5 Strategies to Overcome Procrastination and Boost Your Productivity

Quick question: what project have you been putting off that you KNOW would move your business forward?

Maybe it’s that course you’ve been meaning to create. Or those sales pages begging for an update. Or maybe it’s finally time so they actually work for you instead of against you.

Here’s the thing. Procrastination isn’t a character flaw. It’s not about being lazy. It’s about something much deeper – and way more fixable.

I’m a procrastinator from way back.

Not too long ago, I found myself in the classic procrastination trap. I had this big project sitting on my plate – creating the monthly course for my membership. The outline? Done. Content? Floating around in my head.

But instead of diving in, I mysteriously found “more important” things to do. Like reorganizing my desktop folders. For the fifth time this year. Or spending an entire afternoon color-coding my email inbox.

Sound familiar?

Do you ever reach the end of the day and think “what the heck did I do all day?” The people in my Accountability Club heard me say that several times last month.

You know when you have that overwhelming feeling of having been busy all day but not actually moving the needle on anything important?

Well, today we’re going to change that.

I’m sharing 5 strategies to overcome procrastination that actually work – not just theory, but real, actionable steps you can implement right now. Because let’s be honest, how often do you find yourself putting off tasks that could move your business forward?

So, let’s get to it.

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Prefer to listen? Check out this episode of the podcast: 5 Effective Strategies to Beat Procrastination

Strategy #1: Break Larger Tasks into Smaller Steps

One of the biggest reasons we procrastinate isn’t that we’re lazy (despite what that mean voice in our head might say). It’s that we don’t actually know where to start. We’ve got this brilliant idea floating around in our heads – you know that exciting project you keep thinking about while you’re in the shower? But it’s all fuzzy and undefined.

Here’s what I mean: Let’s say you want to “get in shape.” Okay, that’s a great goal, but what does that actually mean? What will you actually do and what’s your very next action?

See, when we don’t have clarity on our next physical action – and I mean really specific, like “put on running shoes” or “call gym for membership rates” – our brain gets overwhelmed and. . .hello, that’s when procrastination kicks in.

I learned this concept from David Allen’s book Getting Things Done. He talks about this idea of the “Next Action” – it’s not just about breaking things down into smaller manageable steps, it’s about defining the very next physical action you need to take. Not “start project,” but “brainstorm ideas for project.”

Let me show you how this worked with that course I mentioned earlier that I created last month. Instead of staring at “Create Course” on my to-do list (that would be way too overwhelming!), I broke it down into batches of related tasks. And here’s exactly how I did it:

Batch 1: Initial Brain Dump & Planning

• Set my timer for 45 minutes
• Did a Brain dump every single topic idea that came to mind
• Organized the topics into potential lessons

Batch 2: Content Structure

• Create lesson outlines
• List key talking points for each lesson
• Identify any exercises or worksheets needed
• Note any additional resources to add

Batch 3: Content Creation

• Write all scripts
• Create all worksheets
• Create slide decks
• Record all videos
• Edit videos

See what I’m doing here? Instead of jumping around between tasks, I’m batching similar activities together. This works because our brain doesn’t have to keep switching contexts. When I’m in writing mode, I stay in writing mode.

When I’m in recording mode, I stay there.

But here’s the key – at the end of each work session, I always write down my next action for when I return. Not “continue course creation” but something super specific like “record video for lesson 3” or “create action checklist for lesson 4.” This way, when I sit down to work again, I don’t waste time figuring out where to start – I just look at my next action and dive in.

So, here’s what I want you to do: take that one big project you’ve been avoiding. Right now, grab your phone or a piece of paper and do three things:

1. Brain dump all the components of your project. Don’t worry about order yet – just get it all out of your head.
2. Then, group similar tasks together into batches.
3. Finally – and this is crucial – write down your very next physical action. Make it so specific that it would be impossible to procrastinate on. Instead of “start a blog,” write “brainstorm potential topics for blog posts” or “spend 45 minutes researching hosts.” Whatever you would do as the very step for this project.

Strategy #2: Set Clear Deadlines

Y’all, vague deadlines are procrastination’s best friend. “I’ll do it soon” or “I’ll get to it next week” or my personal favorite, “when things slow down” (spoiler alert: things never slow down). These are basically permission slips to procrastinate.

I learned this the hard way when I was launching the podcast. I kept saying I’d start “when I was ready.” Guess what? Three months went by, and I wasn’t any more ready than on day one. Well, I was a little bit more ready, but I wasn’t “ready ready.” Finally, I put a stake in the ground – July 3rd release first episode. No matter what.

Let me share my exact process for setting deadlines that actually stick:

1. First, I get realistic about how long things actually take. Not how long I wish they’d take, but the real deal. I usually add 25% to my initial estimate because, let’s be honest, things always take longer than we think they’re going to.
2. Then, I use Asana to keep track of all my tasks and to set specific deadlines for everything.
3. Here’s my secret weapon – I schedule everything as if it’s due a day earlier than it actually is. This goes back to my early corporate training of under promise and over-deliver. And it builds in a buffer for those unexpected life moments. (Like when my internet went out a couple of weeks ago and I had to spend 2 hours on live chat using my phone as a hotspot to get it back up. That threw all of my deadlines that day way off track.)

So, take a moment and think – what tasks have you been putting off because they don’t have a real deadline?

Pick one and give it a specific date. Write it down because that makes it real. Put it in your calendar, put it in your task management system, tell your accountability partner if you have one.

Strategy #3: Prioritize Tasks Using the Eisenhower Matrix

Okay, this one might sound a little bit nerdy but stick with me. I first learned about the Eisenhower Matrix when I read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People years ago. it’s a classic productivity book that I think everyone should read.

So, the Eisenhower Matrix helps you figure out what actually needs your attention right now versus what’s just making noise in your head.

What we have here is a box divided into four squares.

The top left corner is Urgent & Important. These are things you should do now.

Some examples might be:

• Membership deliverables due this week
• Student needs immediate feedback
• Technical issues affecting customers

The top right corner is Important but Not Urgent. These are things you should schedule.

This could include:

• Content creation for next month
• Redesign membership onboarding process
• Strategic planning sessions

The bottom left corner is Urgent but Not Important. These are things you should delegate or automate if that’s possible.

Things like:

• Routine email responses
• Basic social media updates
• Administrative tasks

And the bottom right corner is Neither Urgent nor Important. These are things you just need to get rid of.

Like:

• Random YouTube rabbit holes
• Perfecting font choices (again)
• Reorganizing your already organized files

Last week, I was feeling completely overwhelmed with my to-do list. So, I pulled up a spreadsheet, blocked out this matrix (I made four boxes), and started sorting tasks.

Guess what? Half of what was stressing me out fell into that last category – neither urgent nor important. I deleted seven tasks right then and there, and instantly felt lighter.

Here’s what I want you to do: Draw your own matrix right now and plot out everything on your plate. Be brutal with that bottom-right square – what can you straight-up delete?

Strategy #4: Eliminate Distractions

Let’s be real – distractions are like those speed bumps on the road to getting stuff done. And in today’s world? They’re everywhere.

I used to have this horrible habit of keeping Facebook open in a browser tab all day. (I know, that’s really dumb.) And I was constantly popping over to that tab even when I was doing important work.

One day, I tracked how many times I checked Facebook during my “focused” work time. The number was 37 times in two hours. That’s once every 3.2 minutes! No wonder I couldn’t get anything substantial done.

Finally, I installed StayFocusd. a browser extension that blocks distracting websites after a set amount of time (and you get to set the time).

I gave myself 15 minutes of Facebook time each day, and when it’s gone, it’s gone – no exceptions, no “just one more quick check.” StayFocusd will not let me go to the Facebook website once my time is up.

Some other ways that I eliminate distractions are:

• I’ve turned off notifications on all my devices.
• I keep my email tabs closed until designated check times
• I wear noise-canceling headphones with very low-volume instrumental music. I don’t do that every day, but I do when I really need to get in the zone.

So, what are your top three distractions? Be honest with yourself. For me it’s email, it’s still Facebook (but I have that 15-minute daily time allotment), and then sometimes I end up working on spreadsheets that aren’t really necessary, just because I like spreadsheets.

So, identify yours and create a plan to minimize them during your focus time.

Strategy #5: Practice Self-Compassion

Now, this might seem odd in a productivity discussion but hear me out.

Being hard on yourself about procrastinating? It actually makes things worse.

Just recently, I was beating myself up about procrastinating on moving all my sales pages to ThriveCart. This has been an ongoing project all year. The inner dialogue, the voice in my head, was brutal: “Why can’t you just get this done? It’s not even that complicated! You should just do it.”

The more I criticized myself, the harder it became to work it in into my schedule.

Then I realized something – yes, this project is important, but it’s not urgent. And you know what? Getting even one page moved over is better than nothing.

“Done is better than perfect” is one of my absolute favorite mantras. But it is something I have to remind myself about all the time.

So, when you find yourself procrastinating, remember that you can reframe that inner dialogue.

Instead of: “Why can’t I just get this done?”

Switch it to: “Okay, what’s one small step I can take right now?”

Instead of: “I’m so lazy for procrastinating.”

Switch it to: “I’m feeling stuck. That’s normal. Let’s figure out why.”

Think about when was the last time you were really hard on yourself about procrastinating? How did that work out for you? Probably note very well. So, it’s time to try a different approach.

Take Action to Overcome Procrastination

Alright, friends, let’s wrap this up with some concrete next steps. Here’s what I want you to do right now:

1. Choose ONE of these strategies (just one – let’s not overwhelm ourselves)

2. Apply it to ONE task you’ve been procrastinating on

3. Set a specific deadline for when you’ll complete it

4. Share your commitment with someone.

Remember, progress over perfection. You don’t have to implement everything at once. Start small and take imperfect action.

Here’s a quick recap of the strategies we discussed today:

• Break it down (smaller than you think) and define that next action
• Set those deadlines (use specific dates)
• Use the Eisenhower Matrix (find those unimportant tasks and be brutal about deleting them)
• Eliminate distractions
• Practice self-compassion (treat yourself like you would treat a friend)

Related Posts

• Streamlining Business Processes: How To Work Smarter
• Stay Sharp: How to Overcome Decision Fatigue
• Discover How the Time Blocking Method Can Transform Your Business Productivity

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