How to Stop Procrastinating: a simple Guide to Mastering Difficult Tasks and Breaking the Procrastination Habit

Exercise #5: Say No to Anything That Doesn’t
Match Your Goals
A simple way to avoid procrastination from happening in the first place is
to say no when it comes to any task, project, or obligation that doesn’t
perfectly align with the goals that you’ve set for yourself.
This will help you in three ways:
1. You remove the feeling of overwhelm that often happens when
you’ve overbooked yourself.
2. You stop agreeing to tasks simply because you don’t want
disappoint others.
3. You eliminate the likelihood that you’ll “tinker” on activities that
don’t directly relate to your quarterly goals.
You can say no by practicing five habits on a consistent basis:
1. Say no politely but firmly if you know there’s no chance you’ll
follow through on a task. Simply tell the person that you have a few
priority projects that require your full attention and you can’t afford
the distraction.
2. Identify the mandatory tasks that can’t be avoided and attach them
to an important goal or value.
3. Compare each request for your time to your current five projects. If
they don’t match, then have the courage to say no to the requester.
4. Talk to your boss about your work projects and make sure that you
both agree on the priorities for your job. Then eliminate any task or
project that doesn’t align with these priorities.
5. Ask yourself, “What will my obituary say?” Make choices based on
the values that truly matter.

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STEP #5: PLAN YOUR WEEKLY SCHEDULE
As you’ve seen so far, one of the philosophies of How to Stop
Procrastinating is to identify a few core activities in your life, singularly
focus on them, and eliminate everything else. Not only does this remove
that feeling of overwhelm but it also frees up your time so you’re not
procrastinating on what’s truly important.
So, the question is: “How do I find time to balance all these projects with
my day-to-day responsibilities?”
It starts by planning your weekly schedule.
Creating a weekly schedule gives you an opportunity to identify the
crucial tasks that you choose to focus on for the next seven days. And it
also acts as your first line of defense against those random tasks that
could potentially derail your week, causing you to feel overwhelmed.
Now, the weekly review isn’t about cramming as many activities as
possible into your week. Instead, it’s best used to make sure you’re
maximizing the time spent on your five core projects.
To explain what I mean, let’s talk about a popular story that’s been passed
around productivity and time-management circles. (The original source
of the story is unknown.)