I wanted to write this article right from the time I started this blog, but I kept putting it off, but I finally got around to doing it.
We all love to put off things and I am no exception. If something could be postponed, it usually got postponed, unless it involved a life and death situation or something close to it. I made New Year resolutions year after year vowing to overcome this habit and after repeated attempts, I got over it, the habit of making New Year resolutions, I mean. But that's a different story.
Why do we procrastinate in the first place? Psychologists say that it is a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision. Sometimes, it is also a mechanism to protect us from over-stress. In general, the most common reasons for procrastination are
# A perception that a task is unpleasant or overwhelming ( I just can't do it/ it's plain boring)
# Fear of Change (Things are better as they are, why go about changing them?)
# Perfectionism (Got to do this perfectly and I don't feel I can make a perfect job of it as of now. I'll try this some other time)
# Fear of Failure (I am afraid I'd fail. It's better to leave things as they are)
# Disorganization (It's so messy. It would take ages to do this task)
So we love to procrastinate and at the same time, wish we could overcome this habit. So how do we go about doing it? Some common solutions offered by experts are
1. Get Someone Else Involved: If possible, involve someone else, say, a friend. It becomes easier to get things done and in addition, it is difficult to procrastinate with someone else involved in the work.
2. Do Things in Pieces: Break up tasks into smaller tasks so that you don't feel overwhelmed.
3. Prioritize: Is the job you are trying to do really that important? If not, just forget it and move on to something else.
4. Reflect On The End Result: Think of what finishing the task would mean to you. What aspect of your life will be better because we have finished our tasks? If you are unable to visualize that or if that doesn't get you motivated, just jump in and start the job anyway, i.e. focus on starting and not the finish.
5. Have a "To Do" List: Have a list of things to do and keep this list within your sight. As you cross off each item in the list after finishing, you will have that sense of accomplishment and believe me, it feels so good. Write down this list the previous night and review it every night. This helps to mentally prepare for the day to come and the jobs to be done.
6. Keep Things Neat: A messy environment makes you procrastinate. Keep your environment neat and tidy so that it doesn't create a sense of being overwhelmed, making you put off the task.
There are other tips and ideas, but I will stop here. If you are interested, here's a good article that I came across:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles/overcoming-procrastination.htm
We all love to put off things and I am no exception. If something could be postponed, it usually got postponed, unless it involved a life and death situation or something close to it. I made New Year resolutions year after year vowing to overcome this habit and after repeated attempts, I got over it, the habit of making New Year resolutions, I mean. But that's a different story.
Why do we procrastinate in the first place? Psychologists say that it is a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision. Sometimes, it is also a mechanism to protect us from over-stress. In general, the most common reasons for procrastination are
# A perception that a task is unpleasant or overwhelming ( I just can't do it/ it's plain boring)
# Fear of Change (Things are better as they are, why go about changing them?)
# Perfectionism (Got to do this perfectly and I don't feel I can make a perfect job of it as of now. I'll try this some other time)
# Fear of Failure (I am afraid I'd fail. It's better to leave things as they are)
# Disorganization (It's so messy. It would take ages to do this task)
So we love to procrastinate and at the same time, wish we could overcome this habit. So how do we go about doing it? Some common solutions offered by experts are
1. Get Someone Else Involved: If possible, involve someone else, say, a friend. It becomes easier to get things done and in addition, it is difficult to procrastinate with someone else involved in the work.
2. Do Things in Pieces: Break up tasks into smaller tasks so that you don't feel overwhelmed.
3. Prioritize: Is the job you are trying to do really that important? If not, just forget it and move on to something else.
4. Reflect On The End Result: Think of what finishing the task would mean to you. What aspect of your life will be better because we have finished our tasks? If you are unable to visualize that or if that doesn't get you motivated, just jump in and start the job anyway, i.e. focus on starting and not the finish.
5. Have a "To Do" List: Have a list of things to do and keep this list within your sight. As you cross off each item in the list after finishing, you will have that sense of accomplishment and believe me, it feels so good. Write down this list the previous night and review it every night. This helps to mentally prepare for the day to come and the jobs to be done.
6. Keep Things Neat: A messy environment makes you procrastinate. Keep your environment neat and tidy so that it doesn't create a sense of being overwhelmed, making you put off the task.
There are other tips and ideas, but I will stop here. If you are interested, here's a good article that I came across:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles/overcoming-procrastination.htm
I would love to finish this piece by proudly proclaiming that I have been cured of procrastination, but that is not the honest truth. On the brighter side, I have had modest success in overcoming this habit and in managing to loosen its grip. Looking at all those "go-getters", sometimes I wonder if they ever had bouts of procrastination. If they did have, how did they get over it? I would love to know the answers.
