every time you look at your list, the goal seems overwhelming, so you find yourself looking for distractions and keep pushing it to the bottom of your list. Breaking down your goal into smaller, achievable steps can make the goal less overwhelming overall. As you already know, the less overwhelming a goal is the more likely you are to achieve it.

Tip #3: Stop waiting until you are in the mood

Sometimes it is easy to push goals aside when you do not feel like you are in the mood. Unfortunately, consistency is key to achieving your goals. So, the time you find yourself not in the mood, try to remind yourself of how important your goal is to you. This is the time to spend taking action before you talk yourself out of it.

Tip #4: Find ways to enjoy what you are doing

The more you enjoy what you are doing, the less it feels like work. Not every goal is going to be fun, but that does not mean that you can’t find ways to enjoy it. If you are starting a goal thinking it is going to be boring, likely, you won’t want to start it at all. Instead, try thinking, “Even though this goal might be boring, I am going to enjoy doing it by…” Think of what you can do that would make it enjoyable for you. Maybe listening to music or have a friend join you?

Tip #5: Celebrate your accomplishments

When you finish a goal make time to reward yourself after finishing it. Celebrating your accomplishments is one way to practice positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is very effective because it enforces positive feelings which provides encouragement to keep going. Who doesn’t want to keep feeling good and knocking goals off their list!

Tip #6: Beware of perfectionism

If you are hard-working and like to deliver the best results, you could fall into the perfectionism trap. The thing about the perfectionism trap that you must realize is, no matter how much time and effort you put into something, it can always be better in someone else’s eyes. To break out of the perfectionism trap, focus on what is important to you and set deadlines. For example, if you are writing an article, think of which part of that article is the most important to you. Is it the content? The design? Give yourself more time to focus on the parts that are important to you and set deadlines. Once you meet your deadline, don’t look back, keep looking forward.

Tip #7: Get an accountability buddy

Yes! An accountability buddy. Why? You are more likely to get things done if someone is holding you accountable. Remember those days when you had a gym buddy and sometimes that is the only reason you showed up at the gym? It’s the same idea. If you both have a similar goal, you can challenge each other.

Tip #8: Schedule focus time

Schedule an hour or two a day or one day a week to block everything out. Get rid of all distractions and solely focus on a goal that’s most important to you. Don’t wait until you have time available; make time with intention.

Tip #9: Re-evaluate how you are spending your time

Track how you spend your time for a few days to a week. Write down everything that you do and how much time you spend doing it. You may discover that you spend a lot of time overthinking tasks or replying to texts. Imagine how your life would improve if you used at least part of that time productively. Then think of one thing you could do differently the next day to spend your time more productively for you.

Tip #10: Plan time for self-care and play

In order to give your best, you have to take care of yourself so you can give your best. Set aside time in your schedule to practice self-care, partake in leisure activities, hang out with family and friends, or do nothing and relax. Remember to give your best, you must be at your best.

For the spirit of the New Year, I challenge you to pick at least one of these tips and practice it for at least 2 weeks. See for yourself how it can help you gain back control of your life, achieve your goals, and overcome procrastination once and for all.