Procrastination is a damaging
habit. It can keep otherwise successful
people from accomplishing anything.
Everyone experiences procrastination now and then. There are often events and tasks in our lives
that we simply don’t want to begin.
Procrastination starts at an early age for many people. Some children will procrastinate with school
work or other chores until the last minute.
Often, this results in the child staying up all night to finish a report
or other project.
Procrastination is particularly bad
because of two reasons. The first reason
is that it causes unnecessary stress.
When you procrastinate, you are placing extra stress on yourself. You may stress over the task each day until
it is complete.
If you are one that can put it out of
your head completely, you will still be under great amounts of stress when you
actually do have to get started.
Something that you might have had two weeks to complete will seem
completely overwhelming if you only give yourself 12 hours to complete it.
The second reason why procrastination
is terrible is because it prevents you from doing your best work. No matter what the task may be
procrastination will cause you to rush through it. If you wait until the last minute to get
something done, you will be rushing to finish.
Instead of taking your time to do your best work, you will be focused on
getting done instead of the quality of work.
If you want to stay more motivated and avoid procrastination, you should
try these three tips.
Make a Schedule
Those people who tend to push things
off until the last minute will really benefit from making a schedule. When you have created a schedule that breaks
up exactly what you have to do to complete the task on time, you will allow
yourself a lot more breathing room throughout the task.
By actually writing the schedule out,
you will be more likely to follow it.
When you break down tasks that you are putting off, especially if they
are large or time consuming, you will find it much easier to get started. Often getting started is the most difficult
aspect of it all. Once you begin, you
will likely sail right through. A
schedule will help you keep that motivation and get through the task.
Hold Yourself Accountable
When you notice you are
procrastinating, you should always hold yourself accountable. Tell yourself all of the reasons
procrastination is harmful. Note that
when you don’t procrastinate that you are much more productive. When you want to use others to help motivate
you, you can tell them about your task and what you need to do.
When you get off course, they can help
you stay motivated by reminding you what needs to be done. Telling others allows them to hold you
accountable as well. Just remember that
when they do remind you of what you need to do, they are not nagging, just
simply keeping you motivated.
Reward Yourself
Sometimes the best motivation is a
reward. Tell yourself that until you get
through the task you will not be able to watch television, take in a movie, or
check your email. This will help you get
the motivation and desire to finish the task and make things roll along much
more quickly. These rewards are nice
when you are done, but if you try to do them throughout the task, they will
only distract you and take up much more of your time. So, be sure to save the rewards until the end
to get the most out of your time.
Remember that procrastination is
something that can hold you back from better things. To avoid it, be sure you
make a schedule, tell others and hold yourself accountable, and reward yourself
for positive behavior. When it comes to
doing difficult tasks, no one wants to get started.
There are often times in life where we
must do things we don’t want to do. It
is during these times that procrastination creeps up slowly. Recognize when it begins and know how to
stomp it out before it takes over. When
you do this, you will find that your motivation is steady and that you can do
anything you want to do!