3 Easy Steps to Beat Procrastination
- 11th Feb 2025
Table of Contents
Do you want to beat procrastination? Do you have dreams of building or creating something great but never know where to start? Do you think of yourself as the “idea person”—the one with countless amazing ideas, just wishing for the money or the team to bring them to life?
That was me. Procrastination had me beat. I dreamed of becoming an animator. Every day, my mind filled with elaborate, fantastical visions of color and movement. But whenever I tried to bring them to life, I barely lasted 15 minutes before giving up. I’d say, *If only I had someone who could do it for me—I just don’t have the skills. I’m not born for animation.*
Then came my reality check, delivered by a girl I had a big crush on. She said, *Sounds like you’re just lazy.* Soul-crushing. But the truth I needed to hear. The animator I idolized—the one with the skills I wished I had—was once just like me. The difference? They put in the effort to develop their skills. That was a tough pill to swallow.
I had a friend growing up who was an incredibly talented artist. She drew every single day, every spare moment she had. I couldn’t understand how she had the patience. Whenever I tried, I’d scribble out my awful drawing, get frustrated, and quit.
The advice I’m about to share isn’t new, but maybe I can say it in a way that resonates with you enough to actually act upon your dreams. Just like I needed that wake-up call from my crush, maybe this will be the reality check *you* need.
The reality check is discipline and routine. You cannot beat procrastination without discipline. Discipline is a scary word, but don’t think of it as discomfort. Discipline gets easier and easier every time you practice it.
How I Beat Procrastination and Became Who I Wanted to Be
STEP 1: START OFF EASY.
I wanted to be like my ultra-talented friend who could draw hyper-realistic anime characters. I wanted to be the guy who could play *Stairway to Heaven* on guitar. I wanted to be the person on YouTube who could do a muscle-up. But I never thought about the steps they took to get there. Instead, I held myself to the same standard as them from day one.
So, when I picked up a pencil and couldn’t even draw a straight nose, or when I clumsily plucked a guitar string with one finger or when I hung meekly off that metal bar and achieved a muscle-wiggle, I felt *horrible*. I wanted to run from these hobbies because my idea of success was based on people with years of experience ahead of me.
The solution? Choose achievable goals within your skill level.
Be humble. Others are better than you right now. That’s okay. You’re a beginner. My painting of a monkey is quite bad, but its better than no painting of a monkey. You won’t be at their level for a while—but that’s part of the process. Which brings me onto my next point…
STEP 2: ENJOY THE PROCESS OF BEATING PROCRASTINATION.
Make the actual process as enjoyable as possible. Are you trying to be a painter? Light some candles, put some quiet music on, and do it in a tidy room. Want to be a better runner? Put your favorite running socks on, treat yourself to a sauna or a nice hot shower afterward. Make a ritual out of smiling before you step out into that cold winter wind because you are awesome for doing something for yourself.
Whatever it is you do, celebrate every step, even if your output sucks. Every step you take to be better is something worth celebrating. I promise to you, one day, you’ll look back at the days you were bad with a kind fondness and you will be so proud of yourself for taking the steps you had.
STEP 3: 5 MINUTES IS ALL AND EVERYTHING YOU OWE YOURSELF.
This is the most important step out of all of them. This is building discipline. No matter how busy you are, everyone can spare 5 minutes a day.
And that’s all you need.
I’ll start by saying regardless of the day you are having. 5 minutes alone adds up. Especially for those things that don’t degrade quickly, things like essays, your fitness, coding tasks. 5 minutes over a week equals 35 minutes of progress.
But, some days you learn after those 5 minutes that today was not the day for productivity. And you’ve gotta say ‘Fine, you win “brain”. –
-But you better bet I’m coming back tomorrow for more.’
Now I’m no scientist, but something remarkable
happens with your brain when you repeatedly tell it you’re
coming back for more tomorrow, even if its just for 5 minutes. Your brain stops resisting, and eventually submits and accepts that this is happening.
Other days, you show up for 5 minutes and your brain is feeling HOT. Those 5 minutes turn into a four and a half hour session of productivity you never knew was possible. Those days are rare for me, but I promise to you I would never have found out about them had I not lent myself 5 minutes that day.
Closing Thoughts on How To Beat Procrastination
If you take away nothing else from this blog post, let it be this: Be kind to yourself.
We live in a world that makes it seem like everyone else has it all figured out. Hustle culture tells us we need to be constantly grinding. You are not alone. But just clicking on this article means you care about achieving something for yourself. And that alone is worth celebrating.
I think you’re a badass.
I wrote this because I believe it needed to be said. On a totally unrelated note, if online escape rooms interest you, consider reading more here or signing up for my mailing list. If you know someone who would benefit from this post, share it with them. Thank you.
P.S. I did achieve my dream of becoming an animator… but turns out, I didn’t like the job. I later fell in love with programming and became a web developer instead. Funny how life works.
