Procrastination is the habit of putting off tasks that we should be doing now. It’s the act of delaying these tasks and instead doing other menial tasks. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re probably struggling with procrastination in some form?
Some people think procrastination equals being lazy, when in reality you may be avoiding a task or project due to anxiety or the fear of failure.
When we procrastinate, we are allowing ourselves short-term gratification rather than thinking of what’s best for ourselves in the long run. Precious time and energy is wasted doing things that we don’t really have to do – when what we should be doing is finishing the task at hand ( you know the one with the deadline).
Awareness is key
Become more self-aware, recognise when you are procrastinating and why. Some reasons why people procrastinate are:
- The fear of failure
- Lack of motivation
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Perfectionism
- The reward is too far in the future
- Lack of energy
To successfully deal with your procrastination, you need to figure out why you procrastinate and how your procrastination is preventing you from achieving your goals, so you can formulate an action plan.
Top tips to overcome procrastination
- Set goals
- Set deadlines for those goals
- Break tasks down into small actionable to do’s
- Each night write a to do list for the next day
- Start each day with the hardest task (you know the saying – eat that frog!)
- Eliminate distractions
- Reward yourself and celebrate your wins
- Visualise your future self
- Focus on the goal (not the task)
Breaking the procrastination habit isn’t easy. The urge to put things off can be strong, especially when there are so many things around us to distract us. Whilst you will never be able to entirely avoid procrastination recognising the reasons why you procrastinate and how to overcome those tendencies will definitely help you.
Now stop procrastinating (by reading this blog) and do that task you’ve been putting off!
