How to Conquer Procrastination – Productivity Techniques and Tools

Why Do We Procrastinate?
Let’s face it—sometimes, we are just lazy and don’t want to do the things we know we need to do. You may find the task daunting, uninteresting, or simply less appealing than scrolling through social media or watching one more episode of your favorite TV show. This is a common experience.
So, we push the task off to a later time or date, thinking, “I’ll do it later,” but the thing never gets done, and later becomes much later. This is called procrastination.
While it might provide a temporary escape, the postponed tasks don’t disappear. They hang around, often causing a background hum of anxiety until you finally face them.
So why do we do it?
Coping mechanism – allowing ourselves to avoid facing what scares us, or disrupts our flow. Coping to avoid discomfort or anxiety associated with certain tasks.
Fear (of failure) or overwhelming tasks
Confusion (due to distraction)
Perfectionism
Lack of motivation.
Forms of Procrastination [at Work]
Procrastination often follows a predictable cycle: you avoid a task that feels overwhelming, feel temporary relief, then face rising stress and anxiety as deadlines loom. This leads to a last-minute scramble to complete the task, often with rushed results, regret, and a promise to do better next time—yet without change, the cycle repeats.
But procrastination doesn’t always mean doing nothing. It’s also not about laziness. It’s a coping mechanism for avoiding discomfort or anxiety associated with certain tasks and takes such forms as:
Task avoidance: Avoiding an unpleasant or overwhelming task. You might tell yourself you’ll do it later, shifting the thought to the back of your mind and putting the task on the back burner.
Busywork – You work on easy or low-priority tasks to avoid more important ones.
Perfectionism – You wait until conditions are perfect or spend too much time refining one thing.
Over-planning – You make detailed plans but delay the actual execution.
Digital distractions – Constant notifications, emails, or social media break your focus.
Commonly, these procrastinatory habits often develop in isolated environments. But in a coworking space like Kikao64 Hub Eldoret, the energy of others working around you can encourage better focus and a productivity mentality.
Conquering Procrastination: 7 Practical Tools and Techniques That Work
If procrastination is keeping you stuck, these 7 tips for boosting focus and productivity can help you break free from the cycle. Find the one that fits you best.
1. Write a To-Do List | Create a Personal Kanban
A daily to-do list keeps your mind clear and organized. Write down every task, even small ones. This builds momentum.
Then take it a step further with a personal Kanban board. The Kanban is one of the most popular productivity techniques in terms of visual appeal and ease of use. It lets you split your to-do list into three categories/columns:
To-Do – all tasks that need to get done soon.
In Progress/Doing – tasks you’re currently working on.
Done – tasks already finished.
The system uses two rules:
Visualize your Work
Limit your Work in Progress (WIP)
This visual tool helps you track progress and avoid multitasking.
2. Break Tasks Into Smaller Steps
Big tasks can feel overwhelming.
One of the primary reasons people procrastinate is that some (big) tasks often appear overwhelming. Dividing large projects into smaller, manageable steps can make them feel less intimidating.
So,
Break bigger into smaller, bite-sized actions. This reduces stress and gives you a clear starting point.
Divide complex tasks into smaller, manageable ones. This is a key part in setting achievable personal goals.
Then tackle one smaller task at a time to reduce the overwhelm associated with large to-dos.

(Picture created with AI)
For example, instead of “Launch marketing campaign,” your list might include:
Write the email copy
Design the graphics
Set up scheduling tools
Doing a little each day makes big tasks more manageable in any workspace setting.
3. Prioritize Tasks [Eat the Frog] | For Big-Task Procrastinators
Not all tasks are created equal. Some tasks are hard or too complex, some are light, some are more important and time-sensitive, others are urgent, while others can wait.
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” ~ Mark Twain
In other words, identify the most important and biggest task on your to-do list and do it first. It’s probably a task you’ve been thinking about for a while and procrastinating on, moving it from yesterday’s tasks to today’s or tomorrow’s. This is your frog—and you have to eat it. Get it over with fast. Don’t let your frog sit there long, psyching you out.
Utilize a prioritization method such as: The Eisenhower Matrix and East The Frog.
The Eisenhower Matrix is used to classify tasks according to their urgency and importance. This tool helps you decide what matters most. Tasks are sorted into four boxes:
Urgent and Important – Do now (first)

Important, Less Urgent – Schedule

Urgent, Less Important – Delegate

Less Urgent, Less Important – Delete
With the Eisenhower Matrix, focus on completing high-priority tasks first, which can help you manage your time more effectively and prevent procrastination. By tackling important tasks early, you’ll reduce the stress of looming deadlines and free up time for other activities.
If you struggle to start some tasks, use the “Eat the Frog” method: do your hardest task first thing in the morning and the easier tasks later. It sets a strong tone for the day.
Tackling the most important task early creates momentum, builds confidence, and helps you achieve your goals.
If you combine the Eisenhower Matrix with Eat the Frog, you can prioritize your tasks according to difficulty or significance, ensuring that you’re working on what matters most first.
4. Use the Pomodoro Technique | For Time Management and Breaks
Work in short, focused sprints: 25 minutes of work followed by a 5-minute break. Complete the work sprint cycles 3-5 times, then take a longer or more extended break (15-30 minutes). That’s one Pomodoro.
The Pomodoro method uses a timer to break the workday into short periods, spaced by breaks. It’s especially important for those who work heads down for hours on end to complete a project without a break.

This technique helps maintain energy and reduces burnout. How?
Breaks are as simple as refreshing your water glass, going for a walk around the block, stretching, dancing, socializing, you name it. Watch your productivity, quality of work, and performance increase, while your stress levels and tendency to burn out decrease.
In coworking environments like Kikao64 Hub, Pomodoro can be perfect for staying productive while enjoying the space’s dynamic flow. During the 25-minute productivity interval, focus on one task and see how much you can get done before your timer goes off. You may be tempted to ignore the breaks, but don’t.
5. Use Time Blocking | For Mapping Out Busy Schedules
Time blocking means assigning specific tasks to blocks of time in your calendar. It helps you control your day instead of reacting to it.
Create blocks for deep work, emails, meetings, and breaks.

You can especially use this method in coworking spaces, where deep work is highly possible, but distractions can also occur. Time blocking keeps your focus sharp, even in a buzzing work hub.
Write down your daily task list, then put it into a block. Checking items off is satisfying (hello, dopamine release!).
6. Eliminate/Minimize Distractions | For Tasks that Require Focus
Distractions are productivity killers. Silence your phone, close extra tabs, and wear noise-canceling headphones.
At Kikao64, dedicated quiet zones and meeting rooms allow you to focus deeply without interruptions. A well-designed workspace reduces common distractions and supports better concentration.
Minimizing distractions can help you stay focused and increase your productivity.
7. Work at Your Biological Prime Time | Create a Routine
Everyone has peak energy hours. There are early birds, night owls, Monday haters, yes anytime people, slackers, busy bees, procrastinators, and everything in between. The question is: what kind of worker are you?
Find yours and schedule important tasks during that time. For some, it’s early morning; for others, late afternoon.
Your biological prime time is just as it sounds: your personal best times in a day to get work done. It’s based on your dips and peak energy levels, productivity, motivation, and daily focus. What you’ve eaten, when, your sleep patterns, how much exercise you’ve had, and so on, are external factors.
Think of your biological prime time as a constant.
Once you discover your biological prime time, build a routine around it – or create a routine.
8. Bonus Tip: Reflect and Adjust
End each week with a short reflection. Ask:
What did I achieve?

What held me back?

How can I improve next week?
Reflect on which strategies are working for you and adjust as necessary. Overcoming procrastination is a journey, and it’s normal to keep adjusting your approach as you go.
Find Your Personal Best Productivity at Kikao64 Hub
Productivity isn’t just about apps and tools—it’s about your environment. At Kikao64, a modern coworking space designed for entrepreneurs and professionals, you get more than a desk. You enter a work hub experience with fast, reliable internet, focused work zones, networking and community events, and a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Whether you’re launching a startup or managing remote projects, Kikao64 workspace offers the flexibility, structure, and inspiration you need to conquer procrastination.
Your best work happens when your environment supports your goals. Book your space at the Kikao64 Hub and experience productive wins.