“I will do this work later!”, “I will submit the projects on the last date.”, “I have so much work to do, but never mind, let’s watch a movie.” if you are the one who finds ways to delay your work, then you have been attacked by a demon called procrastination. Though we enjoy procrastinating things, we are making things more complex for ourselves. The first time we decided to delay a piece of work or waste an extra half an hour watching TV while completing the homework, we were attacked by the demon. When we began enjoying the company of this demon called procrastination, it gradually became a habit. We enjoy it today and have shared a strong bond with the demon. Like other demons, this demon will also whisper in your head all day, giving you ample reasons that you can’t do the task now and will ultimately be a cause of your failure. To avoid this potential failure in the future, we have suggested some practical ways to help you deal with procrastination.
Ways To Deal With Procrastination
Procrastination can cause an adrenaline rush, but too much of it can be harmful too. Putting things off on certain occasions is different, but frequent delays can undermine your ability to function efficiently. Follow these ways to deal with procrastination and limit the chances of failure.
1. Change Your Environment
One often gets bored sitting in one place or room for longer. Watching the same walls, same lighting, and the same atmosphere makes one less excited to do any task, especially if it involves a full day of sitting work. Therefore, try to look for different locations for your work so that it matches your mood and creates a vibe.
2. Break Large Tasks Into Smaller Ones
Many get perplexed when a sudden task is assigned to them. And suppose the estimated time to complete the task is longer. In that case, the task looks overbearing, and the person gets anxious and wishes to eliminate the task without completing it, irrespective of how important it is. Therefore, breaking the larger tasks into smaller ones will help you feel less overburdened and empowered.
3. Use Distractions As Rewards
It is common to get distracted from work. There can be multiple reasons for distraction, such as boredom, not getting motivation, work pressure, thinking about a favorite episode of a series, imagining what will happen next in your favorite show, and more. The list is endless, and so are the rewards. Whatever your cause of distraction is, make it a rule of thumb that if you overcome it and complete the prescribed work on time without getting distracted, you will be rewarded for completing the task.
4. Make A Timetable
Remember your school days when you kept school books inside the bag according to the timetable and followed it accurately? In the same way, make a list of tasks assigned to you and prioritize them per the requirement. Create two lists in which you will mention the daily tasks that demand quick results and a weekly list in which the tasks are of lesser priority.
5. Get A Partner And Compete
Working out alone in a gym is boring, and one doesn’t get enough motivation to work out. Similarly, working on a task or studying for your exam alone is quite dull. It also doesn’t develop the feeling of competitiveness; one lacks motivation and feels less encouraged. Therefore, having a gym buddy or a study partner can help achieve desired results. One gets the feeling of motivation and eagerness to finish the task before the other person does.
6. Penalize Yourself On Procrastinating
Rewarding distractions is one method, but the other most effective method is penalizing yourself for procrastinating. Whenever you feel distracted, switch on the TV in the middle of work, or go out for a movie, punish yourself. Punishing yourself doesn’t mean going hard on yourself, but it means charging some money out of your pocket into a charity you dislike or punishing yourself by reducing the play-time, etc.
7. Remove Unnecessary Distractions
Every technological app or tool comes with a password-protected feature. Enable passwords on all applications whenever you start any work. Also, you can log out of all the distracting applications on your phone. It gets painful to log in to the apps, again and again, ultimately making the person less willing to log in again. Introducing a small amount of friction will make you focus more on your work.
Conclusion:
Procrastination is a habit that is developed in everyone’s mind at some point. It depends on the individual whether to eliminate or continue living with it. After analyzing the pros and cons of procrastination, it becomes clear how this demon affects the tasks and goals one wishes to achieve. Therefore, it is crucial to prioritize events or tasks per the requirements and eliminate distractions. With the ways mentioned above, one can easily sustain the balance in life and force on things that give value and returns. To get the best counseling or expert advice, you can contact She Builds…According To Her Faith, in multiple career coaching and guidance, self-empowerment, and life coaching. Visit our website to explore more about our services.
Reference:
Psychology Today, J.E.S.S.I.C.A. .S.C.H.R.A.D.E.R. (2017, 7th March). 11 Ways to Overcome Procrastination. [Weblog]. Retrieved 17 December 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/better-than-perfect/201703/11-ways-to-overcome-procrastination
