You know how sometimes an article on procrastination looks so promising that you think they’ve finally found the “answer” to your whole life? Then you read it and realize they’re just telling you what you already knew. Of course you do—that’s why clickbait works.
Well, I will tell you right now, without you having to read that this article is going to be EXACTLY like that, except I’m hoping that instead of leaving you feeling like you’ve just eaten empty calories, it will be reassuring – in the sense that nothing was very much wrong with you in the first place and as a result you will be newly inspired to stop wasting time and get to that thing you are working on. The outcome you should see is that you start to get some traction with the project you are working on OR even better, you get to completion.
The reality is that starting, continuing, and finishing projects takes work. Any article promising a “magical trick” to end procrastination is likely peddling snake oil or is the clickbait we just mentioned. Ask anyone who creates regularly: there is no magic bullet. It’s just one step in front of the next, then the next, and the next, rework, edit, until the finish line comes into view. It’s a bit like a marathon, you can’t take a shortcut, you just have to stay on the road.
Now as a clinical psychologist I don’t necessarily work on massive projects for a living, but I did survive a PhD, a decade of university assignments and now run a business with 2 kids under foot so I know a thing or two about interrupted goals. So if you need a nudge to finish that project or start something when motivation is low, here is my “no-nonsense” list for getting to the finish line.
1. Remind Yourself of the Goal
When you understand the “why” driving you, it’s easier to keep your head fixed in the right direction. Is it a degree that leads to a dream job? A monetary goal? A better lifestyle for your kids? A specific way you want to feel about yourself?
Action Tip: Write it, draw it, or print it. Put it right in front of your workspace. This is why Vision Boards are so effective—when we see the “end state” and allow it into our system, our nervous system starts to act as if it’s already our reality. It’s about finding that state of being where the completed project already is your truth.
2. Don’t get Distracted by the “Perfection Trap”
You open the document, the spreadsheet, put up the canvas. You have your dream in mind, but then the “Perfection Trap” pops up.
In my clinical work, I see this constantly: people struggle to hit goals because of impossibly high expectations. When the standard is too lofty, we often go into freeze mode. Suddenly we become distracted by that “REALLYIMPORTANTTHINGWEHAVETODONOW”. We go blank. We screw up paper after paper of beginnings and throw them in the rubbish. We stop altogether and decide the project wasn’t really possible anyway. Essentially, the mountain we were excited to climb suddenly looks too daunting and we jump back in our car and speed away.
But before you decide to give up your mountain dream I want to call your attention to an often overlooked, shabby looking path slightly to the left of the mountainside. Hidden away with a peeling wooden sign is a path I like to call “Average Track”. This pathway starts more gradually, with a gentler slope. It has rest stops and cafes on the way. You meet other hikers on the way who are willing to lend you their walking gear. I dare you to choose the Average Track up the mountain.
The Paradox: The harder you drive toward a “perfect” result, often the emptier you feel. Lowering your standards doesn’t just make you feel better—it actually makes you more productive. If you are prone to the Perfection Trap, try hitting for 80%, 60%, or even 40% of your goal or action step. See how much more you actually enjoy the process when you give yourself permission to be average. Or just write 1 sentence or draw ‘anything at all’.
3. The Main Thing is Not to Quit
Ok, this point is the kicker. If you take nothing else from this article, this is the tiny titbit that will nourish you in your goals more than anything else. Are you ready? Here it is:
“The only thing you ever need to be unstoppable, is just to keep going”.
That’s it. That’s how anything that ever gone done, any mountain that got climbed, any object that was built or any new idea that was birthed. You don’t need to be amazing, or exceptional, or talented or even that good at anything. You just have to keep going.
As John Kabat-Zinn and all the Tibetan monks he probably learnt from said: All we get in life are moments. That’s the reality. Life only happens one second or moment at a time. So pick one small action that moves the needle just slightly today. That’s all you need to do. I promise you, no goal is too big that doing one small action today will not get you closer.
Action Tip: Pick one small step that you can do in the next 24 hours which is in line with your greater goal. Then pick a time to do it. Then do it!
4. Delay the Reward
Now you’re on the path, something is written, started, drawn, this is where the rubber really hits the road. You’re halfway through a task and… oh! I’ll just have a break on Instagram for 1 minute. Or, “I’ll just call that friend.”
It’s harder now than when I was growing up in the 90s. Free, repeated dopamine hits are everywhere. The tip here, keep the reward, but delay it. Put it off until the next half-hour, or until you finish one more paragraph—or just one more sentence. That is exactly how I got my PhD done: constant, tiny delays followed by small rewards.
Pro Tip: If you’re still struggling to put off rewards, keep a journal nearby. When the urge to scroll or eat or call the friend arises, brain-dump the feeling. Write down the urge, the frustration, or the boredom. Often, once the “itch” is on paper, the drive to distract yourself dissipates, and you can return to the task at hand.
5. Lean Into Natural Consequences
Here is the sweet spot where the vista starts to come into view. At some point, the act of doing the work starts to pay its own dividends. We do get natural dopamine from achievement – all of us. So once we get in the “zone”, once our brain starts seeing some traction, it rewards us. We begin to feel the natural high of completing a difficult challenge.
By practicing this, you are actually “shaping” yourself. You are training your brain to prioritize the “meat and three veg” kind of mental nourishment over the “junk food” of endless scrolling. You aren’t just finishing a project; you’re building a more focused, resilient version of yourself.
Action Tip: To reinforce this natural reward, try doing a week of gratitude journalling. Each night or day, write down 3 things you are grateful for or that you are proud of yourself having done. Make them small, not the big things. I’m proud I sat down and did 1 sentence when I didn’t feel like it. Then in the next column write why they happened or what quality you see in yourself that created that.
Summary
- REMIND yourself of the value under your goal. Why do you want this?
- Give yourself permission to do AVERAGE work. Done is better than perfect, because perfect doesn’t exist.
- Reject the QUIT option. If you can’t get something done, pick something SMALLER to do. Even opening your computer or finding the book to read is enough.
- Practice the 5-min DELAY. When the urge to distract hits, tell yourself: “I can check my phone in 5 mins but I must stay here until then”.
- Lean into natural consequences. At the end of your session, TRACK YOUR WINS (e.g. “I wrote one paragraph when I wanted to leave”). Acknowledge the quality in yourself that made that happen.
IMPORTANT: If you are completing these steps for a while and STILL feeling no closer to finishing your project OR if you find you can’t even try out the steps above, you may be dealing with a deeper internal block or what is called a Protector Part (from Internal Family Systems) which needs attention for change to occur. If this is the case, you may consider watching my Video on Protector Parts or booking in for a 1:1 session.
Written by:
Dr Ileana Hatton, Clinical Psychologist
www.inbodypsychology.com.au