How to overcome procrastination

Dear procrastinators, have you finally decided to stop procrastinating?

 If you are reading this, you are already halfway there.

 Are you guilty of procrastination? Well, you are not alone. We all are procrastinating about something. We all have something we don't want to face, things that are left unsolved and works that are unfinished. The more we postpone, the more complicated things will get. We have to confront what we are avoiding. You are not alone in this but will be guided through this journey. 

The following topics will be covered to help you to get a better understanding of procrastination and how to overcome it.

• What is procrastination?
• Why do we procrastinate?
• Types of procrastinators
• How to stop procrastinating

 What is procrastination?

Procrastination is the act of avoiding to do something voluntarily or subconsciously. If you are a procrastinator, you know what it feels like. But remember that you are a procrastinator, not a lazy person. Lazy people don't know or don't care what they should do and must do. They feel nothing at all. You, little procrastinator, knows what you should be doing. You can't just manage yourself to do it.

 Procrastination is actually a form of stress relief. Our brain is a little stingy organ. It always find ways to minimize energy expenditure. It never really wants to think hard or do stressful things that would consume a lot of energy. When your key task that you should be doing is difficult or daunting, the brain will trick you to do something more easy and comfortable at the moment. Procrastination will give you a short-term comfort. But in the long term, you will feel guilty and less confidence due to losing self-control which would finally lead to depression. Some examples of procrastination are putting off an assignment or a thesis until the last minutes, telling yourself that you will do it tomorrow, or giving excuses such as "It's too early to start, I'm not ready yet, I need to prepare myself, I have many things to do and I don't know where to start." 

 Procrastination is not a disorder. It is just a habit triggered by stress. That is also why it seems so difficult to overcome it. It is very difficult to break a habit but it is not something that can't be done. 

Why do we procrastinate?

In order to solve something, we must know the underlying cause. As it is mentioned above, procrastination is a habit triggered by stress. You have to figure out what is stressing you. 

Are you procrastinating because you are having self-doubt? Do you feel like you might not be able to make it? Are you afraid that you might not get the desired results? These can trigger procrastination. Or are you feeling overwhelmed? Are you avoiding it due to the fact that you might get negative feedback? The fear of failure can also make you procrastinate.

 It can also be that you are a sensation seekers. Sensation seeking is that looking for something enjoyable and comfortable at the moment. It is like craving for instant gratification. The rewards of the task that you should be doing may seem pretty far. So you are looking for instant rewards, which make you side-track from the key task and procrastinate. 

Or are you a person who lacks self-regulation? You know which is best for you but you are acting against your better judgement. If not, are you just a person who is disconnected from his future self? Disconnecting from one's future self means not caring for what one will feel or be in the future if he doesn't do a particular task and doing whatever he feels like doing without planning and without considering the consequences. These can all make you switch to your procrastinating mood.

Types of procrastinator

 The Perfectionist

A perfectionist wants everything to be perfect before he starts doing something. He does all the research. He reasons that he should do it this way or that way. He will not start unless he feel sure of what he is doing. He says a lot of "Not now." He waits for the perfect moment. He is stressing about every details and worrying that he would not be able to execute perfectly. The irony is that he procrastinate because he is worried about not being perfect but this procrastination makes his work imperfect.

The Excuse Machine

This is someone who loves lying to his own face. And he somewhat knows that he is just giving excuses. He can find all the excuses in the world to justify himself. He knows that he must face something instead of walking around. That is what make him feel guilty and give more excuses. All this stress and feeling of losing self-control make him even more procrastinate. He is in this constant dilemma.

The Sinker

He doesn't start doing something because he lacks motivation. He has self-doubt and is not very confident. But what he does is sinking himself more by talking negative thoughts to himself. In his head is filled with thoughts such as " I might not be able to make it, This is not for me, What if I fail, I can't, I don't know how, I am not good enough." He is like someone who keeps digging even though he found himself dug in a hole.

The Pressure-addict

He believes he works better under pressure. He wait till the very last minute just to be under pressure. Is it a myth or reality? Do you really become creative when you are under pressure and panicking? 

 

How to stop procrastinating

Anyone can stop procrastinating if he has the will. 

Taking control

One reason of procrastination is lacking self-control. Procrastinators have all the logical reasons why he must do this or that but still they can't convince themselves to do it. Humans are emotional creatures. Sometimes logical reasons can't just push someone to do something. You need to have a strong motivation and a strong will to avoid falling into the pit of procrastination. You can cultivate this strong will by taking control of yourself. But when you are a procrastinator, you would already feel that you can't control of yourself. Then, we need to fix that attitude first. You are master of your fate. Your choices make who you are.

 Almost everyone procrastinates. We all are prone to these feelings of guilt and stress. What makes the difference is your choice and what you choose to do right at the moment, not tomorrow or later. Try to take control of yourself in small things such as not being on social media so long like to you used to be or stopping yourself when you are about to click that YouTube icon. Just start with the small thing and you will feel that you are finally back in control.

Freeing from guilt

Guilt will get you nowhere. Forgive yourself first. Forgive yourself for all those procrastinations you have done before cause you will no longer procrastinate in the future. You are rebuilding your self-image. You set your values straight. Write down or think of your personal visions. Imagine yourself that you are already that kind of person who you want to be. You set your goals and you are ready to work for that goals. Have self-awareness. You must find what motivates you. Try to imagine all those beautiful feelings you will get when you have accomplished a particular task. You will be free from all the worries and stress. Feel it and imagine the future self instead of stressing about the task.

Planning 

Planning doesn't mean what you plan just before you go to bed. We all are guilty of this. We say all these things to ourselves that we would do this and that tomorrow. That is not planning. You need a detailed plan. You are probably avoiding what you must do because it is difficult or overwhelming. So break down your work into simple and small steps. Plan them properly into your daily life and stick to it. Have visual cues to remind yourself what to do like sticking notes or having a good planner or just a reminder app on your phone.

Starting

Sometimes, all you need to do is just start. Have you ever heard of five minute rule? It states that you have to start doing something and just do it for five minutes. According to research, 80% of people continue to do their task at hand more than five minutes. Just start, you will enjoy the process. The idea of a task is more daunting than actually doing it. Just do it. You will find that it is not as difficult as you think it would be. 

Focusing

Try to keep yourself away from all the distractions. You might not able to do that at first. It takes a lot of willpower to resist some temptations. All you need is persistence. Be persistent and consistent. You will get there. If you cannot concentrate on something and your thoughts and focus keep wandering, try using Pomodoro Technique. Pomodoro Technique is that you do something for only 25 minutes and take a break for 5 minutes. Just a reminder, don't spend that 5 minutes on social media. You might not be able to return to your task.

 If you cannot control yourself, control the distractions. While you are studying, put away your phone and turn away from your computer. But if you have to work with these devices, use some apps or software that block distractions for you. Here is the best program that has been found for you. It will help you reclaim your focus and productivity. It will block distractions on behalf of you.

Well, my dear procrastinators, you cannot just read this and tell yourself that you would apply these tips  later. Just start now and kill that little monster of procrastination.

We read something to improve ourselves but most of us don't know how to apply it properly. This article on how to read and implement effectively is just written for that.