Wondering why we are talking about procrastination today?....well here’s a little exercise for you. Have you ever been in a situation where you put off important tasks over and over just to do something more comfortable? Well you are not alone. Procrastination is common with basically everyone. Most people procrastinate to some degree but some are chronically affected by it.
First of all, what do we really mean by procrastination? Procrastination can best be described as putting off important tasks (delaying things you should be doing right now, usually in favour of something enjoyable or more comfortable doing), for things less tasking. According to Professor Clarry Lay “a renowned psychologist” procrastination is occurring when there’s a significant time period between when people intend to do a job, and when they actually do it. The main question is why do we procrastinate???
People actually procrastinate for different reasons:
Some people hate their jobs or find a particular task unpleasant, so they feel the best way to handle it is to completely avoid it and do other things pleasant, rather than getting it done as fast as possible and focus on the enjoyable aspects of the job of task.
Some people are disorganized. They find it difficult to manage their time and prioritize their task. So they tend to place less important tasks ahead of more important ones.
People, even organized people often find their jobs or task overwhelming. They may doubt they have the skills or resources to complete their job or task so they seek comfort in doing tasks they feel they are capable of doing. Unfortunately, the big tasks aren’t just going to go away like that, they rarely do.
Some other people lack decision making skills. They find it hard to make decisions. If u find it hard to decide what to do at any point in time, you are likely to put off taking action in place of doing the wrong thing.
Funny enough, perfectionists often procrastinate. They feel sometimes that they lack the skills and resources to complete some tasks, so they don’t do it at all.
There are some other people who naturally prefer being busy, doing nothing. They have plans, tasks or even jobs to handle but they feel there is lots of time in the world until there is no time at all. At this point they are overwhelmed with tight deadlines to meet up with.
There are so many other reasons as to why we procrastinate, but one very important question is “how do we beat procrastination?”
There are several ways with which we can beat or control procrastination. The first and foremost thing is to recognize the fact that we procrastinate. There’s a popular saying that “once a problem is noted, a possible solution lies nearby.”
Make a to-do list of important task to complete. This will give you a form of responsibility in that you’ll have in mind that you tasks to complete with time.
Prioritize your task from most important to least important. At this point you’ll know what tasks are most important and which are less important.
Give yourself deadlines to complete each task. This in turn gives you a sense of urgency. You can also put some pressure on yourself and not wait for someone to do it for you. Learning to work with time will also go a long way to help.
Reward yourself for each task completed.
Motivate yourself into action. To perform at your best, you have to be your own personal cheerleader. You should be able to develop a habit of encouraging yourself to be at the top of your game.
Practice creative procrastination. Creative procrastination is the act of thoughtfully and deliberately deciding upon the exact things you are not going to do right now, if ever. It is a very effective tool in beating procrastination. After prioritizing your tasks you can choose to put off less important tasks for more important ones.
For those of us who find our jobs or tasks overwhelming, one you should know is that nothing good comes easy. You can breakdown your tasks into smaller more manageable ones. This makes your tasks or job easier to complete.
Procrastination is a habit, a deeply ingrained pattern of behavior. That means that you won’t just break it overnight. Habits only stop being habits when you have persistently stopped practicing them, so use as many approaches as possible to maximize your chances of beating procrastination. Fully 95% of your success in life and work will be determined by the kind of habits that you develop over time. So like the NIKE slogan, “I just do it” no matter how unpleasant I feel the task or job is because most times the unpleasantness of some tasks are overestimated.
You can read more about procrastination from Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog.
Have a wonderful weekend
See you at the top.
