5 Ways to Break the Habit of Procrastination for the New Year

Breaking the task into smaller pieces is one way to break the habit of procrastination for the upcoming new year. If a task is particularly large, break it into smaller increments, and it will be easier to accomplish. Procrastination wants us to put off the task so much to the point that we never get around to completing it. Rather than procrastinating to the point of the task never being finished, break it into smaller increments and then it will not feel as overwhelming.

As an example, if you have the task of doing laundry for your entire family, break it up into smaller increments. Instead of washing everything at one time, break it down into smaller loads. Wash the colors with other colors and wash the darks with the darks. This is already what we should do for laundry; however, by telling yourself ahead of time this is what you are going to do, it could help the task of weekly laundry not be as daunting. 

Maybe you are working on a book, and it feels overwhelming right now. Break up your writing time into small increments across the week. Challenge yourself to write a certain number of words each day and see if that helps you be more productive as well as fight against the habit of procrastination. By breaking the task into smaller amounts, you will be able to feel more productive and get more done. As you get more of your tasks done, you will feel more accomplished and proud of your work for the day. 

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A second way to break the habit of procrastination is to complete less stressful tasks first. For example, look at your to-do list or the things you know you have to do today. Circle the things that are the most stressful and save those for last. First, tackle the things that are not as stressful. When you do this, you will feel more proud of what you have accomplished and you will be more prone to also tackle the more stressful tasks. By doing this, you will be able to still get tasks done when you are feeling overwhelmed by the harder tasks.

I have noticed that when you go ahead and start working on a task, the motivation will come. In addition to struggling with procrastination, I also struggle with depression, which can make motivation not easy to come by. However, if you start working on a task, even if you don’t feel like it, the motivation will naturally come, and you will be more able to complete the task you need to do. Try to complete the less stressful tasks on your list first and see if that helps procrastination loosen its grip on your productivity.

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Completing smaller tasks before approaching larger tasks is a third way to break the habit of procrastination for the new year. Take another look at your to-do list and identify which things are the smallest or the things that will be quickest to finish. Do these tasks first. By doing this, you will already be getting many tasks accomplished in a quicker amount of time. I learned this piece of advice from a professor at college, and it was a game changer in how I completed my school work as well as my professional work now. 

As an example, when you turn on your computer for the day, look over your emails first. For most of us, emails are a relatively easy part of our work day and they don’t require too much time. Going through your emails and seeing what has been sent to you for the day can help you complete a task before approaching the larger tasks. Maybe you don’t have to deal with emails for your job, but you have to deal with phone calls. Go through any messages you have missed first before starting on the harder tasks of the day. 

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Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Oftentimes, we feel bad for asking for help. This can make us less prone to go to others for help when we are struggling. If you are struggling with procrastination, don’t be embarrassed about it. Instead, be open with a few trusted individuals and see if they can be your motivation. They might be able to help you in the way of holding you accountable for what tasks you need to finish. They will also be able to provide support on days when it is extremely difficult to accomplish any tasks.

When you talk with trusted loved ones about your struggles with procrastination, make sure you choose a few people or one person who truly knows you. This individual needs to be able to not be afraid to address difficult issues with you. If you choose someone who is non-confrontational, they might not be prone to bring up issues with you. Instead of talking about how you are falling back into the habit of procrastination, they will withhold saying anything for fear that you will be upset with them.

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A fifth way to break the habit of procrastination this new year is to go to God in prayer. It might seem odd to go to God in prayer for something such as procrastination, but God cares about all of your struggles, including your struggle with procrastination. The Lord doesn’t want you to always feel overwhelmed and too paralyzed to get anything done. Instead, He wants you to face the task and do it to the best of your ability. As long as you are trying your best, that is all that matters.

When you go to God in prayer, be honest with Him. He isn’t afraid of your feelings nor will He make you feel bad. Rather, He will comfort you and help you in your struggles. Procrastination can be terribly hard to overcome, but with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Even if you have struggled with procrastination for many decades, know that you can break this habit. Go to God and allow Him to give you the strength you need to face the tasks of the day. 

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