11 Anti-Procrastination Tips that are NOT the Pomodoro Technique
It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the pomodoro technique. I love the pomodoro technique under the right circumstances. But I’m getting very, very tired of these “tips to stop procrastinating” lists rehashing the same ideas over and over and over again.
It’s always the Pomodoro technique and “breaking the task down into smaller parts.” By the way, you won’t find that one on this list either. Again, there’s nothing wrong with it, but if you’re online searching for anti-procrastination tips, you’ve probably read this advice six or seven times in the past fifteen minutes. If it always worked, you wouldn’t be here.
Why the Pomodoro Technique Doesn’t Always Work
There are plenty of reasons to procrastinate, and the pomodoro method doesn’t address all of them.
The pomodoro technique, for those who may not know, combines four 25-minute work sessions with five-minute breaks. It’s a great method if you’re procrastinating because you feel overwhelmed. And sure, we all do that at some point. But what if you’re procrastinating for a different reason?
What if you can’t get started because of perfectionism? Or being understimulated? Or because you struggle with transitions?
My biggest ADHD challenge is task initiation. Most of the time, I have more trouble starting tasks than finishing them. Yeah, the 25-minute sessions make the task look easier. But I don’t need the task to look easier. Because the difficulty isn’t what’s stopping me.
I simply cannot start. It doesn’t matter how much gas you have in the tank, or how many fuel stations there are along the way, if you can’t get your car to start in the first place.
11 Anti-Procrastination Tips
Here’s a list of non-pomodoro tips to beat procrastination. If you’re procrastinating for a reason other than overwhelm, these may help.
1. Give Yourself an On-Ramp
I sometimes struggle to transition between tasks, especially when there’s no logical “stopping point” to what I’m currently doing. It’s like my brain is waiting for a school bell or some other signal that it’s time to move on. Without that signal, starting a new task just feels wrong. So, I give myself what I’ve been calling an “on-ramp” to the task.
Let’s say that I need to write an article, but I’m currently scrolling through TikTok on my couch. Going straight to writing would feel too abrupt, so I won’t do that right away.
Instead, I’ll start by closing TikTok and reading an article from my phone instead. I’m still in the same location. I’m still using the same piece of technology. But at least I’m working with words now, and that’s a bit closer to what I need to do.
Okay, now I’m into this article. Maybe I could read the next one from my laptop. I’m still on the couch, but I’m using the tool that I would use to write my articles. Now I’m even closer.
Hey, let’s move this operation over to my chair where I sit when I write things. That’s not such a big change. Same activity, different location.
And now that I’m on my laptop at my writing location, maybe I’ll just go ahead and read about the topic I’m supposed to be writing about. And from there, it’s just a short step to doing the thing that I need to do.
2. Cut Your Efforts in Half
“Give it everything you’ve got!”
“Give it 100 percent!”
Okay, so here’s the problem with that. If you have ADHD, you may deal with “all or nothing” thinking (“If I can’t do all of it, then I might as well do none of it.”)
And if you’re autistic, you may deal with black and white thinking, which will give your brain the same message. Not to mention taking things literally. Apparently, a neurotypical “100 percent” is actually “100 percent of what I can reasonably give right now and still have energy left over to finish this spreadsheet.” While an autistic “100 percent” is “literally everything that I am physically and mentally capable of committing to this thing.”
I learned that one from a bunch of autistic creators on TikTok. My life would have been a lot easier if I’d realized that as a child. I definitely would have gotten a lot more sleep, that’s for sure.
If you’re skimming this section, the real advice starts here: Don’t do 100 percent. Don’t put in the effort you think you need to put in. Try 50 percent, just to get the thing started. Can you cut the time or effort in half?
3. Do the Bare Minimum
Is half the effort still too much? In that case, how does the bare minimum sound? I’m a fan of this approach when I’m trying to build daily habits. Brain won’t let me practice piano for 30 minutes today? Or even 15? Great, then I’ll sit down at the piano, plunk out exactly one note, and then walk away.
Am I going to learn anything that way? Nope. Not today. But I am getting up and sitting at the piano. I’m keeping that action in my muscle memory. That way, it’s easier to get back to it when I do have the mental energy.
4. Use the Five Second Rule
This one comes from Mel Robbins. The idea is that you start the task by counting backwards from five in your head: “Five, four, three, two, one, GO!” And then immediately do it.
“Oh, I see. So, to stop procrastinating, I just have to stop procrastinating? Brilliant, Lynn. Thanks.”
I know. But apparently, the countdown can give your brain that extra push it needs to get started.
I haven’t used this tip, but I can see how it might work if your main issue is overthinking. It may also help if you struggle with transitions.
Also, if you decide to use the Pavlov tip (#6), this can be a part of it. Start counting down from five before you do tasks that you would have done anyway. Eventually, you’ll start associating the countdown with springing into action.
5. Do It Badly and Fix It Later
This tip is for people who procrastinate because of perfectionism. However, it is not for you if your work comes with safety concerns. If doing something badly could put you or someone else in harm’s way, then don’t do that.
But for the rest of us, here’s the advice: If you can’t get started because you can’t do it perfectly, try doing it badly on purpose. For example, do you have a Very Academic paper to write?
What if you started it this way?
Okay, so I’m writing this paper I guess. It’s about how ADHD-ers don’t have enough of that sweet sweet dopamine to do stuff like writing a paper on time. That’s funny, right? Anyway, according to a source that I know exists and will cite properly later, experts think that ADHD happens because our brains won’t give us the juice.
Now please, for the love of all that is good, DO NOT turn that version in. You’ll need to clean it up, cite your sources, and change the tone. But at least now you have something to work with. You’ve started the paper and don’t have to look at a blank screen anymore.
6. Pavlov Yourself into Success
This one’s more of a long-term solution. If you need something immediate, you can skip this one. Or don’t. You can also put it in your back pocket for later.
First, pick something small that you want to associate with your work or studies. It could be a certain song, a specific flavor of gum, or a tiara that you’ve designated as your laundry tiara.
Next, listen to that song or chew that gum or wear that tiara EVERY time you do the task, and ONLY when you do that task.
Let’s say that you start chewing peppermint gum every time you practice the guitar. After some time, when you find yourself procrastinating, you can just chew the gum to get started. Your brain will say, “Oh, are we in practice mode? We must be. We only ever chew this gum when we practice.” And then it’ll be a lot easier to start.
7. Address Understimulation
Sometimes, we procrastinate because we’re understimulated. If you’re AuDHD, this Catch-22 situation may sound familiar to you:
The autism makes you do a repetitive behavior.
You become understimulated because of repetition, and now the ADHD is angry.
You need something new to break the understimulation.
Resolving the issue would give you dopamine, but you need dopamine to resolve the issue.
The autism digs its heels in and keeps up the repetitive behavior, because that’s what autism does when you don’t feel great.
Now you’re even more stuck.
It’s bad enough when you don’t have a task hanging over your head. Add a deadline, and it’s way worse.
I often use the “on ramp” to get out of this scenario, but I also sometimes spray my face with water and then sit in front of a box fan for a few minutes. The coolness wakes me up, solves the understimulation problem, and lets me move on to the next thing.
8. Address Overstimulation
And then there’s the opposite problem: overstimulation. Unless you have a fantastic boss, I’m going to go ahead and assume that “I didn’t start the project because I heard too many sounds” isn’t something you’d normally say to them.
If you can easily tell when you’re overstimulated, this one’s a pretty easy fix. Take some time to retreat, put on headphones, and do whatever else you need to do.
If you can’t always tell when you’re overstimulated, it may be a bit tricky. For instance, I can’t always tell when I’m getting a little too warm. Fortunately, once I do figure it out, the water/box fan solution helps with this one, too.
9. Move While You Work
I have this very romantic idea of myself sitting at a cute little writing desk and sipping tea while I type. In reality, I’m writing this post from a rocking chair with a portable lap desk. The movement helps me think. When I do write at my desk, I’m usually standing on a balance board. Some people like to work using a desk treadmill or walking pad.
As long as you’re being safe, movement might help you get things done. Especially if your brain is fighting the task because it doesn’t want to sit still.
10. Beat the Clock
For a lot of ADHD-ers, deadlines provide just enough dopamine and adrenaline to get the job done. A self-imposed deadline may work just as well.
“Um, no. It will not do that,” I can hear you saying. “Because I know the person who set that deadline, and they’re a pushover.”
I hear you. Same. That said, there are some options you can use to make your arbitrary deadline real, including:
posting your deadline on social media
asking a friend to nag you until you finish the job
using a paid service to enforce deadlines
making a bet about how much you can get done in a certain amount of time
11. Remove the Obstacles and Abandon the Conventional Way
This task that you’re putting off. Are you dreading the task itself, or are you dreading the way that you’re “supposed” to do it?
See if you can figure out what it is about the task that’s bothering you. To give you an example, let’s talk about laundry.
When I temporarily moved in with family members, laundry became a huge ordeal. I started putting off laundry way more often than I used to. Finally, I realized that I was putting it off because I now had a very long flight of stairs between myself and the washing machine.
Something about that distance made laundry feel impossible on some days. Lugging a heavy, cumbersome laundry basket down those stairs was the last thing I wanted to do.
So instead, I bought a giant laundry bag. When it’s time to do laundry, I just throw that bag over the bannister before going down the stairs. And yes, I do check for unsuspecting family members before I do it.
Next, there’s the issue of putting the laundry away. The “standard” way is to fold the laundry or hang it up before it has a chance to wrinkle, but who says you have to do that? Sometimes, I would put off starting my laundry because I knew I wouldn't be ready to put my clothes away within the next couple of hours.
So, I asked for a clothing steamer for Christmas that year. (Adulthood is a scam, kids.) Now, I start my laundry early, put away my wrinkled clothes when I’m ready, and just steam the wrinkles out of whatever I want to wear that day. Why does the idea of steaming individual items appeal to me more than putting my clothes away immediately? No idea. But it does, and I don’t question it anymore.
Final Thoughts
The pomodoro technique is great for very specific circumstances. If you’re dealing with one of those circumstances, great! Go ahead and make the pomodoro technique work for you. But just in case you need some non-pomodoro procrastination tips, give these a try.