9 tips to stop procrastinating at work (that work) today
Summary
Having trouble with procrastination at work? Find out why it happens, how getting clear on your goals can help, and discover practical ways to stay focused, like setting goals and using time management methods such as GTD, Pomodoro, and timeboxing.
If you're here, you're likely searching for ways to stop procrastinating. Quick tricks to boost motivation usually don't work. The real issue behind procrastination isn't motivation—it's a lack of clarity.
Clarity is something we think about a lot at Asana, because achieving clarity is the key to getting good results. The problem is, clarity isn't always guaranteed. You need a dedicated tool and a good approach to visibility to prevent silos and unblock high-impact, meaningful work. In this article, we'll show you how a lack of clarity about why your work matters is leading to procrastination and what to do to stop that.
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What is procrastination?
Procrastination means putting off the work you need to do, often by doing less important tasks or getting distracted by things like social media or TV.
Why do we procrastinate at work?
We procrastinate at work because our brains prefer immediate rewards over future benefits. This psychological pattern, known as time-inconsistency, makes it more appealing to do something enjoyable now than to work on tasks with delayed payoffs.
One way to help is to add small rewards to longer projects. If you lead a team, try giving regular appreciation and feedback. At Asana, we've even built celebrations into our product; sometimes, a flying unicorn on your screen is just what you need.
Types of procrastination at work
Procrastination doesn't always look the same. Knowing which type you face can help you find the best way to handle it:
Situational procrastination: This happens when you're faced with a specific, unpleasant, or difficult task. You might delay writing that complex report or having a challenging conversation, but you're productive in other areas.
Chronic procrastination: This goes beyond just one task. If you often miss deadlines, delay work regularly, or get distracted across many projects, you might have chronic procrastination. This usually needs a bigger, more organized solution.
Figuring out which type of procrastination affects you most is the first step to finding the right way to beat it.
Procrastination doesn't mean laziness
Depending on who you talk to, people cite many different reasons as to why they procrastinate at work. Reasons typically include:
Laziness
Lack of self-control
Fear of failure
Built-up bad habit
Perfectionism
Feeling like work isn't urgent
Confusion about requirements
Fear of complex or overwhelming projects
Multitasking
Most of these reasons come down to one main cause: lack of clarity. If you often procrastinate, you probably don't see clearly why your work matters. This isn't about being lazy—it's something you can fix.
The problem with procrastination
Time-inconsistency is a big reason we procrastinate at work. Your tasks often support bigger projects or company goals, but those goals can feel distant from your daily work. If you don't see why your work matters, it's tough to stay motivated.
What's missing is clarity. When you clearly understand and can draw a direct line between the work you're doing and how it affects your team or organization, you're more motivated. But this is hard to achieve. In fact, according to our research, only 26% of employees have a very clear understanding of how their work relates to company goals.
When you know how your work connects to company goals, it’s easier to see your impact and make decisions. You can also prioritize tasks that matter most.
To combat procrastination, keep goals specific and visible with a goal-setting template. You need a clear line of sight from your daily work to company objectives.
Solving the clarity problem
To solve the clarity problem, you can do one of two things:
Create team or department goals. If you or your team members have a hard time seeing how your individual work connects to broad company goals, consider creating department or team goals. That way, it's easier to draw a line between your work and your team's goals and understand the impact you have.
Clearly connect your personal work to company goals. Even if you can't create team or company goals, look for a way to visualize how your work is directly connected to broader company goals. For example, understanding how your work affects a project that's driving towards a larger company objective can help you better understand its impact. You can do this with a goal management platform, like Asana.
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9 tips to stop procrastinating
To beat procrastination at work, set short-term team or department goals, or connect your own work to bigger company goals. Here are nine tips to help you get started:
1. Connect work to goals
The best way to stop procrastinating is to clearly understand how your work contributes to team and company goals. When you have this level of clarity, work becomes meaningful. You're contributing to a larger vision, not just doing work for the sake of working.
Why this works:
Creates meaning: Understanding how your work connects to something larger makes tasks feel more valuable
Reduces time-inconsistency: Work you'd typically procrastinate on now has a clear, immediate purpose
2. Clarify priorities
Deadlines inevitably change, whether from scope creep, shifting project priorities, or last-minute resource reallocation. When you know what work is most important, you're prepared to adapt and deliver results that matter.
A priority matrix helps you see which work is most important. With clear priorities, you know you aren't wasting time on low-impact tasks. You see exactly why your work matters.
3. Use goals to fight perfectionism
Sometimes, people who procrastinate a lot are actually perfectionists. The pressure to produce perfect work can be overwhelming and lead to delays. But, like other types of procrastination, clarity can help solve this.
Focus on impact
If you struggle with perfectionism, it helps to have a clear sense of the impact your work has. Instead of aiming for perfection, focus on completing the task at hand so it best supports company goals.
For example, if you’re creating an educational animation for your website’s home page, knowing that many people will see it might make you anxious about getting it perfect.
Instead, focus on what the video is meant to do—share product benefits with new audiences. When you think about impact rather than perfection, you take some of the pressure off and can get started more easily.
Define "done"
Another good strategy to fight perfectionism is to define what "done" means. This is a technique that Scrum teams use to move quickly. By defining and sticking to what "done" means, you have a point at which you can stop working, regardless of whether the work is 100% perfect. When in doubt, keep in mind that done is better than perfect.
Read: What is Scrum? What it is and why it works so well4. Eliminate distractions
A practical way to stop procrastinating is to get rid of distractions that keep you from working. When distractions are close by, it’s harder to focus on tough or boring tasks.
Start by figuring out what distracts you most. For many, it’s things like phone notifications, social media, email, or chat. Try these strategies:
Turn off non-essential notifications during focused work periods
Use website blockers to limit access to distracting sites during work hours
Create a dedicated workspace that's separate from leisure areas when possible
Set specific times to check email and messages rather than constantly responding
When you set up your environment to help you focus, it becomes easier to start working and stay engaged.
Nucleus Research: Cut project time in half with Asana
In this independent study, learn how Asana can reduce the time it takes to complete a project by 50%, minimize project errors by up to 90%, and more.
5. Break big initiatives into smaller tasks
Large projects can feel overwhelming, making it tempting to put them off. Instead of getting paralyzed by the scope, break the work into smaller chunks and use a project management tool to track progress.
Dividing work into smaller tasks also makes it clear who is responsible for what. You usually aren’t in charge of every part of a big project.
For example, if you're creating an ebook:
Your tasks: Outlining, drafting, and copyediting
Other tasks: Design, final approval
This breakdown makes it easier to start and shows who's doing what by when.
Read: RACI chart6. Capture every to-do
Even if you're not working on complex initiatives, it's still helpful to list each to-do. Without a clear way to visualize what's on your plate, it's easy to get overwhelmed and lose track of everything you have to do. According to our research, 26% of deadlines are missed each week.
Capturing every to-do is a tactic from the Getting Things Done (GTD) method. Once you see what's on your plate, you can organize, prioritize, and complete work more easily.
Track your work in a to-do list app rather than a written checklist. Apps help you:
Sort and prioritize tasks
Add context to important to-dos
Share tasks with team members
To build a great virtual to-do list, read our article about 15 secrets for making a to-do list that actually works.
7. Set deadlines
If you don’t know when things are due, it’s easy to put them off. Clear deadlines show you exactly when tasks need to be finished, so you can plan better.
After you’ve listed all your tasks in a to-do app, add a deadline to each one. This also helps you spot tasks that aren’t a high priority. If you find one, you can put it off until later or give it to someone else.
Try to make this a daily habit: review your work at the end of each day and set deadlines for new tasks. This way, you’ll start each morning ready to get things done.
8. Reward yourself for progress
Rewards help build good habits and make it easier to start tasks you’ve been putting off. When finishing work feels positive, you’re more likely to get started.
Try these approaches:
Set milestone rewards: After completing a challenging task or reaching a project milestone, give yourself something to look forward to, whether that's a coffee break, a short walk, or time to catch up with a colleague.
Celebrate small wins: Don't wait until a project is fully complete to acknowledge progress. Recognizing smaller accomplishments keeps motivation high throughout longer initiatives.
Match your reward to the difficulty of the task. This keeps things balanced and makes your rewards feel worthwhile.
The idea isn’t to bribe yourself, but to build positive habits that make it easier to get started over time.
9. Try these time management strategies
Once you have clarity, you're more likely to feel motivated. Yet there are still days when you need a little extra support to stay on task. If that's the case, try a time management strategy to reduce multitasking and get into flow state.
Here's a quick comparison of popular time management methods:
Method | Best for | How it works |
GTD | Managing many tasks | Capture all tasks externally, then organize and prioritize |
Pomodoro | Maintaining focus | Work 25 minutes, break 5 minutes, repeat |
Time blocking | Structured schedules | Assign specific time slots to each task or activity |
Timeboxing | Deadline-driven work | Set a fixed time limit to complete each task |
2-minute rule | Quick tasks | If it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now |
Getting Things Done (GTD) method. The GTD method is based on the idea that the more information you're mentally keeping track of, the less productive and focused you are. Instead of relying on your brain, the GTD methodology encourages you to store all of your work information in an external, organized source of truth.
Pomodoro technique. The Pomodoro technique alternates between work and break sessions. A pomodoro is a 25-minute work session, after which there's a five-minute break. After doing four pomodoros, you take a long break. By working in short spurts, you're more likely to stay productive and motivated.
Time blocking. Time blocking is a time management strategy in which you schedule every part of your day. With time blocking, you're effectively breaking the workweek into bite-sized time slots for checking your email, working on projects, taking breaks, or even exercising.
Timeboxing. Timeboxing is a goal-oriented time management strategy to help you increase productivity and reduce procrastination. A timebox is a goal to finish a task within a specific time frame.
2-minute rule. The 2-minute rule is a simple time management strategy: if a task takes less than 2 minutes to complete, do it now. This methodology focuses on small tasks, with the belief that if you get them out of the way quickly, you have more time and more brainpower to get your higher-impact work done.
Stop procrastinating and start building clarity
You might try to push through procrastination with a "just do it" mindset, but that only works for a little while. In the long run, the best way to stop procrastinating is to connect your work to bigger goals.
Like any skill, overcoming procrastination takes time. Don't expect lifelong habits to disappear overnight. Dedicate yourself to creating clarity for yourself and your team, and you'll find motivation grows when you can see why your work matters.
Ready to connect your daily tasks to meaningful goals? Get started with Asana and build the clarity your team needs to stay focused and motivated.
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