Before you start a new business, do you hesitate for a long time and are ready to do anything to delay the moment and not start?
If you know it, most likely, you are overcome by procrastination. Here’s how to stop procrastinating and get down to business.
What Is the Difference Between Laziness and Procrastination
It seems that procrastination comes from laziness — you just don’t want to do something, you just need to pull yourself together, and everything will go away. However, these are different concepts. Now we will tell you the difference between laziness and procrastination.
The main reason for laziness is physical or emotional fatigue. For example, you have not slept well or are tired at work, tired from talking to your boss, or after a stormy meeting with a group of friends. Laziness is an opportunity to recharge your “battery”, to put life on pause, and to signal that today is enough.
Laziness itself is a pleasant process, we rest and relax. The synonyms for laziness are poetic: “nega”, “languor”. And often a lazy person is associated with a happy person. His idleness irritates others, but he himself most often enjoys it.
And procrastinators aren’t lazy, they try hard to start doing something, but nothing comes out. At the same time, they are nervous, and worried, and know that they are waiting for things to be done, but they cannot cope with themselves and finally start doing them.
What the Procrastinator Thinks
Such Thoughts Haunt the Procrastinator All Day Long
If you cannot get to work, this is procrastination. You feel terrible, disappointed in your abilities, but you can’t rest either — all your time is spent on small things. Let’s find out why procrastination occurs.
Causes of Procrastination
Learned Behavior
This habit comes from childhood when you want someone to persuade or even force you to do something — a parent or a teacher. As an adult, this behavior becomes a way of life. You have to work hard on yourself to get rid of this habit. The main thing is to realize that the responsibility for your life is in your hands. No one else is obliged to force and motivate you, but you can and should attract attention in more environmentally friendly ways.
Protection Against Overload
Systematic overloading of the body, when you are tired and can’t do anything else, can be the cause of procrastination. You shouldn’t just lie in the bathtub for an hour after a hard day, but take a vacation, play several hours at online black jack games, or unload yourself from some of the tasks. Think about whether you are taking on too much, whether you are allocating your time correctly, and whether you have the opportunity to rest.
Fear of Failure
You’re taking on a new job you’ve never done before and you’re afraid you’ll fail. You plan to move to another country and you need to take a language course, but your fear is so strong that you can’t even sign up for a training program. You tell yourself, “You’ll get there in time,” but there’s less and less time left before you leave.
Exaggerated Expectations
This is where perfectionism is your biggest enemy. “If this job isn’t going to be done perfectly, why do it?” — the subconscious whispers. But it’s deceptive and treacherous because rarely is anything perfect. And unless you are a Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci-level creator, in most cases “good enough” will do. It’s strange not to start cleaning for fear you’ll miss a single speck, but that’s how perfectionism and procrastination work.
Brain Work
The modern world demands multitasking, but not everyone can do it. It’s sometimes very difficult for the brain to switch from one task to another, to re-learn something, to adjust to the work at hand. If you have this problem, try to group similar tasks. For example, every time before a phone call, you sway for a long time, gather your thoughts, and think about what to say. It might be worth setting aside a specific time in your schedule when you will only make calls — make a list of them and schedule a slot in your calendar.
Unclear Value of the Task
If you’re forced to do a boring task that you don’t see much value in, you’re more likely to put it off. This is sometimes the case at work during a period when nothing is particularly urgent, and an employee is assigned something to do just to keep busy. In the end, you hope that the task will disappear on its own or be forgotten about. Maybe it will, and you won’t have to worry about it. But if you are not satisfied with what’s happening, you should talk to your manager and ask what the task is about and how important it is to complete it.
Ways to Fight Procrastination
If constant procrastination is really interfering with your life, you do not cope with either household or work tasks, and all your affairs are in constant chaos. Let’s try to figure out how to stop procrastinating.
Ask Yourself the Right Questions
Psychologist Jason Wessel proposed his own method of fighting procrastination. It’s based on self-reflection, the ability to reflect on and understand the reasons why you find it hard to focus. According to this technique, if you regularly ask yourself the questions suggested by the psychologist and give yourself honest answers, you will find it easier to stop procrastinating.
Make a List of Excuses and Hang It in a Prominent Place
One type of procrastination is finding constant excuses for ourselves. We tell ourselves “I can’t start going to the pool until I lose weight” or “if I wake up in a bad mood, I won’t go to my workout in the evening”. It’s important to listen to your inner voice and not force yourself to work through it, but you need to realize how big of an excuse it is. Maybe if you make a little effort and go to the gym, your mood will suddenly improve, and no one at the pool cares how you look in your swimsuit.
Write down the excuses that keep you from taking action and the possible benefits and harms of not getting started.
Don’t Criticize, but Reward
Don’t berate yourself for the past, don’t shroud your head in ashes for every episode of procrastination. Imagine what you would say to a loved one in such a situation because we are usually more harsh to ourselves than to others. If the feeling of guilt is very great, consult a psychologist. Think not only about how to stop procrastinating but also what led you to it.
Don’t forget to praise yourself if you were able to overcome procrastination and do what you planned on time and well. Think of rewards — buy something you’ve wanted for a long time or do something nice for yourself, like going to a spa or getting a massage. Even for the smallest victories, reward yourself with something nice, like when you were a kid and your parents bought you a Milky Way or a Chupa Chupa. But who says you can’t buy yourself a Kindergarten now?
Pay Attention to Your Health
Get an annual body check-up and check your health. For example, due to low ferritin or neurotransmitter deficiency, you may feel depressed, apathetic, and tired. Your doctor may prescribe the necessary vitamins.
Defeat Time Killers
A procrastinator is constantly distracted by something and at that moment does not do what is necessary. They are haunted by time killers who take time away from important tasks. Time eaters can be socializing on social networks, reading the news, or playing computer games. To effectively fight chronophage, you need to find out which ones you spend the most time on and abandon them first.
Set Deadlines
Set a deadline for each task, otherwise, you will keep putting it off. A deadline will push you towards the desired result, even if in reality it is not so important when you complete the task. Set an end goal and set deadlines for each step. But don’t overdo it, it’s better to set aside more time for emergencies than to tear your hair out because you didn’t get it done in time again.
