One of the common things human beings are suffering from is procrastination. It is the act of delaying or putting things off for a later time. Even a person who is well-organized and disciplined tends to fall into this well of procrastination. Believing that repeated minor delays will not hurt you in a long run is nothing but a form of procrastination. If you are delaying the task, having trouble acting on them, or are unable to manage distractions then you are procrastinating.
Procrastination can lead to –
Ruining your career
Wasting your precious time
Making poor decision
Ruining your relationships
Resentment from family and co-workers
Making poor decisions
Lower self-esteem
Stress on your health
“Success is not a place at which one arrives but rather the spirit with which one undertakes and continues the journey.”
– Alfred Nobel
But this needs to stop right now otherwise you will be in great trouble. Here are some ways that will help you to overcome procrastination
Manage your environment
Working in a space where you are surrounded by positive energy will enhance your ability to do the work efficiently.
Take baby steps
Break down the items on your list into small, manageable steps so that your tasks don’t seem so overwhelming.
Make a to-do list
This will help you to keep track of things you would be doing the following day. By this, you don’t have to waste time in the morning. You know what are your plans for the day and you will start your day with a clear picture.
Eliminate distractions
Eliminate the distractions that force you to procrastinate. If you are distracted by social media so deactivate it for a short period of time. Turn off your notifications and focus on what you are doing.
Start today
Once you’ve figured out what is the task for the day, you must take immediate action. Muster the courage and give it a start with a positive note of completing the task without any distraction.
Hang out with people who don’t procrastinate
Hang out with people who inspire you. They’ll infuse some of their drive and spirit into your work ethic.
Reward yourself
When we tell ourselves something like, “I’ll do it first thing tomorrow morning,” that provides another reward in the form of positive emotions. You see, when we imagine ourselves engaged in some future action that we perceive as beneficial, we feel good about ourselves.
Increase self confidence
Students who believe that they won’t be successful at the task at hand are more likely to procrastinate. One way to increase their confidence is to highlight how others who have been in a similar position have been successful.
Perfectionism
Don’t strive for perfectionism. It is better to do something 80% than having done nothing. As the saying goes “Well done is better than well said“.
When your plan is failing, RE-PLAN
Some goals weren’t meant to be achieved then take a step back and decide what it is exactly that you want to achieve and what steps you should take to get there.
Have you ever put off your homework till the last minute? Or perhaps studied for the test only a day before? Maybe delayed writing an essay till the last possible hour? All of us are guilty of delaying tasks and putting off important work until a later date. This is essentially procrastinating. It is the action of purposefully delaying any task or activity. In this procrastination essay, we will see the reasons and the solutions to this problem.
As we will see in this procrastination essay, this is not a rare phenomenon. Almost everyone is guilty of it at some point in their lives. So we ask ourselves this question – why do people procrastinate even when they are so busy most of the time? We live in the 21st century, where time is our most precious commodity. And yet, we waste this precious resource procrastinating our time away.
Why do we Procrastinate?
The reasons for a person procrastinating can be varied. It depends on person-to-person and situation-to-situation. However, there are some universal reasons that cause people to delay their tasks and actions. One of the most important ones is the fear of failure. When a person delays doing an important task or is disinterested in finishing it, the cause could be a deep-rooted fear of failure. It is in human nature to avoid and fear failure. So by choosing to never finish the task, we can avoid the consequences as well.
Another reason is the lack of focus and determination. Feeling directionless and unfocused can often cause people to lose their wills to do their jobs. This leads to procrastination. Sometimes the lack of goals and objectives is also the reason a person loses their focus. Since they do not have an end-goal in mind, they end up wasting energy in other useless tasks.
There are other reasons a person may procrastinate. Sometimes, a person may be too much of a perfectionist. This distracts them from other tasks. And then there are other reasons like laziness, low energy levels, easy distractions, etc.
How to Stop Procrastinating?
While procrastinating is a very natural fault we all share, if it gets out of hand it can get quite troublesome. Excessive procrastination can disrupt your life and cause you to lose control of your schedules and deadlines. So when the procrastination gets out of hand, you need to reign it in and get back in control.
One way to stop procrastinating is to break down the dreaded task into little steps. If the work or the task is too overwhelming, we tend to procrastinate about it. But if the job is broken down, then we can tackle one step at a time without being overwhelmed. You can also create a detailed timetable or a timeline of some sort to help you with the steps.
At other times changing your work environment may be beneficial. It can provide you with the boost necessary to stop procrastinating and finish the task. If possible get a friend or a parent to keep a check on your progress. It helps keep the motivation levels up and encourages you to finish the task on time.
The main concern is not to over-focus or blame yourself for procrastinating sometimes. We are all a victim to procrastination from time-to-time. As long as it does not derail your entire schedule, give yourself a break and just get back to work!
10 Ways To Stop Procrastinating
So why do I still do it? In fact, how come millions of people all over the world procrastinate even when they know they will regret it? More importantly still, is there anything that you can do to stop wasting your time, put an end to your procrastination, and get your work done? I discovered some great trick which helped me stay focused on my work, and saved me the embarrassment of missing crucial deadlines. Find out 10 tricks which helped me stop procrastinating, and can help you as well!
1. Don’t overthink it: A plan needn’t be perfect. It should just get the work done. Spending hours, days, or even weeks planning something, is only going to cause you endless delays.
2. Don’t wait too long to start:
So you have come up with the perfect plan to do it. Great! So why aren’t you starting? Stop waiting for the perfect moment, there is no such thing. Start today. Start this very instant. You will thank yourself later.
3. Divide and conquer: If the British could rule over half the world with this strategy, you can certainly use it to get that priority assignment done! Break it down. Start small, and just keep going. Divide, and conquer it all!
4. Stick to your deadlines: When you set a deadline for yourself, it is somewhat easy to not follow it. Follow them anyway. Make it a habit. Self-discipline is the only way to conquer procrastination.
5. Remove all obstacles: Whether you are studying or have an important project submission, it is easy to find things to keep you distracted. Identify what these commonly are, and eliminate them before you start work.
6. Work with others: Teams are made for a reason. They not only reduce your overall work load, they also keep you focused. Work with other people and surround yourself with them. If you have to study, go to the library or the common room.
7. Broadcast your goals: Seek support from your friends and let them know what you are trying to do. Tell them your goals. Their positive feedback will inspire you to work harder.
8. Ask an expert: There will be people who have already achieved what you are trying to do. Seek them out if you can and ask them for the strategy that helped them succeed.
9. Stop making your life difficult: There is no need to complicate things. Sometimes a task can be very simple, and we just keep making it harder by delaying or not planning properly. Do yourself a favour and simplify your goals whenever you can.
10. Be sure of why you are doing it: Setting a goal, such as Complete this assignment in 5 hours is a great start. But what is your end goal? How will you benefit? Remind yourself why you are working so hard, and it will help you stay focused.
So now you have my 10 simple ways to get work done. They helped me stop procrastinating and I hope they will help you succeed as well!
Procrastination is the act of delaying or putting off tasks until the last minute, or past their deadline. Some researches define procrastination as a “form of self-regulation failure characterized by the irrational delay of tasks despite potentially negative consequences. No matter how well-organized and committed your are, chances are that you have found yourself frittering away hours on trivial pursuits (watching television, updating your Facebook status, shopping online) when you should have been spending that time on work or school-related projects. Whether you’re putting off finishing a project for work, avoiding homework assignments, or ignoring household chores, procrastination can have a major impact on your job, your grades and your life.
In most cases, procrastination is not a sign of a serious problem. It’s a common tendency that most people give in to at some point or another.
Causes
Remember that time that you thought you had a week left to finish a project that was really due the next day? How about the time you decided not to clean up your apartment because you “didn’t feel like doing it right now?’
We often assume that projects won’t take as long to finish as they really will, which can lead to a false sense of security when we believe that we have plenty of time to complete these tasks. One of the biggest factors contributing to procrastinating is the notion that we have to feel inspired or motivated to work on a tasks at a particular moment. The reality is that if you wait until you’re in the right frame of mind to do certain tasks (especially undesirable ones), you will probably find that the right time simply never comes along and the tasks never gets completed.
The following are the few factors that cause procrastination
Academics
Researchers suggest that procrastination can be particularly pronounced among students. A 2001 meta analysis published in the Psychological Bulletin found that a whopping 80% to 95% of college students procrastinated on the regular basis, particular when it came to completing assignments and course-work.
Overestimate how much time they have left to perform tasks
Overestimate how motivated they will be in the future
Underestimate how long certain activities will take to complete
Mistakenly assume that they need to be in the right frame of mind to work on a project
Depression
Procrastination can also be result of depression. Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, ad a lack of energy can make it difficult to start the simple tasks. Depression can also lead to self-doubt. When you can’t figure out how to tackle a project or feel insecure about your abilities, you might find it easier to put it off and working on other tasks.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Procrastination is also pretty common in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. One reason is that OCD is often linked with mal-adaptive, unhealthy perfectionism, which causes fears about making new mistakes, doubts about whether you are doing something correctly, and worry over other’s expectation ofyou.
People with OCD also often have a propensity toward in-decision, causing them to procrastinate rather than make a decision.
ADHD
Many adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggle with procrastination. When you’re so distracted by outside stimuli, as well as internal thoughts, it can be hard to get started on a task, especially if that task is difficult or not interesting in you.
Negative impact on procrastination
It is only in cases where procrastination becomes chronic and begins to have a serious impact on a person’s daily life that it becomes a more serious issue. In such instances, it’s not just a matter of having poor time management skills, it’s a major part of their lifestyle. Perhaps they pay their bills late, don’t start work on big projects until the night before the deadline, delay gift shopping until the day before a birthday, and even file their income tax returns late. Unfortunately, this procrastination can have a serious impact on a number of life areas, including a person’s mental health and social, professional and financial well-being.
Higher level of stress and illness
Increased burden placed on social relationships
Resentment from friends, family, co-workers and fellow student
Consequences of delinquent bills and income tax returns
Tips for procrastination
Fortunately, there are a number of different things you can do the fight procrastination and start getting things done on time.
Make a to-do list: To help to keep you on track, ,consider placing a due date next to each item.
Take baby steps: Break down the items on your list into small, manageable steps so that your tasks don’t seem so overwhelming.
Recognize the warming signs: Pay attention to any thoughts of procrastination and do your best to resist the urge. If you begin to think about procrastinating, force yourself to spend a few minutes working on your tasks.
Eliminate distraction: Ask yourself what pulls your attention away the most-whether Instagram, Facebook updates, or the local news-and turn off those sources of distraction.
Pat yourself on the back: When you finish an item on your to-do list on time, congratulate yourself and reward yourself by indulging in something you find fun.
We all are kind of stressed during this pandemic lockdown, so guess we all are struggling a lot to being productive in our work, business, or whatever it is.
Firstly, to be productive you should stop procrastinating all your work. Procrastination is your biggest enemy ever to achieve all your accomplishments.
Is there any difference between ordinary people and extraordinary people?
The thing is extraordinary people do all the work, same as ordinary people but with consistency and discipline. You have to decide whether procrastination is more significant than all your dreams and goals and works. Aim it high. Stop squandering all your time and scrounge towards being productive.
Instead of hard work, do the right work. Writing is not an art, but the way you present and allures your audience to read with emotions is an art. In this world of copycats, exposing all your own style with uniqueness may be hilarious for one and ridiculous for another. Live your life with purpose. Live and achieve all your everyday goals, that this might be the last day of your life so that you will not regret your dreams.
Once you started working, do your work stress-free by being passionate and also satisfied. Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter you are an early bird or night owl. But ample peace while waking up to the day as well as relaxation and satisfaction while going to sleep.
When you have a pocket full of money, but not ample peace in your mind, it doesn’t worth it of being productive in your life. Real freedom is enjoying in your real-time. If you are procrastinating all your works it leads to stress, at the time, a lazy man cannot enjoy his money but a productive man can enjoy all his necessities. Enjoy the work you do. Align all your tasks and make them correlated to do for a long time. It is also better to take a break once a week and enjoy it because you work all the rest of the days.
God puts humans in this world with lots of hurdles to know well and behave in certain circumstances and we believe different people behave in different ways according to their attitude towards it. Be consistent in your work, have faith, and celebrate all your accomplishments. No one is going to congratulate you. People can join and you don’t need to satisfy the crowd, but with what actually makes you feel good with gratitude and satisfaction.
Once you are productive, you will start to stop all the scrounge useless things. So always turn all your inspiring stories or person in life into motivation and convert them to practice and reality in your life to achieve your destination. You get more advice and lessons when you read failure stories, to get success in your life. Don’t expect the results, it might be either winning or losing, both happen. Experience and explore it more, without procrastinating. Go through and grow through your atmosphere to become productive, with every result of the work you do in your life.
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