How To Overcome Procrastination

You may remember the story of ants and grasshopper, how the grasshopper wasted his time hopping and singing in the summer while the ants toiled and moiled. And how in winter, when there was no food, the grasshopper found itself at the mercy of ants. Does it sound like a familiar story and not because you have heard it over a million times but because you find the grasshopper as your alter ego. Procrastination is the habit of putting off any work to the last minute. Although almost every one of us procrastinate one or the other time in our life, doing it on a regular basis can pose serious problems to your career and personal life. There are various effects of procrastination, which range from missed opportunities, stress, to guilt, and even resentment. In addition, the causes for procrastinating may or may not be same. Sometimes it can occur because of laziness, or because you want to escape something or at times you are too overwhelmed by a task that you put it off. Read on the article to know some practical tools to overcome it. 

 

The most important thing, which you have to do, is to get clear ideas on what you want to do in life. Most people procrastinate because they have no goals. With no goals, people don’t have the will to move ahead in life. Take time and clear it out. Make short term and long-term goals. Make goals in various fields of your life, like career, relationship, financial, health etc. Don’t make a very huge list as it might get too overwhelming for you. 

Remove all the tasks, which you can do without and which will not obstruct you in reaching your goals. Keep your eyes on the things, which would help you reach your goal. In addition, if there are some works which you don’t like to do but are important in order to achieve your goal, link those tasks to your goals. It will motivate you to do the tasks and to reach your goals and you would be happy to do that afterwards. 

 

The best way to keep yourself away from procrastination is by planning the day. It will clear your mindset and would not even take more than your ten minutes. Sometimes we procrastinate simply because we don’t have any schedule for the day. Set a time for whatever chore you are taking for the day. It will help you stick to your program, which will keep you alert and away from procrastination. 

 

The most important thing to achieve success is the belief in oneself. Unless you believe in yourself, you won’t be able to do much. Have faith in your abilities and the power to turn things around. Remember that failure is just a stepping-stone to success. If in childhood, you wouldn’t have walked because of the fear of falling, you wouldn’t have been able to walk itself. Delete the ‘impossible’ word out of your dictionary and remember that you can do it. Follow your inner desires and success would follow you. 

 

Almost every one of us wants to do several things, but actually how many of us do it? The problem is that we don’t respect ourselves and we don’t respect our values. First, have a clear idea about your values and then use them as a navigational compass in all the decisions you make. 

 

Take Breaks 

Take breaks when you feel less motivated and are tired. You don’t have to be too hard on yourself. As the habit of not procrastinating will take time to cultivate, and if you are too hard on yourself, you would snap. And that may put you off from the whole idea itself. 

 

Breaking down big tasks in smaller components would help you concentrate on that particular task for the moment, which will improve your working ability. Break down the big tasks but schedule it in your time limit so that you don’t spend too much time on a smaller task. This will keep you focused, will provide better results and will not overwhelm you. 

 

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Sometimes we get too involved in a thing, that we don’t even know when we start getting frustrated and take unnecessary stress. Stick to your time management but allow for little cheats, as it will keep you in for long haul. Even if you do procrastinate, recognize that you are doing it and thrive to change it.