Procrastination, to put something off, find reasons not to do something, or simply to just forget about something altogether. Seldom will procrastination result in anything other than to magnify the reasons why we procrastinated in the first place. Nevertheless just about all of us have done just that, made up excuses and avoided something. I can’t remember ever benefiting by doing it, can you? It just always seems to lead to the same problems. You know, like missed deadlines, rushing to get something done at the last minute, doing a poor job of a task because of lack of preparation, upsetting family, friends, or the boss. None of that is any fun, and for the most part can be avoided just as long as we find a way to just stop procrastinating.
So what does it take to stop procrastinating? The first step is to discover the means and tools that can be used to beat procrastination, and finding this article is a great way to start. I’ve listed out many thoughts on how to do so. Much of these ideas work for me, they may for you as well.
Don’t put something off because of the feeling of being overwhelmed by the size of a task. Just dive in and get started. By doing so, much of the apprehension will disappear. Starting at the last minute just raises the anxiety level by forcing us to rush. Starting early makes it all that much easier.
Do things a bit at a time. If the job is large it helps to break it down into manageable pieces.
Avoid unrealistic expectations and don’t expect perfection. The pressure caused by doing so can fuel procrastination.
No matter what, just get started. Set a time and just do it. When you know that you must get something done, give yourself a start time and when that time comes, get going.
Identify the rewards of getting something done, as well as the penalties or drawback of not doing it. It can help to rationalize the effect procrastination will have by acknowledging the consequence. Likewise, if there is a reward for getting something done, acknowledge that as well and keep it in mind.
Another way to put an end to procrastination is to become organized in thoughts and tasks. Try writing them down, or perhaps use a task calendar of some sort. There are many to choose from for your computer, and the alerts and reminders are helpful. This helps in a couple of ways. In order to create a task you must give some thought to how long it will take to get done. This can help by organizing time need for all tasks that need to get done. It gives an opportunity to prioritize as well.
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