Derived from the Latin word procrastinate which means “deferred until tomorrow”, Procrastination refers to the irrational human behaviour of postponing things even though we know that something must be acted upon today. Many times we habitually procrastinate without even realizing the unnecessary delay and if we have some such bad habit, we need to realize it to break free. The consequences of procrastination have always been unfortunate and nobody has ever benefitted from it.
According to research that inquired into people’s major regrets about a lost loved one, procrastination was presented as one of the biggest ones. They spoke of things that they kept delaying and finally couldn’t do with their loved ones before they left.
So why do we procrastinate? Researches show that procrastination is caused by being easily distracted, having low faith in oneself and one’s abilities and being impulsive. So here are some science-backed steps that you can take to achieve the life of your dreams by overcoming procrastination.
- Handling initial problems- The feeling of boredom, discomfort and dread is common when we start on something new in which we are inexperienced. At this time, procrastination causes the uneasy feeling to vanish for some time but here again; we are choosing short term comfort over long term achievements and rewards. If delaying stuff becomes a habit at this stage, then people tend to choose instant gratification and quick mood repairs to get stress relief. If we want to overcome procrastination, we have to learn to face uncomfortable stuff and fleeing from them. You’ve to understand that the present unpleasant feeling and handling it would help you develop self-control and self-belief which are beneficial in the longer run.
- Choose your emotion to focus on- When we sit down for a new venture, along with annoyance and stress, we might feel other emotions that might deviate us from our goal. At this point, it’s extremely important that we choose the correct emotion that helps us enrich ourselves mentally and physically. This eases our engagement in work and helps us connect more to values and motives.
- Do your work badly- You might be delaying something thinking that it needs to be done perfectly and you are probably doubting your capabilities. Thus instead of feeling demotivated and not starting to do something, it is better to do something badly. This will help you realize your shortcomings and the intricate demands of your work and you will be more equipped when you do it next.
- Act immediately and motivation isn’t far- The heart of procrastination is the feeling that tomorrow might bring us more motivation but procrastinators are always bad predictors. Unless you do something and make mistakes, you’ll never get the feeling you’re waiting for. Motivation comes to those who work.
- Say no to Daydreaming- Mind-wandering and day-dreaming are the roots to procrastination. Nearly half of our thoughts have nothing to do with our job and as per researches, day-dreamers have a harder time getting back to work. Also, day-dreaming is addictive and hard to control. It’s also strong enough to send you to depression.
So get up and get going!
