What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing things to the “last minute”. Sometimes it comes from picking less urgent tasks as compared to the more urgent tasks. Sometime we focus on doing pleasurable things first and thus putting off important tasks to the later time.
We all procrastinate at one time or other. But some people get into the habit of procrastination in almost everything until they caught in deadline. They miss many opportunities in life because of procrastination.
“How soon not now, becomes never.”
Martin Luther
Are you procrastinating on the important things in life?
Why we procrastinate:
Let us see few things that cause procrastination and how to avoid them:
1) Lack of Clear Vision: If you do not have a big picture in your mind then you will procrastinate to start that work. You must have a clear vision about anything you are planning to do. If you want to do a painting but you do not have a clear picture what you want to paint, you will end up painting nothing.
2) Lack of Clear Priority: If you do not have a priorities assigned to your work, you will attempt what you like most. And some of the tasks that are important will keep waiting to get completed. You have to know what is important and what is urgent. Then start doing what is important + urgent.
3) Distraction around you: When you start working on some creative thing like writing, painting, and singing or even you daily assigned work, stay away from distractions. Stop checking every message on phone. Stop checking updates on social network. You can check all these things together once finish your work. If possible keep yourself away from mobile/internet for some time and just focus on your work.
4) Negative v/s. Positive approach: I have seen most of the time we do not start something just because it can go wrong. So what? If you attempt at least you know what went wrong and you will know how to do better next time. Do you have some task that you keep procrastinating on? It may be your dream project or your hobby you want to pursue or anything. Start looking at the positive side of it. Do not look at 100 reasons why it may not work, look at one reason why it should work and start working on it. Remember: The best way to get something done is to begin.
5) Lack of confidence: If there is something big and we are doing it for the first time, of-course we will have lack of confidence, so try to avoid that task as much as possible. Rather than procrastinate on that find some sources where you get to know all about that thing. Today internet is a place where you may find anything you want to know. So study your fears, read books related to that tasks. When you have all that information you need to know you will automatically love to begin doing it.
6) Expecting to be lucky first: We all inspired by great personalities of their time. We all want to be like them. But what keep us away from getting desired results? We expect result even before making any effort. We want to be get lucky, but we forget that the more you will work on something the more you will be lucky. There is no shortcut to success and there is no overnight superstar. They have put a plenty of effort before get into the limelight but we only see end results. So if you want to be lucky first focus on effort, and then luck will favour you back.
7) Waiting for the perfect time: We procrastinate when we wait everything to be perfect first. Do not wait so long. Start where you are with what you have. As Napoleon Hill says: “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
“Don’t procrastinate. Putting off an unpleasant task until tomorrow simply gives you more time for your imagination to make a mountain out a possible molehill. More time for anxiety to sap your self-confidence. Do it now, brother, do it now.”
Science Digest, 1949
