Procrastination they say is a thief of time. Putting off what you need to do today for another time is not a solution. It is simply kicking a problem down the road so you eventually have to deal with it at another time. Who is to say though that that other time will be convenient or not?
See your schedule as a long chain of perfectly symmetrical links. The strength of any chain depends on its weakest link. In maintaining the chain, you must treat each link with the utmost importance.
If you neglect any link to the smallest degree, there could be an issue that may not be apparent now but only when it is time for the strength of the chain to be put to the test. Remember that one link falling out of place will cause the entire chain to fail and bring disaster.
When you have a project to complete, you must get out of the habit of procrastination. Procrastination is a habit that can be very difficult to shake when it is not addressed.
It can get comfortable to procrastinate. After all the consequences of procrastination are not often immediate. For a project worker procrastination can lead to disaster.
At a construction site for instance, if relevant data that needs to be sent out immediately is ignored, the consequences could be dire. When you do not address things when they need to be addressed, new things may pop up which can cause you to forget what you had planned to do in the first place.
Procrastination should have no place in any walk of life. When planning an important event, every milestone that needs to be completed must be done efficiently and on time.
If you are the planner for a wedding, you must make sure that every step on your list is addressed and taken care of in a timely fashion. Failing to make one call or make one stop can cause problems that will only show during the main event.
Things you procrastinate may seem trivial and unimportant at the time. You may even feel like they will be easy to remember when it’s time for you to remember them.
If you procrastinate during funeral planning, the consequences may show when the event is underway. You may have forgotten to pay the caterer because you postponed it to another time. They may not show up or tell you you won’t get the number of packages you ordered because of your short notice.
For a student, procrastination may cause them to neglect a particular topic they were meant to study to pass an exam. When you procrastinate, you fill the space with emptiness or some other chore. If it is not an emergency, you must stop this.
As already mentioned, it throws off your schedule and causes you to forget what should have been done. Other things that are often procrastinated are medical appointments. The consequences of doing this will again be apparent at a future date.
If you do not see the doctor today over a possible issue, you will be forced to see them in the future when the issue escalates because of the lack of attention given to it.
There are a number of things you can do to help you achieve this. This article outlines a few of these tips. Things that often get procrastinated never really get done. They are neglected and often forgotten altogether.
8 effective strategies to put an end to procrastination
Do not be distracted/discouraged
People are often distracted by events that occur to threaten the completion of a particular task. Just because a task becomes difficult to do does not mean it is completely undoable.
On your way to accomplish a task, you may be faced with traffic or some kind of inconvenience. Unless it is an emergency do not fall into the habit of putting it off at the slightest inconvenience.
You must try to accomplish part of it if you can’t do all of it so that there will be a record of you have already begun the activity. This makes it hard for you to completely forget it and those involved may constantly remind you of the need to finish something you have already started.
If you put it off completely without telling anybody, the sole responsibility for remembering it will fall on you meaning the activity could be completely ignored if you forget about it.
Do not be afraid
Sometimes, the reason one puts off doing something is simply fear. The fear of new beginnings, the fear of what the outcome may be, the fear that they wouldn’t be up to the task.
In the case of hospital appointments, you should never procrastinate. The human system is so complex that, a simple intervention at the right time can save a life. Do not be fearful of what the diagnosis is because no matter what you have or may not have, you cannot influence it while sitting on your bed.
You must be courageous in taking control of your life. Do not delay an important decision about your health because you are afraid of what the diagnosis might be.
Relatively, if a task is difficult for you to accomplish, do not put it off for that reason. Get the help you need to accomplish it instead of postponing it. Accomplishing tasks gives you the confidence to approach the next one without fear.
Putting things off until you are comfortable does not build any character or experience for you. Stop the habit of procrastination because circumstances may be difficult or because you are fearful.
Save Reminders with Notes
Normal reminders are fine but it helps to attach notes and descriptions to these reminders. The reminders can be anything that relates to the particular activity. These descriptions and notes must detail the importance of completing that activity. They must tell you what will happen if the task is abandoned or partially done. All the information that relates to that particular activity must be very well documented on the reminder.
If the activity requires you to be at a particular location, save the reminder with the details of that location. In case you are further away from the activity location, a detailed reminder like that will let you know whether you need to get closer to the location ahead of time or whether it is right to stay where you are since you can make it in good time.
Always consider long-term gain
One main cause of procrastination is focusing on short-term relief rather than long-term gain. Getting to sleep an extra hour, or avoiding a little bit of work should not stand in the way of an activity that needs to be executed.
The short-term satisfaction you get is not worth the long-term trouble you will bring upon yourself when you neglect to do your duty. You must focus on the end result always and weigh it up with the short-term comforts you wish to enjoy today. It’s very easy to say you are going to do it tomorrow.
The thing about sweeping dirt under the carpet is that it never leaves your room, so technically your room isn’t clean. In the same way, if you do not carry out a task to completion, you cannot say you have fully fulfilled your project, and that unfulfilled task will show up in the form of a failed project. As they say, one bad nut can ruin the whole bunch.
Don’t give in to laziness
Laziness is the number one enemy of progress. Laziness kills ability and confidence. When you find yourself making up excuses just to put off something you should be doing today, that just means that you are lazy.
Lazy people are always devoting their time and energy to not doing their duty. That means they would rather create an elaborate ploy just to keep them from not working rather than devoting that same energy to their work. Kill laziness with ambition.
Set yourself goals and try to accomplish them to the best of your ability. This will give you a new focus and drive. It will set milestones that will boost you each time you complete them. Again, anytime you feel like you are giving into laziness, think about what you stand to gain in the long term rather than the short-term comfort or relief.
Related Posts
Don’t dwell on past failures
Others procrastinate because they do not want to face past demons. The fear of failure is in everyone, but those who achieve the biggest things in life are also those who have lost things and suffered humiliation along the way.
The fact that you failed at something before does not mean that you will continue to fail at that thing. You overcome failure by training to get better skills that can overcome whatever hurdle you may be facing.
The fear of failure should not drive you into a habit of procrastination. When there is an upcoming activity you must face it and expedite it with courage and conviction.
The faster you overcome your anxiety and fear of failure, the quicker you can muster the courage to overcome it and move to more challenging and difficult tasks. Procrastination will just cause you to remain still instead of progressing.
Related Posts
Tasks don’t get easier when you procrastinate
Whatever it is that you are putting off is not going to diminish on any scale just because you did not do it now. Subconsciously we sometimes believe that the tasks we put off will not appear so threatening or undoable when we move it to a later date. Thinking that we may have more energy or capacity when the time finally arrives to do it. This is never the case.
The truth is that you can never predict the kind of state you are going to be in when that later date arrives. There may even be more emergencies that may divert your attention from what you need to do.
The supposed slots you put in your future activities may have been filled with other things that will cause you to forget what you should have done in the first place. Never think that conditions will be perfect for you to attack any task.
Doing that will make you keep procrastinating until it’s too late. When all your procrastinated activities must be addressed in a short space of time is the time most people realize the true effects of procrastination.
Do not overthink
Just do it is a very important saying. Where we expect better and consistent performance, we do not expect excuses and lax attitudes. When it is time to accomplish a task, you must just do it. It doesn’t matter what condition you are in as long as it will not be detrimental to the body physically or mentally.
Overthinking your activity may cause you to consider things that may not be related to your activity. It breeds a defeatist attitude and causes you to waste time that you could have used to accomplish your activity.
Sometimes putting yourself in the work will alleviate any fears that you had before starting. This is because doing the activity might reveal certain skills you didn’t even know you had. It is when you put yourself to the test that you know exactly what you are capable of.
Overthinking may also cause you to fear more than you should. With regard to medical appointments, some people can build something up in their heads far more than it is before they get tested for it.
It’s fine for you to feel nervous when going for a blood test, but it’s entirely out of order to imagine yourself with a dangerous disease even before you go in for your check-up. This may cause panic and make you get into the habit of procrastinating your medical appointments.
Procrastination can be a challenging habit to break, but with determination and effective strategies, it’s entirely possible to overcome it. By implementing the strategies above, you’ll significantly reduce procrastination in your life. Take that first step towards a more focused and fulfilling lifestyle, and watch as your productivity soars, ultimately leading to a more rewarding and satisfying life.