To overcome procrastination, practice the following tips: identify reasons you procrastinate, never leave work pending, think positive thoughts, be organized, prioritize tasks, break down each task, avoid multitasking, ask people for help, and reward yourself.
Procrastination is a common problem for most people. Whether you are a student or an employee, there are times that the pressures of stress, stubbornness or laziness, perfectionism, and disorganization can bring negative effects to your work, your studies, and your relationships. This problem can definitely consume a whole lot of your quality and productive time which can result in failures and missed opportunities. You don’t want these things to happen all the time, do you? Here’s what you can do to overcome this addicting behavior.
Identify reasons you procrastinate
Recognize the problem and find out the cause why you are inclined push off your responsibilities. This is the primary step to overcoming procrastination and significantly increase your productivity.
Never leave work pending
When tasks are placed in front of you, do them right away. Filling up your time with insignificant tasks can only waste important time that should have been allotted to more productive and meaningful ones. As much as possible, don’t leave important tasks unattended for hours or even overnight. You will regret that decision in the morning.
Think positive thoughts
If you keep on thinking that you won’t be able to finish a certain task, it will make you think negatively about yourself and greatly decreases your self-esteem. In the end, you will not be able to finish the task at all. Always bear in mind that a positive mental state or attitude can actually produce positive effects. So, always think that you can accomplish your goals and nothing will be too hard for you to handle.
Be organized
One of the basic reasons why we tend to procrastinate is because of the presence of clutter and disorganized work schedules. Clean up the mess in your work area to motivate you to work. An organized work schedule makes you track your daily activities. Follow what is in your schedule and everything will go smoothly throughout the day.
Prioritize tasks
Skipping from one task to another is another bad sign of procrastination. To avoid this, you must prioritize your tasks and list them according to which ones are the most important and which ones can wait for your attention. Do the most important task first and stick to it. Don’t go to another task until it is done.
Break down tasks
Difficult or huge tasks often make us loose our drive to work stay focused until they are finished. But, instead of just dwelling on the upcoming work, the best way to handle such a project is to break it up into smaller, more manageable tasks and create an action plan. This action plan should be composed of steps, from the easier and quicker tasks to the arduous and more challenging ones.
Avoid multitasking
Do your tasks one at a time and avoid multitasking. Complete tasks that are on top of your list, or abide by what your schedule tells you. Multitasking can only make work longer and harder.
Ask people for help
Find a few people who can help you with your problem. They’ll be able to remind you when you are procrastinating and even encourage you to reach your goals.
Reward yourself
Remember, life isn’t always about work. Reward yourself with a break and relax from the pressures of work when you can. This way, you’ll stay away from stress as well.
Never let procrastination become a habit. It is better to put an end to it now before it the habit becomes too much a part of your regular routine.
No comments:
Post a Comment