There are things you don't want to do that you keep putting off.

The email you need to send. The appointment you need to make. The laundry sitting in the corner. The thing at work that's been on your to-do list for three days even though it would probably take 20 minutes.

Then there are the things you actually want to do that somehow keep getting pushed to tomorrow too. You want to start writing. You want to apply for a new job. You want to make something. You want to get back into the gym. You have an idea you've been talking about for six months and still haven't done anything with it.

Procrastination isn't always about being lazy. Sometimes the task is annoying. Sometimes it's overwhelming. Sometimes you don't know where to start. And sometimes the thing matters so much to you that starting it feels scarier than continuing to think about it.

Whatever the reason, eventually you have to stop waiting to feel like doing it and just start.

Figure Out What You're Actually Avoiding

Before trying another productivity hack, figure out why you keep putting the thing off.

Sometimes the answer is obvious. You don't want to call the dentist because calling the dentist is annoying. You don't want to clean your apartment because cleaning your apartment isn't particularly fun.

Other times, there's something underneath it. Maybe you're avoiding applying for jobs because rejection sounds terrible. Maybe you're not starting the project because you don't know if it'll be any good. Maybe the task feels so big that you don't know what the first step is supposed to be.

Understanding what you're avoiding makes it much easier to figure out what to do next. If the problem is boredom, you need to get through it. If the problem is confusion, you need a clearer first step. If the problem is fear, you might need to start before that fear goes away.

Stop Waiting Until You Feel Motivated

I think one of the biggest traps with procrastination is assuming you'll eventually reach a moment where you suddenly feel ready.

Tomorrow you'll have more energy. Monday will be a better day to start. Next month things will calm down. You'll do it when you have more time.

Then tomorrow becomes next week.

Motivation is great when it shows up, but it's unreliable. You can't build your entire life around only doing things on the days when you happen to feel excited about doing them.

Harvard Business Review recommends focusing on the next concrete action instead of waiting for the right mood to begin. That's a much more useful way to think about it.

You don't have to feel ready to send the email. You just have to send it.

Make the First Step Smaller

Sometimes you're procrastinating because the thing in your head is way bigger than the thing you actually need to do.

“Find a new job” sounds exhausting.

“Update the first section of my résumé” is manageable.

“Get in shape” is huge. Going to the gym tonight isn't.

“Start a podcast” sounds like 50 different decisions. Writing down five episode ideas takes 15 minutes.

If you're staring at something and continuously avoiding it, make the first step almost stupidly easy. You can worry about step seven after you've completed step one.

Psychology Today notes that procrastination can be connected to difficulty regulating uncomfortable emotions around a task. Making the task smaller doesn't magically eliminate those feelings, but it can make starting feel much less intimidating.

Do the Thing You Keep Thinking About

There's another type of procrastination that I think is more important.

It's the thing you keep thinking about.

“Do the thing that you think about every day.”

Maybe you've wanted to make something for a year. Maybe you keep thinking about changing jobs. Maybe you want to write, start a business, make videos, take a class, learn an instrument, or finally try something you've talked yourself out of a hundred times.

At some point, the fact that the idea keeps coming back is worth paying attention to.

That doesn't mean you need to quit your job tomorrow and reorganize your entire life around it. It means you should probably give the thing an actual chance instead of keeping it permanently in your head.

If you're struggling to figure out whether an idea is actually worth pursuing, How to Trust Yourself to Make a Big Decision can help you separate what you want from all the reasons you've convinced yourself not to do it.

Give Yourself a Deadline

“I'll do it eventually” is an incredible way to make sure something never happens.

Put a date on it.

I'm sending the email by 3 p.m. I'm applying to the job tonight. I'm signing up for the class by Friday. I'm going to the gym Tuesday after work.

The deadline doesn't have to be dramatic. It just turns a vague intention into an actual plan.

Research summarized by the Association for Psychological Science has explored how procrastination can persist even when people know delaying a task will make them feel worse later. That's part of why creating some structure for yourself can be useful.

Future you is probably not going to magically become more disciplined.

Give current you something specific to do.

Stop Making Everything a Huge Decision

Sometimes procrastination is really just overthinking.

You want to make the perfect decision, so you don't make one. You want to find the perfect gym, perfect routine, perfect time to start, perfect idea, perfect job to apply for, or perfect way to have a conversation.

Now you've spent three weeks researching something you could have started three weeks ago.

“There are things that we think about all the time and we never do.”

Not every decision deserves that much consideration. Sometimes you need enough information to make a reasonable choice and then you need to move.

If this is the pattern you get stuck in, How To Stop Overthinking a Decision goes deeper into how searching for certainty can keep you from doing anything at all.

Do the Annoying Thing Earlier

There are also tasks that aren't emotionally complicated.

They just suck.

You need to return something. You need to call the insurance company. You need to clean your bathroom. You need to finish some boring administrative thing for work.

Those are the tasks that can sit in the back of your mind for days while taking up way more mental space than they deserve.

“Sometimes it's the annoying thing that you don't want to do that you keep thinking about.”

If something is relatively quick and you already know it needs to happen, doing it earlier can save you from thinking about it for the rest of the day.

You don't need to make it enjoyable. You need to make it finished.

Make It Harder to Distract Yourself

You sit down to do something and somehow you're checking Instagram three minutes later.

Sometimes the easiest solution is changing the environment instead of expecting yourself to suddenly develop incredible willpower.

Put your phone in another room for 30 minutes. Close the tabs you don't need. Go somewhere where you can actually focus. Decide what you're doing before you sit down instead of opening your laptop and hoping productivity happens.

You don't need an elaborate productivity system. You just need to make the thing you're supposed to be doing slightly easier to access than everything competing for your attention.

Let the First Version Be Bad

This matters most for the things you actually care about.

A lot of procrastination comes from wanting the first attempt to be good. You imagine the finished version and compare it to what you're capable of making right now, so you never make anything.

Let it be bad.

Write the bad first page. Make the bad first video. Go to the gym and have an average workout. Apply for the job even if your résumé isn't perfect.

Learning to do things before you're completely confident in them is part of getting better at anything. It's also why Life Advice From the Internet matters. Not everything you try needs to immediately prove that you're good at it.

Sometimes starting badly is the only way to eventually do something well.

And Here's The Thing

You're probably never going to completely stop procrastinating.

There will always be things you don't feel like doing. There will always be reasons tomorrow seems more convenient. There will always be ideas that feel safer to think about than actually attempt.

The goal isn't to become a person who immediately completes every task that enters their brain.

It's to get better at recognizing when you're avoiding something and interrupting the pattern earlier.

Make the first step smaller. Put a deadline on it. Stop waiting for motivation. Do the annoying thing and get it out of your head.

And if there's something you genuinely want to do that you keep thinking about every day, stop treating the thought like it's enough.

Give it a chance to become something real.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I procrastinate even when I want to do something?

You might be overwhelmed, afraid of failing, unsure where to start, or simply avoiding the uncomfortable feelings associated with beginning the task.

How do I stop procrastinating?

Make the first step smaller, give yourself a specific deadline, reduce distractions, and start before you feel completely motivated or ready.

Is procrastination the same as being lazy?

No. Procrastination can happen even when you care deeply about something. Sometimes the more important a task feels, the easier it becomes to overthink or avoid it.

What should I do if a task feels overwhelming?

Break it into the smallest concrete action you can take. Instead of trying to finish the entire project, decide what you can realistically do in the next 10 or 20 minutes.

How do I motivate myself to do something I don't want to do?

Don't rely entirely on motivation. Give yourself a clear time to start, remove distractions, and focus on getting the task finished rather than waiting until you feel excited to do it.