Are you someone who always feels , “I’ll do it tomorrow” and not do it the next day? Do you wait to start on your resolution to begin your exercise program because “I don’t have the equipment that will effectively help me lose weight”?
As a follower of “Procrastination”, a procrastinator is prone to the act of postponing a certain action required to be completed within the specific time.
There are several excuses that procrastinators creatively convey. Few of the primary ones being that they work best under pressure, the work is not very critical and they lack the resources to effectively complete the work.
Our fear of being judged and the probable concern for failure are also two of the popular reasons that procrastinators do what they do.
As a once upon a time Procrastinator, I’ve had the opportunity to analyse the main reason why I used to indulge in this self sabotaging habit.
During my school years, there were few subjects that I was really fond of. And the few that did give me the pleasure to learn were the ones that I used to enjoy studying for. I would prefer spending my time on the ones that I enjoyed rather than the ones I did not relish or understand. Our comprehension of a subject of study is, as we know, greatly affected by our level of interest in acquiring the wisdom of the subject.
It was a vicious cycle because the more I would neglect a subject because of my lack of interest regarding it, the less I would know about it, which in turn increased my dislike for it. This went on for years until, until I realized that I was sabotaging my own progress to study effectively.
As a subject for improving our educational journey or that of our children’s, my experience throws light on the fact that the nature of the the learning program can affect the desire to procrastinate in the educational journey. Encouraging a student to enjoy subjects that they are averse to is, I admit a significant challenge for a teacher, but it is worth being given attention to. After all, for a student, an encouraging and patient learning environment will not just act as a discouragement to procrastinate but also promote the overall learning enjoyment.
The danger of procrastination is that if there is one specific area in your life you ignore because “you do not find the time”, the probability of this problem affecting other areas in your life is a reality. Organizing your work space, managing your day, attending to routine regularly are some of the areas that would get affected in our tendency to turn away from matters we do not enjoy.
There are several effective steps that are helpful in tackling procrastination-
1) Make a To Do list
Making a list of this kind is a great way to help one organize the day and prioritize our daily routine based on – the Very Important, Important, Not Important and Unimportant tasks.
Our pleasure from browsing through the net, indulging in our social networking sites, blogs are all activities that do not need to fall in the top three categories.
Incorporating details of the time and day to complete your tasks in your day will make it easier for you to achieve them.
2) Create a Productive Environment
Your productivity in your workplace or in your day can also be effectively managed by (if possible!) ensuring that there are little distractions to take away your concentration.
If you are one who relishes the sunny warmth of the sun, a workplace with a lot of natural light will positively energize you into doing your best. Similarly, if your workplace or study is in an area where there are people chattering or the phones keep ringing, see if a change of location is possible.
3) Be Bold to make Mistakes
Many a time our desire for perfection gets in the way of our completion of a task.
As Richard Branson once said,
“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”
None of those who have succeeded have achieved what they have without making mistakes. So, should you feel nervous about the quality of your work not meeting your personal high standards, don’t despair. Work on it and complete it, keeping in mind that you would learn what you need to with time and effort.
4) The Proximity of those who Inspire
Our friends and acquaintances that we have play a powerful role in our behavior. As we observe these inspiring individuals face challenges, work methodically in achieving success, our approach to life is also given a positive encouragement through their actions.
A belief that, “If they can, so can we!” will emerge within us.
Recently, a friend of mine who had hesitated singing in Hindi due to lack of confidence and the belief that she needs some special tutoring in her Hindi, sang a Hindi song with aplomb. The reason for her decision to finally tackle the challenge, was a friend who had sang a song with such enthusiasm that she inspired her to take up the challenge, learn the song and painstakingly sing.
Our association with those who excel, are experts in what they do would undeniably lead us into making healthier habits and plan our day with better care and concentration.
5) Identify your Goals periodically for Effectiveness
Your involvement in a job that lacks luster and interest would only end up in affecting your team at work and the harmony of your workplace.
Be aware of your strengths and potential and change your goals should you find it not suiting your personality or circumstances. Learn to adapt and experience better satisfaction by identifying and reevaluating your goals periodically.
A collegue of mine had a stable job, excellent benefits and salary to go with it, but he’s currently looking out for another job – that of a trainer. His current stable job no longer interests him. His goals have changed and he is now working on his goal of becoming an established trainer.
If you stay and grow in a job that would give you satisfaction and interest to do the best that you can – you would find no excuse to procrastinate. And if the current job is not for you, look for options if possible.
Those who abhor procrastination have a few unique traits that sets them apart from others.
They would be reflective on the actions made and the actions to be implemented, refrain from the technological absorption of their valuable time, believe in altruism, believe in focus and optimism – they have no time for negative thinking about others, believe in hard work and focus on their goals and last but not least do not fear criticism. They believe in growing and wisely selecting the genuinity of the criticism they receive to improve themselves.
As non believers in perfectionism, productive people are creative and enjoy living their life with a purpose and confidence.
Our day’s success is indeed dependent on our productivity – and we can begin making our our day as effective as possible by our passionate refusal to procrastinate.
