Procrastination….
The act of delaying something. Putting off until tomorrow what we could do today. The gap between intention and action.
For instance, I need to prep my taxes for my appointment with my Accountant. Yet, I wait until the night before to go through my stack of paperwork the size of the Eiffel tower. Ever wonder why we do it?
There are a few reasons and different types of procrastinators.
There’s the Overwhelmed or Anxious Procrastinator. You don’t know where to even begin. The task seems so daunting before you even start, you simply don’t.
In this case, start small. Start with 30-minute increments, then take a break. Spread this out over a few days or weeks until you complete the task. Understanding the task will take time, and doing a little here and there, will add up and seem much more manageable.
The perpetual “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “Plenty of Time” Procrastinator. You have week to complete this task. For example, a student with a final paper due in 12 weeks. Why start now, when it is due so many weeks from now?
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Procrastinators of this type often tell themselves they work better under pressure. They are more concerned with the now or fun they can be having. Inevitably, this leads to unnecessary stress, cramming and not giving your best effort or producing your best results.
The Perfectionist Procrastinator. People often procrastinate because they are afraid of failing at the task they need to complete. If you cannot do it perfectly, why do it at all? This can be lead to avoiding starting or finishing said task.
We often make completing a given task or view a looming deadline as bigger than it is. Once we actually complete the task, we often kick ourselves recognizing it wasn’t as big or bad as we made it to be in our minds, wishing we had started sooner.
How many times have you looked back on a project or task you procrastinated doing and realized you spent more time thinking about, dreading doing it or putting off said task, then the actual time it took to complete?
The next time you have a looming deadline try one of two things:
1. Don’t think about it, just jump in, do it and get it done. Even if you don’ t need to complete it for weeks or months. I bet you will free up much time and energy that you would have otherwise expended delaying this task.
2. Tackle the task in time slots that work for you over a period of time. This will help you perceive it as more manageable., appealing and less stressful. Start right away and don’t delay.
Both of these behaviors will help rewrite how you feel about and go about completing or meeting future tasks and deadlines. Slowly you will create a new thought process and ultimately change your behavior from that of a procrastinator to an accomplished do-er!