Powerful ways to overcome procrastination

It took usages to write this blog. We kept putting it off again and again and again… We just couldn’t get going, you know? Oh the irony. But that’s procrastination for you. Not being able to focus on something, or getting bogged down in unnecessary details, can strike any one of us at any time. It can be really frustrating. So we asked a handful of our DeskLodge heroes what they do to overcome procrastination.

Chris Lock, from our Bristol DeskLodge.

I have a few ways of beating it. I take a walk - for me it's really best to get outside for this one. I find that if I stay too close to the desk my mind does not actually disconnect.

A while ago I also taught myself to juggle. I found it was distracting enough so that my thoughts would stop worrying about the task and actively come up with new ideas to solve it.

Finally, here’s a trick I found being a programmer, but it can work with other industries. Ask someone just to sit and listen to you explain the problem. They might be able to ask a question that you may not have thought about. From experience, I have found that midway through trying to explain the problem I come up with an idea.

Kandice Smith from Curve in our Bristol location.

Whenever I can't focus on a task and get stuck procrastinating I take a moment to think about why I am not doing this task and break it down into more manageable sections.

I'm a big fan of to-do lists and always have one on the go that I'm constantly updating and adding to. By breaking tasks down I can set myself little deadlines throughout the day to achieve it and allow me to flit between different tasks all at the same time, so I don't burnout on one job. I always try and give myself little gaps of time to get a coffee or do the Wordle so I can take myself out of work and come back to it with fresh eyes!

Joseph Pike, from Basingstoke.

I like to start my day by making a list of all my goals and to-dos for the day, so that I have something to refer to when I am struggling to concentrate. This helps me enormously and keeps me on track throughout the day. I also like to either go for a long walk or pop over to the gym on my lunch break so that I can have time away from my desk. I come back with a fresh mind! I also combat procrastination by connecting with my colleagues and asking for help if I need it because then they can motivate me to finish my task.

Suzanne French, beating procrastination in Basingstoke.

When I feel like I’ve hit a wall, I like to brainstorm with my team as we are big on teamwork here at Kaybee Group. If I feel as though I am struggling to complete a task, then I know my colleagues are there to help support me and stay focused. We all encourage each other todo our least favourite task first so then it’s done and dusted. We also all make a conscious effort to keep the office free of clutter because we believe that the environment you work in affects how you work.

 Right, back to work. Come on! You can do it! Maybe one more coffee and a quick scroll through Facebook…