How to Celebrate Anti-Procrastination Day

Did you know September 6 is Anti-Procrastination Day? If not, mark it on your calendar. Why? It offers you the opportunity to tackle your procrastination issues.

I know what you're thinking. You are not lazy. After all, you are still doing something. Here's the truth, though. We have all been guilty of postponing important tasks. Procrastination chronically affects about 15-20% of adults, and about 25% consider it a defining personality trait.

You may procrastinate because the task seems daunting or because you don't feel up to it. There are even people who like to work under pressure. Either way, procrastinating can seriously disrupt your plans and put a strain on your mental and physical health.

With this in mind, this observance aims to promote efforts to combat procrastination. And here are 15 ways to celebrate Anti-Procrastination Day.

1. Admit that you procrastinate.

"Delay is the deadliest form of denial," said historian C. Northcote Parkinson. So, to stop procrastinating, the first step is to recognize it.

Perhaps you're postponing a task because you're reprioritizing your workload. At the same time, you don't necessarily procrastinate if you're temporarily delaying an essential task for good reason. If, on the other hand, you're procrastinating or changing direction to avoid doing something, then you're probably doing it.

Procrastination can also occur when:

Spend your day doing low priority tasks. Start a high priority task, then stop to brew a cup of coffee. You have been neglecting an essential task for a long time. Review the emails multiple times without taking any action. Rather than focusing on critical tasks already on your list, you spend your time on unimportant tasks that others ask you to do. Wait until you are in the "good mood" or when an opportunity arises.

Once you recognize that you are procrastinating, you can find the root cause. There are usually several reasons for this:

To fear. You fear that the final product will not be perfect and that you will fail. Impulse control. Things like good weather or friends make it easy to get distracted from your work. Dismissal. Some things aren't your cup of tea, so you don't consider them. Rebel. Something is imposed on you, but you refuse to do it.

From there, you can make a plan to overcome it.

2. Put the worst first in your schedule.

A person has two options when it comes to unpleasant but still important tasks.

The first option is to procrastinate. But, in reality, putting off this unpleasant task won't make it any easier.

Also, it will not reduce the importance of the task. At some point, you'll have to put your head down and do it. What's worse, however, is that having that weight above your head leads to mental turmoil and drains your energy.

The second option, although less popular, is to tackle these tasks first. By doing this, we not only overcome procrastination, but we also remove its ability to cause negative emotions or resistance. More importantly, you build momentum for your other daily priorities.

Consider creating a playlist of your favorite songs to make unpleasant tasks more enjoyable. You can also use gamification by seeing what you can accomplish in less than 20 minutes.

3. Reduce the number of daily decisions you have to make.

Every time we decide, there is a consequence in terms of energy. For example, every morning you ask yourself, "What do I need to accomplish today?" In that case, you're about to procrastinate all day.

In other words, you'll waste a lot of your energy thinking about what to do if you don't plan ahead for what each day will look like. Examples include:

Should I wear my gray or blue suit? What should I have for lunch? Should I return this call now or later? Should I accept this meeting for this afternoon? ...