Your Health & Wellbeing: How to stop procrastinating …and get things done
Procrastination. The annoying practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending duties to a later time. In a nutshell: intentionally and habitually delaying something until a later time because you simply do not want to do it. Writes Mya Padmore
Are you a procrastinator? The fact is that I don’t know many people who don’t procrastinate in at least some area of their life. It goes without saying that most of us cosmopolitan women are super busy and there just never seems to be enough hours in the day to complete everything. Nonetheless, how do we differentiate habitual or chronic procrastination from a truly justified reason why we don’t want to undertake something?
The peculiar thing about procrastination is that everyone knows it doesn’t get you where you want to go in life, but we still do it. Even when procrastination makes you feel bad. Something as common as delaying your taxes, meeting a deadline for work, cleaning the house or joining a gym, to putting off decisions that have much major life implications, such as registering for graduate school, making a plan for that business idea that you have had for a long time or finally confronting a bad relationship are all forms of procrastination.
With me, it’s keeping in touch with friends and tackling financial issues. The latter is more burdensome. I never feel ecstatic about dealing with the tedious, yet necessary task of budgeting, paying bills and financial planning, especially if it is during a time when my expenses exceed my income.
The peculiar thing about procrastination is that everyone knows it doesn’t get you where you want to go in life, but we still do it.
According to Psychology Today, twenty percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. For them procrastination is a lifestyle cutting across all domains of their life. They don’t pay bills on time. They miss opportunities. They don’t cash gift certificates before expiration dates. They file income tax returns late. They leave their holiday shopping until the very last minute and the list could go on.
Do you ever find yourself avoiding difficult or unpleasant tasks and deliberately looking for distractions? Let’s face it, some tasks or issues are never going to be easy no matter how long we let it marinate. Procrastinating can create stress, as well as a sense of guilt. It causes severe loss of personal productivity and on occasion even social disapproval for not meeting responsibilities or commitments. So, how can we overcome this affliction and become more efficient in our work and in our lives?
20% of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators.
The key to controlling the destructive habit is to recognize when you start procrastinating and understand why it happens. It is not a problem of time management or of planning. Procrastinators are not different in their ability to estimate time. Some psychologists suggest that procrastinating is a coping mechanism for anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision. Perhaps it is the fear of change or failure? In some cases, the lack of courage or motivation to follow something through or the reluctance to face difficult and unpleasant circumstances. Often times it could be as simple as laziness and lack of ambition.
I must admit that even I have resorted at least once to the excuse that “I perform better under pressure!” The truth is, more often than not, that is just a way to justify putting things off. Procrastination is a habit, a bad habit. So, in order to break it, we must work on ourselves.
MindTools, the site promising Essential Skills for an Excellent Career suggests a 3-step process in overcoming procrastination. These steps can be applied to procrastination of any nature:
- Step 1: Recognize that you are procrastinating.
- Step 2: Work out why you are procrastinating. (This is important to understand.)
- Step 3: Adopt Anti-procrastinating strategies.
Below are some recommended anti-procrastinating strategies from Dr. Joseph Ferrari, leading expert on procrastination (Yes, there are actually experts on procrastination).
1. Make a list of everything you have to do.
2. Write a statement of intention.
3. Set realistic goals.
4. Break it down into specific tasks.
5. Make your task meaningful.
6. Promise yourself a reward.
7. Eliminate tasks you never plan to do. Be honest with yourself!
8. Avoid too much optimism. Estimate the amount of time you think it will take you to complete a task. Then increase the amount by 100%.
Still need motivation? Here are some general tips that work for me, which can help to get you moving!
- Increase the task’s value. Make up your own rewards system for accomplishing a tough task.
- Ask loved ones or close friend to check up on you. Peer pressure works!
- Make a to-do list for the week first, and then make a daily list to make sure that you stay on track.
- Take a break from social media if it is consuming too much of your time.
- Stop trying to be perfect. Whether it’s waiting for the perfect timing or waiting for your work to be perfect.
- Learn to overcome your fear of failure.
- Identify the unpleasant consequences of NOT doing the task and the positive benefits of accomplishing it.
Overcoming procrastination only happens when you have a clear vision of your ideal future. When your goals are tied to this ideal future, motivation is easy. Motive, plus action is motivation.
Do you make excuses for why you haven’t completed projects or taken steps towards something lingering? Seek practical ways to motivate yourself to reach your goals. Do not waste time on unimportant tasks while never getting around to the things that really matter. You can beat procrastination by having a clear path to your goals. Take the advice of Charles Dickens, ‘Never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time. ’ I say, remember that life is short, so get it done!
