Procrastination is “the avoidance of doing an important task which needs to be accomplished.”

We’ve all been there. There’s something we want to do, something we want to finish, something we want to accomplish, and we just keep putting it off. What’s the deal about that anyway? Laziness? Apathy? It’s something that really isn’t that important at the moment, so we put it off until it becomes important, very important. Then it’s more likely to get done.

Let’s talk about it some more today. To tell you the truth, I have been procrastinating about writing this article. And then suddenly there was something I decided I really needed to do and so I put a plan together to get something done. And so the procrastination article became more important to get completed.

Why do people procrastinate? 

“Procrastination is not just avoiding or delaying a task,” says David Ballard, head of the American Psychological Association’s Center for Organizational Excellence. “It also has to include an aspect that’s counterproductive, irrational or unnecessary.”

“Procrastination. This is one of the most common causes of failure. “Old Man Procrastination” stands within the shadow of every human being, waiting his opportunity to spoil one’s chances of success.  Most of us go through life as failures, because we are waiting for the  “time to be right” to start doing something worthwhile. Do not wait. The time will never be “just right”.  “Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” Napoleon Hill from Think and Grow Rich

Reasons for and suggestions to overcome procrastination:

1. Timing – Many people are inherently more productive at certain times of the day. So work around these natural productivity ebbs and flows when you schedule your days.  If you know you work better in the mornings on certain kinds of tasks, schedule them for then. Don’t try to do it at a time when you’re tired and it’s harder for you to do.
2. Getting overwhelmed by big tasks – Many people procrastinate because they’re anxious about the outcome of a project, don’t think they can complete it well or fear failure. So, it may help to break it into smaller sub-tasks.
3. Delayed Gratification – Some people have a hard time thinking of a project as important or rewarding unless they’re squeezing it in just before a deadline. In this case, try breaking a long-term assignment into multiple smaller ones.
4. Easily distracted – Optimize your environment and minimize multi-tasking. Don’t fall into the trap of “juggling two or three tasks at the same time so that you finish one, but are still in the middle of the other. Never-ending stream of tasks” may make it feel like you’re never actually completing anything, which deprives you of the satisfaction of being done. Take the time to wrap one thing up, put it away, take a breath, walk around for a minute and stretch before you step into the next thing so can move on having refreshed yourself.
5. Struggling with something larger – Sometimes, what looks like procrastination may actually be a symptom of something more serious, such as depression, anxiety or attention problems. If your behavior is causing you distress or significantly affecting your performance at work, school or home, don’t be afraid to consult a professional. Get some additional support and help so  you can manage in a way that that it’snot getting in the way of your job performance or functioning.
6. Simply hitting a wall – Even the most efficient workers have days when it’s harder to finish tasks. With any luck, these lulls will strike when you don’t have a deadline looming and you can “cut your losses and take a break”.  Focus on taking care of yourself with sleep, exercise, proper nutrition and enjoyable, non-work-related activities,

Ways to stop procrastinating:

1. Take five minutes to list out the things “you were going to do tomorrow” On a blank sheet of paper, note several important activities you are delaying or have put on hold.
2. Look at your list and do one thing on it right now.  Put the energy you’ve been directing toward excuses into the activity you’ve been avoiding. Action eliminates anxiety.
3. Pick a time (today) to work on the list.  If getting started is the hard part for you, set aside a designated time slot, at least 30 minutes, for work specifically on one job, project or personal goal that you’ve been “leaving until later.”
4. Quite trying to be perfect.  What counts is quality of effort, not perfect results. Don’t let yourself get bogged down with a preoccupation fir perfectionism.  
5. If what you’re putting off involves other people, talk to them.   Your reasons for delaying action might be imaginary. Lack of communication often turns molehills into mountains.
6. Ask yourself, What’s the worst thing that could happen if I did this today?  Do you fear the consequences associated with the action you’ve been avoiding? The worst-case scenario most likely would be a minor inconvenience or a temporary setback.
7. Imagine how you’ll feel once you do whatever it is you’ve been postponing. You will have freedom from anxiety,  nagging pressures. Freedom from self-doubt. Accomplishing put-off tasks will give you a great boost of confidence and energy.

More Resources

• The Mastery of Procrastination  – listen to this audio from Napoleon Hill’s Book, Think and Grow Rich. It will help with your challenge to overcome procrastination
• Procrastinating-tips
• The Real Reasons People Procrastinate
• Stop-procrastinating-tips
• Procrastination: A Scientific Guide on how to stop Procrastination