I will do it tomorrow – is a statement of PROCRASTINATOR.
Adjourning something to the next day or ‘later’ is simply referred to as procrastination. Procrastination is derived from the Latin word procrastinare, which means ‘deferred until tomorrow’.
To be frank, even I am about a week late in writing this piece. Though I started it earlier, I was dawdling to finish it. I know, I am not alone. Everyone often uses this phrase, “I will do it tomorrow”, in their life at some point in time.
Procrastination is not an inborn trait, and it also doesn’t come naturally. It gets blended into a person’s personality as a result of external influences over oneself.
People put something on their table more than its booking time which usually causes a variety of problems, in-turn affecting their own emotional and psychological state. Apart from influencing their mood and emotions, it also plays a role in affecting everyone’s day to day schedule.
Are you a procrastinator, and are you planning to overcome this habit?
Here are a few ways to surmount procrastination. You should self-analyse to identify the actual cause of the problem and overcome it.
Reflect and question: Comprehend the importance of the task. Analyse the career prospects and the necessity to complete a task. Try to encourage your brain and be matured to look over the initial resistance. Identify the possible reasons for your act of postponing, overcome the obstacle, make the task more exciting and feel energised.
Keep an eye on other schedules and plans: Everyone has a variety of programs and work for each day. Note it down along with the other appointments, dates, timelines and holidays which will pause you from finishing the vital task. Also, keep track of time relative to your due dates.
Manage disorganisation and rearrange your priorities: Disorganisation is one of the major causes of procrastination. Lack of knowledge to prioritise the commitments often drives people to procrastinate. Most people love to complete the most straightforward task first, regardless of whether they are essential and urgent. Eventually, the more urgent/ difficult tasks began to stay in the queue. Having a simple appointment book or a journal or a to-do-list helps not to postpone. This often aids you to change procrastinating behaviour.
Smash the fear of rejection and being judged: Don’t compare yourself with others and underestimate your potential. Be confident and avoid apprehension. Usually, fear of failure and lack of confidence creates an attitude of escapism. It is okay to give an uncertain outcome, sometimes. Consider criticisms and evaluations as a stepping stone to improve your knowledge.
Avoid the instant gratification monkey: The brain has a monkey inside it, named as the ‘instant gratification monkey’. It drives us into the fun and enjoyment-seeking activities which holds back the critical task. Rather than living in the later storm that arises when meeting the deadline, it’s easier to control such gratification monkey.
Design a game to motivate yourself: No human hates rewards and appreciations. Each task has a variety of milestones. Analyse the milestones, break down your tasks into smaller parts. Always smaller components can be managed efficiently than an overwhelming larger one. Add excitement to the job by presenting a strategy that involves incentives at a regular interval of time, just after the completion of planned/scheduled task.
Reduce daydreaming and social media time: Most of us daydream about the future or think about the past instead of focusing on the present. People spend much of the time scrolling their social feeds and keep their mind wandering here and there so often. Both of these are so addictive, and it becomes harder to get off such behaviours. This can be subdued by thinking about the later consequences of not completing the primary task.
Chronic procrastination, as a whole, can cause a wide variety of problems. It leads to poor performance and outcome, promotes negative feeling, increases the last minute-stress, makes people anxious, reduces self-esteem, and creates a sense of guilt. It also leads to depression and causes mental health problems when the intensity and frequency of procrastination go beyond the limit.
Yet sometimes the art of procrastination can be a beneficial move. It can be helpful to certain people in a few situations. It helps generate more reliable and better results, think and process something more accurately, and learn to manage delay. It can enhance imagination, ingenuity, uncover true passions and alleviate tension. ‘Sometimes’ putting off things and procrastinating is actually okay, but if you really want to overcome concerns in life, then advance– complete the task when it is assigned to you or be an original thinker – who achieves everything before meeting the deadline.