Procrastination develops over time and can lead to other conditions in your life. It isn’t only a symptom of things it is a condition. If you are a procrastinator, you should stop and ask yourself what you are putting off and if it is even worth doing.
You can deal with the habit of procrastination if you accept that it is more than an annoyance and learn and develop more effective time management skills.
To defeat procrastination, you have to realize that you are doing it and why.
You should ask yourself why you procrastinate. For some, it is a method they use to make themselves feel that they are actually accomplishing something. Others use it as a method to cope and a way to divert their attention from an unpleasant or painful task.
Here are some tips that you can use to reduce your procrastination and start to regain control of your time.
Identify that you have this habit. When you re-prioritize your workload you may find that this is part of the habit. If you do delay an essential task for a good reason, you are not engaging in procrastination.
- If you never get back to these tasks to complete them, or you keep busy focusing on other less important tasks, them procrastination is the issue.
- Some of the following indicate that you are procrastinating: your day is filled with non-urgent tasks, you read the same emails throughout the day but don’t act on them.
- You are also procrastinating if you start a task but then go to get a coffee. If you never return to the task, you are procrastinating.
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Start to work. You are procrastinating if you spend time deciding to take action. Stop deciding and take the action to get the work finished. If you let it slide, you will regret it.
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This is a practical tip because it helps you take the first step which is usually the hardest. After that the rest becomes more straightforward.
- As an example, starting to push a car is the most challenging. It becomes more manageable once you get it started moving. You need to apply this to your work.
- Even a small first step is good. The step may not be the most significant that you have ever taken, but it gets you moving and you will gain momentum.
Willpower is not the answer. You procrastinate, not only from what comes from within you, but also as a result of your environment. If you don’t feel supported in your environment, you won’t feel welcomed.
You don’t realize all of your intentions if you are in that type of environment. You need to ask yourself what do you need to enable you to achieve your goals? When you know that, make a list of the steps needed to achieve those goals.
- When the steps are known then you need to get started on those steps, one at a time. You will soon be moving towards your goals one step after another. Some people believe that willpower is all that they need.
- Willpower is only one type of motivation. Willpower can only be used until you feel wiped out.
- It is challenging to get your motivation to start up again once your willpower runs out. This is why you need to think about your goals, plan the steps needed to achieve those goals.
- After that planning is done, take those steps and don’t focus on any of the unpleasant aspects.
Procrastination is linked to a lack of motivation. You will be less like to engage in procrastination if you become more preoccupied with your goals. That is a good reason to set motivational goals.
Planning is also a good idea as this will reduce the need for lots of willpower. Using willpower to complete a task is challenging so planning can make things a lot easier. You need to remove procrastination to be more productive as many factors contribute to your overall success.
You can ask for help, since many people procrastinate as they don’t want to ask for help. If you need help, you can talk to friends, your family or your colleagues to get the help you need to complete your tasks.
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To your success
Michael
P.S. you know that living a life that is in balance is important. When you can balance your work, family, health, relationships, fitness and money, you feel better and can achieve your goals. You have the support of your family and friends which makes life worth living.
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