A study found that people procrastinate less as they get older. Picture: Henrik Sorensen/Getty Images
We are only two months into the new year, and people are already struggling to keep their 2025 New Year’s resolutions, mostly due to procrastination.
People tend to postpone reading a book they’ve been promising to read or going to the gym to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
While for others, this is simply laziness and a lack of commitment, for some it’s a lack of confidence.
A 2016 study analysed procrastination in several different age groups and found that it was highest in those aged between 14 and 29 – the youngest age group studied.
The same study claimed that people procrastinate less as they age. Researchers believe the decline is linked to personality development, changes in time perception, and increased coping skills.
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Distractions can range from social media to bad friends. The elimination of distractions is an essential first step to achieving your goals.
Similar to a recovering substance abuser, if you want to reach your objectives, you have to get rid of things that pull you away from that goal or target.
“Eat an elephant a bite at a time” is an expression that means to break down a large task into smaller, more manageable pieces. It can be applied to both personal and professional life.
This modus operandi is a realistic and practical way of tackling big tasks such as losing a considerable amount of weight or if your goal is to cut out debt. One can reach their goal by taking things a step at a time.
Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson uses similar thinking when discussing people making their bed.
The simple act represents taking responsibility for your own life and establishing order in a small, controllable way. Doing this can motivate one to tackle more significant challenges in life.
One of the US founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, said that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
The lack of preparation and emotions are some of the things that fuel procrastination. People put off doing things because they don’t feel like it.
But planning a routine, managing your time, and committing to it are essential to reaching one’s goals.
Creating a daily, weekly and monthly to-do list can assist in combating procrastination.
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Raymond Chandler’s technique for overcoming procrastination centres on giving yourself the choice to either work on a task or do nothing.
How it works is that you set a timer for 20 minutes and focus on the task, choose to either work on the task or do nothing. The idea is to get boredom to work for you by only working.
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This technique has five steps. First, choose the task to be achieved and define the time for its realisation, ideally between 20 and 30 minutes.
Then, start the stopwatch using a timer other than a cellphone, if possible. Next, work on the defined task during the allotted time.
At the end of the session, take a five-minute break. However, don’t use this time to scroll through social networks or check your emails. Ideally, you should step outside quickly to get a real break from your work sessions. Finally, set yourself a new task and start the cycle again.
It is important to take a slightly longer break, between 10 and 15 minutes, for every four “pomodori” time chunks completed.
This method can also be used by college students, high school students or children when doing homework.
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