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How to Banish Procrastination With Scrum Methodology

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If you’d like to learn how to stop procrastinating on your goals so you can have the life you’ve always dreamed of, sign up for the free 90-Day Master Class hosted by the founder of Addicted2Success.com, Joel Brown.


Everyone deals with procrastination. Scientists have conducted a lot of studies in order to understand the reasons why people procrastinate in the first place and help them overcome those reasons. The results of such studies could help us eliminate procrastination altogether. Some do help, undoubtedly, but we are still facing it. 

In the meantime, we are looking for the best ways to keep ourselves focused on our tasks. How? There are a lot of strategies and solutions that can help us manage workload effectively. One such solution that can banish procrastination for good is the Scrum methodology.

Scrum in a glance: What is it and how can it help?

Scrum methodology is a set of values, principles, and practices that can help you achieve more in a shorter amount of time. This is done by making sure that each and every task you have is small enough to be completed successfully. 

Then, these tasks are inspected and adapted to suit the needs of a project, minimizing the risks of not completing these tasks properly. This cycle repeats until everything is finished. Sounds great, right? 

1. What are the benefits of using Scrum?

There have been many reports (such as KPMG Global Agile Survey 2019) on how Scrum influences businesses that use it. Some of the benefits that are mentioned frequently include increased employee morale because employees have enough time to complete tasks every day and collaboration is highly encouraged. 

With over 68%, as shown in the research, organisations state faster product delivery as one of the key drivers for adopting Agile methodology, which means the teams are building better quality products. Since inspecting and adapting is used all the time, and project control is increased, as corrections can effectively be made whenever it is necessary, customer satisfaction is 42%. 

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” – Pablo Picasso

2. How can Scrum banish procrastination at work?

As mentioned, fear is one of the most common causes of procrastination. You may be afraid you don’t have enough skills or competence to complete a big task, which can lead to postponing working on it. 

There are many ways in which Scrum can help you stop procrastinating at work, from allowing you to build up your confidence to making you feel like you are part of the team. 

3. Scrum principles and methods encourage the benefits of short-term efforts 

The fact is that our brain finds it more difficult to process abstract things. Anything and everything that is yet to be shown or seen or has any inclination towards the future, creates a struggle. In a word, we find it difficult to commit to long-term efforts. Scientists call this present bias. 

Scrum methods allow us to rebalance the benefits by creating a set of smaller tasks that one can complete. By doing so, the action and the reward for doing a pestering task feels larger than the struggle of tackling it.

For example, you have a task to design an entire website (which has several dozens of different pages) – that would take you weeks! However, if you separate this task into smaller chunks, and you go on to design a Contact page one day, About us the other and so on – you will not only boost your productivity, but you will also feel much better about your skills.

4. Scrum helps you to organize activities and work on tasks that you don’t find interesting 

Let’s say you have to complete a task that is boring or repetitive. You avoid doing it and you keep postponing it until the very last minute. 

Since Scrum promotes collaboration and a sense of unity (because everyone is working towards the same goal), just by having this mindset of you being a partner with everyone else in the team can do wonders. 

You will change your perception towards these kinds of tasks and you may even start finding exciting ways to complete them, who knows.

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” – Abraham Lincoln

5. Scrum helps you pre-commit and perform what you preach 

Scrum methods are created for the teams and teamwork. Together with a Scrum Master, the team determines the difficulty of the tasks and agrees on many action steps. This allows a person to add social benefits to certain actions and activities and follow through on a promise. 

Brain’s reward system is highly responsive to social life and it matters greatly what other people think, even strangers. Procrastination is a self-sabotaging behavior that can lead to wasted time, increased stress and poorer work performance. Telling another person you will do something can propel the action of doing it, and Scrum methodology empowers such social commitment. 

Ready, set, inspect and adapt

All the points listed above are crucial steps if you want to deal with the biggest obstacles that prevent you from achieving your full potential so you can boost your productivity and banish procrastination.

Do your research about Scrum and think about implementing it at work. Trust me, it will do wonders for your productivity.

Have you ever used scrum methodology? If so, let us know about your experiences below!

Branislava Milosavljević is a Marketing Director and Head of Product at Eton Digital. Branislava helps brands and businesses tell their stories. She creates growth strategies, conducts business, brand and market research to ensure brand consistency, leading teams and managing the process. Marketing knowledge and skills gained working in different industries and sectors (private, public and non-governmental) in both local and international markets. She's an avid reader in love with cinematography.

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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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