Procrastination is a common problem, but it often causes people significant distress—particularly when they experience it frequently. In real estate, as in all independent careers, procrastination can create a barrier to success. If this sounds like you, read on; today we’re sharing our top ways to beat procrastination.

First, let’s examine why procrastination is so common.

When we know we must complete a task, we’re depending on our self-control to ensure that we do so. Self-control, motivation, and the reward attached to the task are the factors we have in our corner. The factors working against us include fatigue, anxiety, apprehension, and distraction.

When our hindrances outweigh our motivation and self-discipline, procrastination is the inevitable result. The only way to move beyond this internal roadblock is to rebalance these factors in a way that propels us forward. 

The most common causes of procrastination include:

• Perfectionism

• Anxiety about failure, poor performance, or negative feedback from clients

• A high workload

• Depression

• ADHD

• Lack of attached reward

• Feeling of powerlessness or hopelessness

• Lack of positive experiences throughout the day, week, or even month

To best battle your own procrastination, it’s important to identify why you tend to procrastinate. Next, examine the impact procrastination is having in your life, both personally and professionally. Finally, you’ll want to create an actionable plan comprised of evidence-based techniques that can help mitigate the negative influence of procrastination.

Creating a task list daily, including small, routine tasks can give you boosts in motivation throughout the day. Once the ball of productivity is in motion, it may well be easier for you to pursue less enjoyable action items.

Alternatively, you may find that you benefit from tackling your least pleasant tasks first thing in your workday, or early on in your work week. From there, your day or week can be simpler and more enjoyable. This association between hard work and accompanying ease may be all you need to keep you motivated to stay on top of boring, repetitive, or time-consuming tasks.

Give Yourself Breaks

For some of us, we tend to procrastinate until we’re nearly out of time, at which point we’ve got to work without breaks to complete our goals. There’s no need to feel guilty about this pattern, but it’s also important to recognize that it creates a negative feedback loop: we force ourselves to work nonstop, which makes us more likely to avoid work in the future. When we envision work as solid blocks of time without breaks, we’re not eager to dive in. 

The highly effective Pomodoro Technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo more than thirty-five years ago, recommends working in focused, uninterrupted, twenty-five-minute bursts. When your timer dings at the end of twenty-five minutes, you will give yourself a break of five or ten minutes. Stand up, stretch, grab a drink, and engage in a few moments of leisure.

At the end of your break, you’ll engage in another focused, 25-minute work session. You’ll repeat this pattern until you have completed three full “pomodoros,” or work/break intervals, at which time you’ll give yourself a longer break, usually twenty to thirty minutes.

The magic in this method is that it breaks any task into manageable chunks punctuated by guaranteed moments of “free” time. Because procrastination is a battle fought entirely within the mind, it’s essential to reframe work in a way that bypasses mental blocks.

If you want to make the Pomodoro Technique as simple as possible, you can download an app for iOS or Android. These apps contain pre-set timer settings along with productivity trackers and options to set up your to-do list within the app.

If you prefer a web-based app, Pomodor is an excellent choice.

Give Yourself Rewards

Once you complete a task or engage with a responsibility that has been weighing on your shoulders, it’s important to create a positive association by giving yourself a small reward. A small coveted item purchase, luxury coffee, or walk in a beautiful park are just a few examples of rewards that you can attach to tasks.

As you create your weekly to-do list, you can assign yourself preset rewards to work toward. “When I complete my existing paperwork load, I will get a smoothie bowl for lunch.” “When I update my social media presence, I will spend 15 minutes outdoors.”

It’s essential that you do not jump the gun and reward yourself for being almost finished or having spent “some” time working. While it’s great to feel positive about progress you’ve made, the reward system will only be sustainable for generating productivity if you exert self-discipline regarding rewards.

This type of system will make you a great boss to yourself! No one wants to work with a guilt-tripping taskmaster who has no respect for you as an individual, so don’t be that person to yourself, either.

Agents, we want to hear from you. Do you have tried-and-true methods for defeating procrastination? Or are you currently experiencing stress because of recurring procrastination? Leave us a comment below with your advice, concerns, and whether you’ve found our tips and tricks useful or thought-provoking.

We hope your takeaway includes the fact that you are far from alone with your procrastination struggles; this is a common human experience, and not one about which you should feel ashamed. Still, there are useful techniques for overcoming procrastination, and you owe it to yourself to find at least one that works well for you.