I've got 3 easy ways to overcome procrastination that will drastically improve your overall quality of life. We all procrastinate from time to time. Our minds always seems to create a reason why today isn't the right day to do something – too busy, too stressed, too old, too tired.

Procrastination is more than just putting something off until tomorrow. Experts define it as, “The voluntary delay of some important task that we intend to do, despite knowing that we will suffer as a result.” 

Procrastination is a bad habit, which, over time, can negatively effect your life, resulting in increased levels of stress, reduced performance, and productivity. The good news is that, like any habit, it can be changed, and it all starts with your mindset.

The question remains, “Why do we procrastinate, and how can we overcome it?” What follows are some powerful strategies to overcome procrastination. Are you ready to solve the procrastination puzzle and start accomplishing more?

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Do you want to learn about 21 morning rituals that can help you overcome procrastination and start living every day with unstoppable energy? CLICK HERE for instant access to my free cheatsheet!

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We all have something in our lives that we know that we should do or need to be, but don't do. It could be anything from going to the gym, to working on your online business, to making a call that you have been putting off.

Procrastination is an insidious and unwelcome enemy that creeps up on you without a moments notice, leaving you feeling defeated, disoriented, and distressed. Next thing you know, it's the end of the day and nothing has been finished. Can you relate? Here is the burning question….

How do we overcome procrastination?

You may not want to hear this, but the solution for how to overcome procrastination starts and ends with you. In the words of Hunter Thompson, “A man who procrastinates in his choosing, will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.” There are a lot of different strategies for how to break the procrastination cycle, but I would like to focus on 3 easy ways to overcome procrastination:

1. Lower Your Pain Or Increase Your Desire

I believe that there is one over-arching reason why we procrastinate, and that is because we tend to associate more pain with doing what needs to be done, than not doing what needs to be done.

If you think something is going to be tough and dread doing it before you even start, you are setting yourself up to procrastinate. At the end of the day, it all comes down to perception, or the meaning that you ascribe to a task or activity.

Whatever it is that you perceive as painful, you can either lower that pain and change your perception, or you can increase your desire. Keep in mind that, in order for this to happen, your desire has to be greater than the pain you are experiencing.

The best way to build your desire is by having reasons, otherwise known as your purpose for doing something. You can elicit these desires by asking yourself questions like, “If I don't do this, what is going to be the cost?” If you can link more pain to not doing something, than you will be motivated to take action.

2. Chunk Down Your Tasks Into Smaller Steps

Procrastination has long been considered to be a willpower issue, but if we look at the science of procrastination, psychologists have discovered that it may have more to do with how our brains operate.

According to Caroline Webb in the Harvard Business Review, our brains are programmed to put off tasks. In her work, she cites research from UCLA that proves that the allure of near-term gain almost always outweighs the attraction of future reward.

If you want to overcome procrastination, you need to learn how to hack your brain. Literally. A great way to do this is by chunking down your tasks into smaller steps. For example, if you have a desire to do 30 minutes of cardio, but you keep procrastinating with doing it, try breaking it down and engage in an action that feels less overwhelming. Maybe that means going for a walk, or even easier, just going outside and breathing in some fresh air.

Taking that first step will give you the momentum that you need to keep going. The fact is, once you are in motion, you stay in motion. This is what allows you to transform your emotional state and put yourself into a zone of optimal productivity.

Eventually, the act of going outside, turns into a walk, and before you know it, you are running like the wind! Set yourself up to win, and when you accomplish something, make sure that you reward yourself, because whatever gets rewarded, gets repeated.

3. Implement The 5 Second Rule

According to Mel Robbins, author of the book, The Five Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage, the real problem is that we don't understand what procrastination is. Our minds associate it with failure and laziness, which then feeds our negative thoughts even more. As a result, our inner critic spirals out of control and we are left going from, “I don't want to do it” to “I just can't do it!”

We know that we should do something, but our hesitation prevents us from taking any action at all. As long as you hesitate, your brain will associate pain with the very thing that you are trying to accomplish. Before you know it, you are in overwhelm. It's a lose-lose battle.

The best way to implement The 5 Second Rule into your daily life is by giving yourself 5 seconds to take an immediate action, no matter if it's big or small. This is called, “hijacking your brain.” Do a countdown and then, as the Nike slogan goes, “Just do it!” Don't give your brain any time to process what is about to happen. A good example of this is skydiving or bungee jumping. The longer you wait to take that leap, so to speak, the more likely that you will hesitate to do it altogether.

These are 3 easy ways to overcome procrastination. I encourage you to take action and integrate one of these solutions into your daily life, so that you can break the procrastination cycle and overcome procrastination for good. In closing, I want to make note of something that has allowed me to overcome procrastination and change every area of my life, and that is called, a morning ritual. By committing to a morning ritual, you are putting yourself first, ensuring that you are operating at your very best, every day.

Oftentimes, the actions that we take at a given time are based on the emotional state that we are in. If you don't have a morning ritual that gets you supercharged for the day ahead, it can be easy to fall into a procrastination trap. This is why I have created an eBook that I want to give to you, for free, called, 21 Morning Ritual Cheatsheet. I hope this knowledge inspires you to create a ritual that has you waking up feeling energized, focused, and ready to crush your day!

Best-selling author Margie Warrell said it best, “Life rewards action. Nothing great is accomplished without it.” How would your life change if you were able to stop dabbling and get more accomplished? Let the answer be your driving force.

Do you want to learn about 21 morning rituals that can help you overcome procrastination and start living every day with unstoppable energy? CLICK HERE for instant access to my free cheatsheet!

Are you ready to learn 3 reasons why procrastination is the killer of time? CLICK HERE to read the article I wrote on Medium!