6 Ways to Beat Procrastination While Working Remotely

In this guest post, Austin Andrukaitis of ChamberofCommerce.com unveils six powerful strategies to help you conquer procrastination and reclaim control over your remote work routine.

Working remotely is a fantastic opportunity, but it can come with some distractions that make it hard to stay productive. Without the structure of an in-person office job or physical workspace to embody a productivity mindset, procrastination is all too easy — despite our best intentions.

However, you don’t have to keep falling victim to this undesirable pattern. This post will give you six tips and strategies to stop procrastinating during remote work.

1. Identify and Address Procrastination Triggers

When remote workers know procrastination triggers, they can take a proactive approach to address them. This may involve setting a schedule or daily routine to provide structure and accountability. Also, you can use website blockers and other productivity tools to limit distractions and prioritize work tasks. 

But how do you identify and address these procrastination triggers during remote work? To begin, be conscious of what you’re doing. If you see you’re procrastinating again, check and see what led you to that situation. 

There are many procrastination triggers. For example, the all-or-nothing perfectionist mindset does more harm than good. Due to the fear of failure, perfectionists prefer to leave tasks for a perfect time that never comes. As a result, remote workers may find themselves locked in a daily loop of perfectionism and procrastination. 

Finding a gray area between perfection and failure is the key to beating this trigger. You need to understand that it’s okay to make mistakes. This way, you can take active steps toward getting things done. Another possible trigger is fear of success. Some believe completing tasks early and successfully could get them swamped with similar task requests. They’re not ready to assume such a responsibility. 

So, remove the fear of responsibility, and you can stop procrastinating. Tell yourself that to fear something that isn’t even there yet is counterproductive. Also, having more responsibility isn’t such a bad thing anyway. The love of pleasure can also be a trigger. So anything you see that gives you pleasure can lead you to procrastinate. Social media, for instance, can be a significant trigger. How do you address this? Work in a room where you have no access to these tools.

Finally, unrewarding tasks or getting paid less than the minimum wage can also trigger procrastination. When you’re not getting feedback or recognition, it’s easy to find some tasks meaningless. Furthermore, when you cannot earn a substantial living and support your family, you are more likely to be less productive and neglect your jobs.

2. Get Organized With a To-Do List

A to-do list is essential for remote workers who want to stay organized and avoid procrastination. It allows you to break down large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks, which can help you stay focused and motivated. When creating your to-do list, ensure you set clear goals, prioritize tasks, and be realistic about your workload.

Instead of writing “work on a report,” break the task down into smaller items such as “research data,” “draft outline,” “create the report,” and “edit final version.” This will make it easier to track your progress and avoid feeling overwhelmed. With this list, you’re less likely to forget tasks, and you can track task progress effortlessly. You can use project management tools such as Zoho, Asana, or Nozbe to help you create a well-detailed to-do list. 

However, getting organized isn’t enough. You also need to assign due dates to yourself. If possible, draw the actual due date earlier than the original to create a sense of urgency. Suppose the actual due date is in three days. Give yourself two days to finish the task instead. This will give you ample time to adjust if anything goes wrong while you try to complete your task. 

3. Break Down Tasks and Prioritize

Sometimes, we may put off remote work because the task is daunting. And the most efficient way to handle it is to divide it into small tasks. So, break down the project into manageable pieces — or tasks — and take them on one at a time. 

For instance, let’s assume the project is to write a good blog post to increase website traffic and convert leads. You can break it down into the following smaller tasks:

Perform keyword research
Write headline
Research the blog post topic. You can use generative AI tools to get fresh and engaging ideas.
Write article body
Insert pictures

Notice how the project — now a series of tasks — no longer seems overwhelming.

We suggest you perform the most complex tasks when you’re most productive. So, if you work better at night, you may want to write the article body. This can help ensure you get things done.

But you can also prioritize tasks according to Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle. Based on this categorization, you’d start with the “important and urgent” task. Then you’d complete the critical but not urgent tasks, the unimportant but urgent ones, and the unnecessary and not urgent ones. 

You can also follow the 2-minute rule. Under this rule, you should immediately complete tasks you can finish in less than two minutes. These are presumably easy tasks, after all. When you perform a specific task effortlessly, your brain can make you think you can do more. 

4. Hold Yourself Accountable

Accountability can be a motivation to stop procrastination. So, you want to force yourself to pay the price of procrastinating then and there. For instance, to avoid putting off writing that report, imagine what happens if you don’t submit it on time. Picture when your boss is scolding you or your team member gets angry. You can even picture yourself getting fired. The more serious the consequences you think of, the better. It might just be the push you need to start working.

5. Set Time-Bound Goals

Give yourself a deadline to accomplish something because you want to feel that sense of urgency. Without that sense of urgency, you might end up resting on your laurels. Here are a few tips when setting a deadline for your goals:

Ensure you give yourself enough time to accomplish the task. For instance, if you’re writing a 100-page report, don’t say you’ll finish it in a day. That’s just impossible.
Set a specific time. Don’t say you’ll finish your task this month. “This month” is vague. Set the day, the month, and the year. You can even set a time. The more specific your deadline, the better. 
Set consequences for not meeting the deadlines and rewards for meeting them. This makes everything more meaningful. Remember what I said about holding yourself accountable?

Use the time-tracking feature of the project management tools you use to set alerts a few days before your deadline. Ultimately, you’ll need the resolve to meet your deadlines and stop procrastinating.

6. Get a Motivation Buddy

A great way to stay focused during remote work is by having an accountability partner or “motivation buddy.” This person can help keep you in check. You can motivate each other and make sure neither of you procrastinates away your day. A motivation buddy can also offer encouragement, support, and advice when needed, helping you stay motivated and focused on your work.

To find a motivation buddy, start by reaching out to coworkers or friends working remotely. Look for someone with similar goals and values and willing to commit to a regular check-in schedule. This could be a daily or weekly video call, chat conversation, or online accountability sheet.

During these check-ins, discussing the successes and challenges of the remote workday is essential. Share the progress you’ve made (or haven’t made) in completing a task. If you choose the right motivation buddy, they can help you overcome this habit and become productive.

In Closing

Procrastination is a common problem during remote work, as there is often less structure and accountability than working onsite. However, consciously stopping procrastination is a step in the right direction, and anyone can do it. Just identify your procrastination triggers and work on them. Remember to organize your tasks. Come up with a to-do list and break them down into manageable steps. Also, set deadlines for yourself. Finally, hold yourself accountable and get yourself a motivation buddy. If you follow these tips, you’ll be shunning the bad habit and meeting all the deadlines.

Author Bio

Austin Andrukaitis is the CEO of ChamberofCommerce.com. He’s an experienced digital marketing strategist with many years of experience in creating successful online campaigns. Austin’s approach to developing, optimizing, and delivering web-based technologies has helped businesses achieve higher profit, enhance productivity, and position organizations for accelerated sustained growth.