Procrastination is a feeling that convinces a person to spend time doing insignificant activities rather than completing the tasks which are of greater importance. It is among one of the major barriers which are stopping us from accomplishing our goals and this ultimately leads to the regret of wasting our time which could have been spent doing something productive. Overcoming procrastination can make us accomplish our tasks more efficiently and help us out in achieving our goals.
Why do people procrastinate?
Many people struggle with procrastination every day. Every one of us falls victim to procrastination at some point. People procrastinate because they fear or feel anxious about completing an awaiting task. They try to indulge themselves in other activities that they think are easier and more fun to do to overcome this negative thought. They find more positivity in activities like using different mobile apps or playing video games. This makes them delay their tasks which are much more useful and important than such useless activities.
People delay their important work because they think they don’t feel like doing it. This causes stress and anxiety and gives them an excuse that they are not in a good mood to start their work. People think that they do not have enough motivation to start their work, but the truth is that if we wait for the right state of mind to complete our task we come to know that the right time never comes. We must push ourselves to accomplish the task in time.
“Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder. “
(Mason Cooley)
How to overcome procrastination?
A person cannot overcome procrastination until he/she knows the main reason behind it. It is important to know about the cause of your procrastination. Try to get aware of the thoughts and habits that make you procrastinate. Once you get to know them you need to find solutions to avoid such thoughts and activities. Try to remove every obstacle that comes between you and your goals.
One of the most important things is to stop lamenting and feeling bad about your habit of procrastination because this will eventually lead to more procrastination in the future. People who regret their past mistakes can never look forward to a better future. Forgive yourself for the past procrastination and try to overcome this problem as much as you can.
Another essential factor that can help a lot in getting rid of procrastination is to divide your big problem into small parts and deal with one part at a time. This solution can prove to be very effective for you in completing the tasks you find extremely difficult and boring. It is always better to cope up with something little by little rather than just avoiding it completely.
“If you procrastinate when faced with a big difficult problem… break the problem into parts and handle one part at a time.”
(Robert Collier)
Always appreciate and reward yourself after completing a task because appreciation always motivates a person to do more. Moreover, try to avoid the fear of not being a perfectionist. No one can be perfect in this world. You will always find flaws in your work, and it is normal. People learn from their mistakes. If you are avoiding a task because you think you are not that capable then understand the fact that you can never know about your weaknesses and strengths in that certain area until you work on it. Having a positive mindset and avoiding things that lead to stalling can help you a lot in solving your procrastination problem.
“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”
(Mark Twain)
Written by: Vania Majid
