Raise your hand if you have been in this situation before: It is late in the day. You are racing around the clock to finish a task before the deadline while you are kicking yourself in the back for not starting it sooner. This is not a one-off situation either. It has happened many times before. Let me guess, instead of starting the task earlier, you decided to check social media, read the news, check, recheck, and triple check your emails, grab a cup of coffee with a friend, family member, or co-worker, and start other tasks that don't need to start until next week. These are all signs of procrastination. The good news, which may be comforting, is that you are not alone. According to researchers, 95 percent of us procrastinate to some degree.

It is also essential to understand that procrastination is not the same as laziness. Procrastination is an active process, meaning you choose to do something else instead of the task you know you should be doing. In contrast, laziness suggests indifference, inactivity, and an unwillingness to act.

While it is comforting to hear that you are not the only person who procrastinates and that you can't be labeled lazy for doing it, you should know that giving in to this impulse can have severe consequences. Even minor incidents of procrastination can make you feel guilt-ridden and ashamed. This feeling can lead to reduced productivity and cause you to miss out on achieving your goals. If procrastination continues, it can diminish your motivation and make you disillusioned with your work, leading to depression and even job loss in severe cases. The good news is that procrastination is just like any other bad habit. It is possible to phase it out of your life by following these three steps.

Step 1: Find Out If You Are Procrastinating

It is true that, like many bad habits, the first step to getting rid of the said bad habit is the realization and acknowledgment that you, in fact, have developed a bad habit. Putting off a task by itself is not necessarily considered procrastination. You might be putting off a task because you've had to re-prioritize your workload. Although, if you recognize that you are putting tasks off open-endedly or switch focus because you want to avoid doing that task, you most likely procrastinate.

These are some of the other signs that you may be procrastination

• You fill your day with unimportance tasks.

• You leave an item on your To-Do list for a long time, even though it's essential.

• You read your emails several times over without making a decision on what to do with them.

• You start a high-priority task and then take a coffee break.

• You dedicate your time to unimportant tasks that other people ask you to do instead of focusing on the critical tasks already on your list.

• You wait to be in the "right mood" or wait for the "right time" to tackle a task.

Step 2: Find Out WHY You Are Procrastinating

Before you can begin to kick off procrastination, you need to understand why you are procrastinating.

• Do you avoid tasks because you find them tedious or unpleasant?

• Are you disorganized? Poor organization can lead to procrastination. Organized people successfully overcome it because they use prioritized To-Do Lists and create effective schedules. Which can help organize your tasks by priority and deadline.

• Do you have doubts about your ability? Maybe you are worried about failing, so you put it off and seek comfort in doing work that you know you're capable of completing.

• Are you one of those people who fear success as much as a failure? Some people think that success will lead to them being swamped with requests to take on more tasks.

• Are you a perfectionist? Surprisingly, perfectionists are often procrastinators. They'd avoid doing a task that they don't feel they have the skills to do, in fear of doing it imperfectly.

• Another major cause of procrastination is poor decision-making. If you find it challenging to decide what to do, you'll likely avoid taking any action in case you do the wrong thing.

Step 3: Adopt Anti-Procrastination Strategies

Procrastination is a bad habit – a deeply ingrained pattern of behavior. This means that you probably can't break it overnight. In order to get rid of a bad habit, you need to stop practicing the bad habit and start a good one instead. We have listed eight strategies for you to take advantage of. You can try as many of these as possible to give yourself the best chance of succeeding.

Forgiveness

The first and easiest one is to forgive yourself for procrastinating in the past. Studies show that self-forgiveness can create positive feelings about yourself and reduce the likelihood of procrastination in the future.

Commitment

The second strategy requires a little more work. We that you Commit to the task. You need to focus on doing, not avoiding actively. Make a list of all the tasks you need to complete and schedule a time to do them. This will help you to tackle your work proactively.

Accountability

The Buddy System works! This is the principle behind self-help groups. If you don't have anyone to ask, an online tool such as Focus To-Do can help you keep yourself accountable.

Reward Yourself

When you complete a difficult task on time, reward yourself with a little treat. Make sure to savor it and notice how good it feels to cross off a task off your to-do list.

Act Fast

Tackle tasks as soon as they arise, rather than letting them build up over another day.

Rephrase Your Internal Dialog

When you use phrases such as "need to" and "have to, " you imply that you have no choice in what you do. This can feel disempowering and be counterproductive. Instead, try using phrases such as "I choose to," which implies that you own a project and can make you feel more in control of your workload.

Eliminate Distractions

Disable your email and social media notification and avoid sitting anywhere near a television while you work. Invest in a good pair of noise-canceling headphones so you can remove as many distracting noises as possible.

“Eat An Elephant Beetle” For Breakfast Everyday! 

Conquer your most complex and the least desirable tasks early in the day. This will give you the rest of the day to concentrate on work that you find more enjoyable without worry or guilt.

The important point to take away from this article is that procrastination is a habit you have been developing over time. You may not be able to break it right away, but you can work at it day by day and eventually get rid of it and build positive habits instead.