Procrastination is considered one of the most irritating problems of our era. Though we are living in a busy world, that’s overloaded with tasks and responsibilities, we often tend to put off doing things that must be done. This adds to our feeling of pressure and stress, the common diseases of the age.
Also, it can lead to a feeling of guilt and anxiety since the required tasks remain hanging in front of our eyes. The word procrastination itself comes from the Latin procrastinates, meaning put forward until tomorrow! According to Clarry Lay, a prominent writer on procrastination, procrastination occurs when there’s “a temporal gap between intended behavior and enacted behavior.”
But why do we procrastinate? There are often two main reasons for procrastination. The first one is that we often feel that the task is too big and overwhelming to handle. The second is that you may find the job not interesting or enjoyable.
Here are few steps to overcome this destructive habit:
Recognize the problem…the first step toward solving any problem is to be honest with your self and to admit it. If you are putting things off things that must be done for no good reason…if you meet your deadlines in a mad and stressful rush in the last moment (this is if you finally considered handling you postponed tasks)….if one the reasons fro not dealing with your tasks is seeking perfectionism… or fearing of failure then you are a procrastinator admit it!
Figure out the reason for your procrastination…. If you can figure out the reason, you would find the best approach to handle it. Do you find the jobs assigned to you unpleasant or very big?
Get organized…disorganized people often find difficulty in doing what must be done. They are over loaded with the clutter and pile surrounding their lives which prevent them from being “the right person in the right time”. Organized people on the other hand, manage to fend the temptation to procrastinate because they work according to schedules and know what their priorities are. So de-clutter you life now!
Put time-specified to do lists and stick to it… decide what your priorities are and decide when you should handle them… make a plan and stick to it as much as you can.
Break your task down….if your task seems so big and overwhelming that getting started seems impossible, try dividing it into small manageable steps. The first question you should ask “how can I break it into small unites?” don’t try to deal with it as a whole. Estimate the time that every step will take and go on!
Make your task more enjoyable… try to make a game out of your job. Time your self while doing the task and try to beat your record with each step you take. Play your favorite music while handling it. Or change the usual place where the task is undertaken. This can inspire you and break the monotony you hate.
Find a motive. You can find a motive to push you forward through your positive self talk. Find the benefits of doing that particular task and always remind your self of them.
Reward your self along the way. Rewards can act as very powerful motives. Reward yourself with each step you take. This reward can be as simple as treating yourself to your favorite ice-cream or you can go for a long holiday when you finish the big task.
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