Simple Tips For Overcoming Procrastination

Everyone has at some point in their life been a procrastinator. If you ever said phrases such as,

"I'm going to do it!-later!"

"I'll do it when I have the time!"

"I'll do it tomorrow!"

"I'll do it when I get ready!"

Or any other variation of the above statements, then you are quite familiar with this nasty, undesirable habit. Procrastination is like the fly that you just cannot swat, no matter how close you are with your fly swatter. It's an annoyingly painful vice that we all can live without, if only we knew how.

This article originated from my own self-analysis. Although I haven't been clinically diagnosed with chronic procrastination, I wouldn't doubt that I do suffer from this sickness. It's a nasty destructive habit that has taken over my life for quite some time, as I would assume it has on the lives of many others.

This article will shed some light on how to finally overcome procrastination for good. I hope this article helps those of you who suffer from this sickness, and can finally find some peace and solace in treating the condition.

According to Dictionary.com,

pro·cras·ti·na·tion

  [proh-kras-tuh-ney-shuhn, pruh‐] noun

the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying,especially something requiring immediate attention:She was smart, but her constant procrastination led her to be late with almost every assignment.

Simply put, Procrastination is the postponement of a high priority task. It's the act of putting something off until a later time. It's putting of doing something all the while knowing that by not doing what needs to be done, can actually be counterproductive in the long run. Feelings that can emerge from procrastination are feeling stressed, making one's self feel guilty for the delay, feelings of losing time, feelings of inadequacy, and feelings of not being responsible or committed to one's own tasks.

Having any of the feelings above can propel you further down the rabbit hole, fully sinking into a cycle that you think you cannot get out of. Chronic procrastination can be a sign of a deeper problem, usually attributed to a psychological or mental disorder.

To simplify the topic of procrastination and to avoid delving deeper into the various psychological and mental aspects of it, I will mainly focus on how procrastination starts from habitual habits, routine, and conformity.

One way in which procrastination starts is from habitual habits. The habitual habit of a procrastinator is similar to a person who smokes a cigarette for the first time. It starts of as an innocent "experiment", but slowly turns into a costly, deadly addiction. The habits of a smoker can be identical to the habits of a procrastinator. The more the person may want to quit, it becomes a struggle, thus creating an even bigger issue that affects other areas of the individual's life.

After a person has unlocked the dreadful door of procrastinating, it becomes even harder to close. What was a once in a while occurence has turned into a full fledged routine. almost as if the individual has adapted to the problem, instead of trying to face it and deal with it head on.

Now that the individual has become familiar with the pattern, they began to accept it. They began to accept what they've become, even though they wish to no longer be a victim of procrastination. Attempts to rid their lives from the problem only makes it worst, because they end up delaying the changes they wish to create in the first place!

Overcoming procrastinating may seem at first extremely difficult, given the fact that most people who procrastinate will find it hard to even build up the nerve to want to fight it. Saying it is one thing, but to actually bring oneself to tackling the task is an entirely different story.

The tips that I am about to share are things that I've tried myself that I find work. It's taken me quite a while to get to this point. There has been a lot of starting and stopping and delaying, but for the most part now, I can honestly say I'v completed half the battle which is acknowledging that I have a problem and working towards it consistently in completely removing it form my life.

One way to overcome procrastination is to only do what you feel like doing. Sometimes we tend to put pressure on ourselves to do something, unknowingly preventing ourselves from actually doing what we want to do. Doing things that we don't want to do actually drains us. It depletes us of our energy. If we get into the habit of doing only the things in which we enjoy, we will find that we will start to be more productive, wanting to do more things and get more accomplished.

Another way to combat procrastination is to not take on more than you can handle. If you know that you are unable to complete some task in a specific time, or don't have the time, or energy, or resources, or whatever it is, then just don't do it. You don't need the added stress or pressure. Having more on your plate can actually overwhelm you, and can cause a domino affect of not completing anything at all. In other words, don't take on more than you can chew or you will definitely choke!

Learning how to say no can lead to becoming more productive. I know sometimes it's hard to say no to those we love, or our co-workers, or whoever, but saying no can save us a lifetime of stress and unhappiness. Saying no is empowering. Saying no when you don't want to do something no only frees you from unwanted stress, but it also gives you the added benefit of using your energy for something else.

Overcoming procrastination can be abolished instantly by learning how to manage your time. If you often lose track of time, or if you find yourself spending more time than necessary on one particular task, set a timer for 30 minutes to 1 hour to complete the task. If the task will take longer than 1 hour, then set a block of time specifically for that task. Once the time is up, do not continue. Move on to something else. Compile a list of things to do and actually do them. If you stick to it, you will find that by the end of the day, you have accomplished everything on your list. The key is consistency.

Make a priority of what's important. This is related to creating a to do list. If you don't have somewhere that you can write a list, you can download a free printable to-do-lists from mommytracked.com. As you go down the list of things that are most important, cross them out as you complete. You will feel more accomplished and productive if you keep up with it.

Don't be hard on yourself if you cannot get it right away. Procrastination is not something that you can defeat overnight. Although we may want instant relief, sometimes the slow and steady pace will pay off better than the fast and easy. The most important thing to remember is to be persistent, consistent, determined, and focused. If you truly desire to be free from procrastination, you will be. Make a commitment to yourself! Tell yourself you can do it and you will!