Shray Goel explains how you can beat procrastination with five easy steps. According to Shray Goel, in order to be the best version of yourself, you must defeat procrastination once and for all.
“I used to be a huge procrastinator. When I had an assignment due in one week, I’d spend all week thinking about how much work was involved and then put off doing any of it until the last minute. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to get things done; it was just that I would find myself staring at my computer screen or notebook with no idea where to start or what exactly I needed to do. Then there’s the fear of being judged for not doing well enough—or worse, not doing anything at all! That anxiety combined with other responsibilities like schoolwork and social commitments can make even simple tasks feel overwhelming. But luckily, these days, there are plenty of techniques you can use to beat your procrastination habits for good” – Shray Goel
Shray Goel’s actionable steps of breaking down huge tasks into smaller ones.
Shray Goel, a graduate of the University of California, has a unique way of dealing with procrastination. Shray Goel doesn’t try to put himself into action or devise elaborate schemes to outsmart his brain. Instead, he breaks down whatever task he’s procrastinating on into smaller, more manageable steps.
- Start with the end in mind. Many of us have been taught to start at the beginning, but that doesn’t always work for every task. Instead, try breaking down a big project into smaller chunks and working backwards from there—this way, you can get a sense of progress from each step along the way.
- Break it down. Sometimes big tasks feel overwhelming because they’re too much to take on all at once; if this sounds familiar (and let’s be honest: who hasn’t felt that way?), then break your big goals into smaller bits, so it feels more manageable and attainable. Not only will you feel less stressed about facing them head-on, but by tackling one small piece at a time, you’re also allowing yourself to learn new skills or gain confidence as you go—which will help motivate you even more!
Think about whether you’re actually busy, or just procrastinating.
If you’re having trouble doing something, it’s easy to assume that you’re procrastinating. But that doesn’t mean the problem is with your productivity. Before you start worrying about how to overcome your procrastination and get more done, Shray Goel suggests that you consider whether there’s an alternative explanation for why this task isn’t getting done:
- Busyness: If you’ve got a lot on your plate right now, it may be because of all of those tasks combined rather than one particular task taking up too much space in your mind’s eye.
- Laziness: Maybe someone else has asked enough times for this task to get done (or maybe they’ve asked and forgotten). You might have even agreed in principle that this is worthwhile, but when it comes down to sitting down at the computer or picking up the phone, other things seem more fun or easier at first blush (like checking Facebook).
- Fear: Whether rational or irrational, fear of failure can lead us away from completing something important—and if we’re not careful about managing our expectations early on in any project or endeavor, we might end up spending time mapping out what could go wrong as opposed to figuring out how best to proceed despite these perceived obstacles.
- Lack of motivation: If we lack motivation, then our work will suffer accordingly; even worse than being unmotivated yourself, though, is being surrounded by unmotivated people who drag everyone else down with them!
Make your next action step as small as possible.
Shray Goel is a big fan of breaking down tasks into smaller steps. For example, Shray Goel himself recently decided that he wanted to write a book. But instead of sitting down and trying to write the whole book at once, Shray Goel broke the task down into smaller steps.
- What do I need to do before I can begin writing?
- How can I research the topic so that my content is relevant and accurate? (I should probably check out some books on Amazon for inspiration.)
- Which chapters am I going to write first? (The chapters about how other people have overcome obstacles in their lives.)
Plan for interruptions.
Good planning is the best way to beat procrastination. You may not think of yourself as a planner, but it can be helpful even if you’re an occasional planner.
Planning will help you avoid wasting time on tasks that don’t matter or aren’t important. It also means that when an interruption comes along—and they always do—you’ll be ready for it because everything is written down in your schedule anyway!
You can plan by creating a to-do list and writing down your goals for the day. For example: “Write an article about beating procrastination.” Then add any other tasks related to beating procrastination, such as “eat breakfast,” “take a shower,” etc., so that when morning rolls around, all you have to do is check off those boxes (or say them out loud). That sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Write this down somewhere safe so that every time someone asks what some easy ways to beat procrastination are?–it’s there waiting patiently at your fingertips!
Stop being such a perfectionist.
The first step in overcoming procrastination is to stop being a perfectionist. We’ve all been there—you want to get something done, but your inner critic convinces you it won’t be good enough. Maybe it will end up terrible, or people will think less of you for throwing out such garbage. This can lead to procrastination and prevent us from ever accomplishing the task at hand.
Perfectionism is self-destructive, especially when writing projects like essays, blog posts, or novels where there are no clear standards for success. The only way someone else can judge your work is based on their opinion, which may not be accurate at all! If someone doesn’t like my writing style because they don’t like my voice as an author (or whatever), then so what? There’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing!
Find the right strategies to motivate yourself, and the work will be easier than you think.
- Motivation is essential. You’ll have to be motivated if you want to work through your procrastination and get something done.
- Planning is key. This may sound obvious, but it helps to plan the work ahead of time so that nothing gets overlooked or forgotten about in the rush of actually doing it.
- Be realistic in your planning; don’t try to take on too much at once if that’s not realistic for you! Instead, break down large projects into manageable chunks, then tackle them one by one until they’re finished.
- When things don’t go according to plan (and they often won’t), be flexible enough with yourself and your schedule so that changing things around doesn’t become too stressful or difficult for either party involved (i.e., yourself). If something needs changing because it wasn’t working as planned, change it! Don’t worry about what other people might think about this decision; do what makes sense according to whatever situation applies today for tomorrow’s success!”
Final Thoughts from Shray Goel
And there you have it! Five simple strategies to help you beat procrastination. I hope they can help you overcome your demons and get back on track with whatever goals you’ve set for yourself. If they don’t work, remember that the best way to succeed is by keeping at it until something sticks. In other words: keep trying different things until one stick!
ABOUT SHRAY GOEL
Shray Goel is an accomplished entrepreneur, technology founder, and commercial real estate developer. Shray Goel graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a major in Economics and a minor in Global Studies and Technology Entrepreneurship.
Professionally, Shray’s career has spanned over a decade in technology project and product management.
Shray was responsible for managing the development of web applications at multiple public corporations before founding his real estate development business. He is a certified Agile Scrum Master and Project Management Professional.
Since 2010, Shray Goel has owned and managed more than $10 million in multifamily real estate assets throughout the United States.
One of Shray’s many businesses provides flexible housing solutions to traveling medical professionals, including doctors and nurses. He has served clients at prestigious California medical facilities such as Rady Children’s Hospital, University of California San Diego Medical Center, and Scripps Mercy Hospital.
Shray Goel mentors busy professionals in achieving breakthroughs in life by leveraging mental health improvements, positive habits, and productivity hacks. Shray has a proven track record of advising clients on how to get the most out of their lives and investments. He enjoys writing about mental health, financial technology, and investing strategies.
For more information on Shray Goel, visit his website at ShrayGoel.com and follow him on social media: