PROCRASTINATION

Procrastination. We all know what procrastination is. I think it’s safe to say that most of us have procrastinated on doing one thing or another in our lifetime. Today, we are focusing on procrastination. Most people talk about how to stop procrastination. But today, I am going to discuss how to cope with procrastination. Why cope? Well, because I believe that procrastination is one of those traits you can’t avoid. You will, I repeat, you will procrastinate on one or more things in your lifetime. So today, we will focus on 3 tips to help you cope with procrastination. 

TIP #1: ACKNOWLEDGE

You need to acknowledge the fact that you are procrastinating. Not that you are a procrastinator, but that you are, in fact, procrastinating. If you “acknowledge” you are a procrastinator, then you are, in a sense, telling yourself that you are a procrastinator. This will make it harder for you to cope with procrastinating. So call it what it is. You are procrastinating. Often times, we confuse procrastinating with laziness. Sure, laziness can be a factor. But you can be lazy and still get things done on time. So, what’s the confusion? Well, usually when you procrastinate, it’s because you are avoiding a task that can be stressful. So really, procrastination can be seen as a stress relief factor, as crazy as that sounds. For example, you know you are moving in a month but you decide to start packing 4 days before the move. And you tell yourself that you put off packing until then because you were lazy. I’m here to tell you that you weren’t being lazy. You put off packing to the very last minute because moving is stressful. The concept of moving is quite simple – you’re moving from one location to the next. But, the work that goes into the task of moving is what’s stressful. Acknowledge that you are not being lazy, you are just procrastinating. While acknowledging that, acknowledge what about the task is stressing you.

TIP #2: BREAK DOWN YOUR TASK/GOAL

Take your task and break it down into smaller tasks. For example, you have a major assignment to finish and it’s due in a week. You could wait until two days before and then start working on it. Or you could break the assignment down into smaller tasks. Maybe the first and second day, you can complete and review the research. The third and fourth day, you could complete putting the research into the assignment. Fifth and sixth day, review the assignment altogether. And then voila, on the seventh day, it’s ready to hand in. (This is just a general example). So, break your task, into smaller tasks. This will help to make the task seem less stressful. 

TIP #3: WHY

Examine why you need to complete the task. When you find out your ‘why’ it will motivate you to complete the task. Take the example in the last tip. Why do you need to diligently complete this assignment? Is it because you have a goal to get better grades? Or maybe it’s because you have a goal of handing in your assignment on time? Whatever your ‘why’ may be, it will motivate you to complete the task. Why? Because the task will actually have a purpose. Tasks naturally have a purpose. They need to completed for a reason. But, often times we ignore the reasons, because again, the concept of the task may be very straightforward, but the work that goes into the task is making it stressful for you to complete. When you add a personal ‘why’ factor to the task, it puts the task in a different perspective and it allows for the task to have a purpose for you personally. 

So, acknowledge that you are procrastinating, not that you are a procrastinator. Don’t confuse procrastination with laziness. Break down your task into smaller tasks. Discover your personal why factor. It allows for a task to have a purpose for you personally. Remember this: The concept and purpose of a task is simple. But, it is the work that goes into the task that makes it  seem stressful and then causes you to procrastinate. 

ShineBrightWithTee