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7 Tips For Overcoming Procrastination
Procrastinators attempt to take the pain or discomfort out of doing something they feel is boring, risky, stupid, pointless, or whatever other terms their procrastinating minds have come up with, only to end up going from the frying pan to the fire. For these 20 percent of people, procrastination is a lifestyle: a miserable and unhappy one, but a lifestyle nonetheless. It produces guilt, fear and anxiety. It reaches all areas of their lives. Bills get ignored. Golden opportunities are missed. Gift certificates expire. They get used to paying penalty late fees on their income taxes. They are the people who are out frantically shopping on Christmas Eve. Their houses get cleaned when company is walking up their entrance way. Sound familiar? Then you know it's no trivial matter. It is a profound problem for those whose lives are affected by it. Jobs are lost, marriages break up, students flunk out of school, and houses are foreclosed on. It's not a question of time management. Procrastinators may be more optimistic in how much time it takes to do a thing, but they are really no different from anyone else in their ability to estimate the time it takes to do something. Procrastinators live on self-fed lies such as, "I know I'll wake up and feel like doing it tomorrow," and "I always work better under pressure." They like to pretend that pressure causes them to become more creative, but the end result is rarely more creative. Procrastinators aren't all the same. They all have their own reasons for procrastinating. There are three basic types of procrastinators: 1. Thrill-seekers or arousal types - Those procrastinators who love the rush of adrenaline that kicks in when they wait until the last possible moment to complete a task. 2. Avoiders - Are procrastinators who may fear failure, or may fear success, but most of all they fear what others might think of them. They prefer that others think they are plain lazy than that they think they lack ability to do something. 3. Decisional procrastinators are those who cannot make a decision if their lives depend on it. This inability frees them from the responsibility of the outcome of events stemming from a possible decision. The costs of procrastination are phenomenal. Health costs alone are heavy just because of the stress-related illnesses caused. Procrastinators end up with compromised immune systems resulting in more colds and flu. They also develop delicate stomachs and have gastrointestinal complaints. They frequently suffer from insomnia--perhaps mulling over what they should have done that day. There is also a high cost to others. What procrastinators fail to do gets shifted to others who then become resentful. Teamwork in the workplace suffers. It can wreck personal relationships. Seven Ways to Overcome Procrastination 1. All the books and articles on procrastination will tell you that the first step in overcoming procrastination is to recognize that there is more pain in not doing what you need to do than in doing it. Research studies prove over and over again that when procrastinators do finally complete a task that they have put off for weeks or months, they report that it took less time than they thought it would, and not only was not as bad as they thought it would have been, but was comparatively easy relative to the pain of putting it off. Once you recognize the amount of pain that comes from putting things off, it gets easier to just do a task and be done with it. 2. Procrastinators can learn that there is a guaranteed reward in forcing themselves to do things that they normally put off: They feel better about themselves. This increased self-esteem will trigger your mind and give you a little push the next time you are thinking about putting something off. 3. A rolling stone gathers no moss. Be that rolling stone. Get a flow going. Just do something. Make the bed that's right in front of you or gather up the recycling and take it out. Perform some kind of action and get a momentum going. Once you have that and are moving forward, it will be easier to get busy with what you need to do. 4. Put things in perspective. If you are unable to take the next step in a big project, one that is important, you may be blocked and afraid of some personal consequences. You may be focusing on all the things that could go wrong. You need some kind of leverage to push you forward. The way to gain this kind of leverage is with a pen and some paper. Write down as many things as you can think of that you will miss out on if you don't take the next step, not only immediately but in the future as far as you can forecast it. Dig down deep. Feel the pain that you will experience now and in the future. Next, write down all the good and joyous things you may well experience if you make this difficult decision and take the next step forward. Write down what you will experience immediately and in the future, five or ten years from now. Write it out with such clarity that it packs an emotional power punch. 5. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Everyone wants to procrastinate after they've let themselves become overwhelmed. Break big tasks into bite-size pieces. Make a list of smaller tasks from the larger ones. Focus on one small task at a time. Focus only on that small step and don't think ahead. 6. Try changing your belief systems. Who knows? Maybe there is something about cutting firewood or cleaning gutters that you might enjoy. Don't knock it till you've tried it with an open mind. The past and the future are two separate things. You are always changing and growing as a person. You don't know for sure what might now appeal to you that you used to find distasteful. Think of yourself as the kind of person who likes to get things done right away. It could happen. 7. Get a wind-up timer and set it for 15 minutes. Then tell yourself that you'll tackle an odious task for just 15 minutes. You can stand anything for 15 minutes, right? You can even file or scrub walls for 15 minutes, can't you? Let yourself know you are free to do whatever you like after those 15 minutes. If you should feel like rewinding the timer, and doing another 15 minutes, however, no one will stop you. The best way, the simplest way, all experts agree to beat procrastination is just to start. So start something now. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com |
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