Overcoming Procrastination
So You Can Move Forward

Overcoming procrastination

Photo Credit: basykes via flickr

Overcoming procrastination can help you much on making progress in life. You have to learn to prevent what can "stun" you and the things that can consume much of your time preventing you from producing results.

For some people, getting over with procrastination is not easy. Procrastinating becomes a persistent habit because of several reasons. This affects their working life so much which prevents them from having personal productivity improvement.

You should not develop the habit of procrastinating, it will definitely slow you down in every important thing that you must accomplish. It will make your goals seem farther and harder to reach.

When Does It Strike?

It can happen at the start of doing your task, especially when the task seems hard or complicated. Prevention should be done early in order to avoid further delays caused by procrastination.

Reports and projects for example, tend to make some people delay starting and they do other things instead. Things that can give them pleasure and comfort. It’s like they’re trying to avoid exerting mental and physical effort at the moment or for some period of time.

Procrastinating gives you the tendency of doing something else like playing games and watching TV instead of proceeding with an important task. It can stop you from starting your work and it can stop you while in the middle of it.

The Possible Causes

The problem of procrastinating is often thought of as "laziness" during work. However, it is not always the reason why some people procrastinate. Other reasons can include low motivation and lack of personal ambition.

Procrastinating can happen due to lack of inspiration or driving force from things like:

  • Family to love and sustain
  • Girlfriend or boyfriend support
  • Goals to be met
  • Aspirations in life
  • The rewards to be expected

Problems with family or friends can create stress and anxiety symptoms which can lead to procrastinating when doing tasks. When something makes you feel bad and uncomfortable with yourself, you may feel the tendency to procrastinate when facing a task.

Overcoming procrastination involves resolving relationship problems as soon as possible because you cannot avoid thinking about it from time to time which can slow you down several times while doing something.

You Should also Know...

You should also know that procrastinating can also happen as an impulse which could be a natural habit formed and developed. But you should try to fight and overcome it by seeking achievement in life and producing valuable results. 

Understanding your purpose in life can strengthen your willpower of overcoming procrastination which will promote better personal management. This will give you a firm direction while you do your work despite the uncertainties in life which can "hold you back" from time to time.

Remove the Unnecessary

Procrastinating can happen when things "get complicated." You can reduce the problem of procrastinating by learning to simplify your life which can help you avoid unnecessary things in life that you don’t really need.

You should create an atmosphere that is comfortable and inspiring to work with. Creating a clean and clear environment without clutter can inspire you to work better.

Who's Perfect?

Some people are perfectionists when it comes to what they do because they want to make their work "the best" or "without flaw." There’s also the desire to impress others with the level of quality they can do. However, nothing’s perfect and something that is close to perfection is hard to make. It takes a lot of effort unless you’re ok with it.

The result for some people is that they get into procrastinating several times because of perfectionism. You should do your best with what you do of course, but there's no need to overdo it! Overcoming procrastination need balance and regulation of the things that you do.

You don’t need to set a very high standard always, you just need to "make it right" or pass the standard of your boss, superior or teacher. You should simply "meet the requirements" of the task you are given usually.

Overdoing things can lead you to too much stress and it may lead to "burn out." This may end up in long procrastinating because of the tough experience you've had. You should have a work-life balance so you can release your stress and avoid losing your motivation for work.

Did You Get Paralyzed?

You may experience getting paralyzed when you analyze too much on something that you do. For example, when you’re researching, you may want to get the very best of all information and all the data for the subject you’re studying.

Analyzing too much, in order to make the best results can lead to "analysis paralysis." And with this condition, you may feel that you have to do more, research more or study more to make your work "the very best there is."

In a sense, this may be similar to procrastinating and it can consume much of your time that can be used for other things. This may also be similar to perfectionism and you need to do just enough, not overdo it.

The use of study skills which you can learn to do can make studying much easier for you. This can save you time and effort which can help with overcoming procrastination.

A Change of Lifestyle

Overcoming procrastination also happens when there's a change going in the right  direction. A complicated life which can cause confusion can lead to procrastinating several times.

To prevent this, you can get organized with yourself on how you live. This would make things simpler for you in preventing unnecessary problems that you might encounter. You should create an organized home to set the basic change of making your life less complicated. 

Effective time management become easier to attain when things become more simple. Start your day with a good morning routine which can give you inspiration for the whole day as you do your activities. A good start can uplift you, preventing the direction to procrastinate.

Planning and Preparing

Procrastinating can happen when you get stuck in a certain situation, not knowing what to do next. Without a sense of direction or procedures to follow, you may tend to become lazy or "daydream" throughout the day which can waste your time having less productivity.

You can use a daily planner to plan ahead and organize the things you must do for the whole day so you’ll be motivated to "keep on moving" forward and achieve a lot during the day while managing procrastination. There's also a weekly planner that can be used for several days of planning for the whole week.

For monthly reminders, you can use a monthly planner or an automatic tool called the Google Calendar to get you reminded of important activities or events on certain dates.

Organizing a good schedule for your tasks will help you prevent procrastinating because the steps of doing things will be easier for you.

More of Overcoming Procrastination

For overcoming procrastination better, you can do these effective time management techniques:

1. Stay away and avoid from having access to things that can tempt you towards procrastinating while at work.

2. You can delete certain games from the computer if needed and you can put restrictions to certain websites you visit so you could prevent spending time on them.

3. Stick with people who work hard and "results minded." They can influence you to work more and improve your performance. They can even give you the positive support you need and help you with your work.

4. Seek personal development it can increase your self confidence and improve your "positive thinking" which can help you with overcoming procrastination.

Further Things You Can Do:

5. You should avoid "gossipers" and controversial issues in the workplace. They can give negative thoughts and feelings which can lower your motivation. They can also add to your workplace stress when negative things spread around.

6. Read and learn about the lives of successful people. Their examples can give you motivation to work harder and have stronger ambitions. Having a strong "willpower" and better inspiration can make procrastination tendencies much easier.

7. Find a person who can give you "moral support" and guidance.

8. Seek a counselor when something is troubling you, giving you anxiety. An effective advise can help with overcoming procrastination.

Overcome a Disadvantage

People who are going through disorders such as Dyslexia would have a harder time  overcoming procrastination. The same with ADHD in children and ADHD in adults, procrastinating would make it more difficult for them to perform in the society.

This is why people with disorders should be supported and guided with their learning and work. When procrastinating becomes severe to any person, a psychiatrist or therapist should be consulted in order to prevent further problems.

Overcoming procrastination is doable! You just need to make the initiative and learn to help yourself. With the right change of attitude and direction, the tendencies of procrastinating will not stop you from achieving much in life.


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