Let us not beat around the bush here people... To delay or postpone an action that needs to be done is PROCRASTINATION.
"I will do this afterward". "There is enough time still". Do these sound familiar to you? I am sure at some point you have said this to yourself.
What about when it comes to setting deadlines. Here is a good one, "I have my own priorities", or what about "This is boring".
These are all typical thoughts of a procrastinator and yes if you are reading this, then somewhere in the back of your mind you have said these to yourself, or something very similar.
Now don't shrug it off, which right now I know some of you are doing, but rather ask yourself this simple question. What is the possible reason why we do it?
The first cause may be doing something means dropping something else which is more comfortable, easier, or require less effort. Ask any smoker about when he/she proposes to drop the habit and the answer always mentions some time in the future, almost never the present, "I plan on doing it soon" is the one I love.
Delay the process of pain and get as much pleasure as possible. But the pleasure that a procrastinator derives by delay is itself a pain or worse. On the other hand, if the procrastinator finishes the job in time, the pleasure is sweet and fulfilling. It also enhances self-esteem, strengthens commitment, and improves productivity. Yet after all this, we still procrastinate. The mind boggles at this mystery.
Fear of failure may be another possible cause. We may sometimes take up a task that looks difficult and challenging because we assume we can achieve it on our own. The outcome of which can be known only when we try to finish it. If we do not try, then we can remain in a happy place with the thought that we can probably do it. This fear of failing is what causes us to not try.
The correct course would be to try, and if failure is the result, then use it as a lesson learned, seek help and try again.
We are not wired to want to fail or to procrastinate, no one is, and it is because of this that there are many other underlying emotions that make a person procrastinate. The strange part is that you may delay doing one thing but never delay another. For example, if you are a computer programmer and are given a job requiring you to do some complex programing and Maths, you may finish the programming fast and postpone the Maths part because you are worried about not getting it right. This is also true for the vice versa.
Well does procrastination help in any of these situations? It rarely does. It instead adds to the pressure of guilt in your mind. In fact, it keeps the pressure on all the time, so long as the activity goes undone. Doing a task and finishing with it can remove the pressure and while it may not be right the first time, it helps you understand what you need to do to get it right.
By postponing it we stop our forward momentum because the incomplete task always remains on our agenda exactly as we first thought of it, no variation or change, no modification or adjustment, It's still there.
If you set goals and proceed according to the plan you make for yourself, then you are far more likely to be a happier and self-confident person. You will always have the satisfaction of having finished the work, or at the very least, have tried.
From then on it's just a matter of process. Get the process right and if you make a mistake it is easy to fix, if you do the wrong thing, you know it can be resolved. Doing nothing achieves nothing, which is exactly where Procrastination wants you to be.
Ok, you can go now.
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