Procrastination – it makes you sick!
publication date: Sep 24, 2007
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author/source: Diane Birch
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There are many ways we avoid success in life but the most destructive way is procrastination. If you’re like most people and you’ve been affected by the poisoned arrows of procrastination, then read on to find out how you can combat its deadliness…
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So what exactly is procrastination?
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Putting off something for a variety reasons; it could be because we just don’t like doing it; the dreaded tax form for instance, or because we are scared that we will fail or we’ll look stupid. It could be because the job is just too big and we don’t want to face it or that our work is never quite good enough.
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Some of us give the excuse that we procrastinate because we work better under pressure, yeah right! Or it could even be that secretly we are actually a little bit scared of success.
Basically it’s doing anything other than what we should be doing!
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How does it affect us?
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It sabotages our success; hurts our performance; squanders our resources; suppresses our creativity; stresses us out; prevents restful sleep; and it’s bad for our health (it’s scientifically proven that procrastinator’s drink more than they intend to because they are unable to self regulate and they have lower immune systems than those who don’t.)
What can we do about it?
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Putting things off is part of being human so don’t be too hard on yourself! And remember, only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday! It’s not an untamable beast and it doesn’t make you inherently lazy or inefficient, it’s a habit that you can overcome. There are no quick fixes but you can take immediate steps to overcome it:
- Check your environment: does it help or hinder your progress?
- When do you procrastinate: make sure you plan your most odious tasks for the times when you work best (e.g. first thing in the morning)
- Challenge your myths: “I can’t do it now because I really do have to wash my cat first……..”
- Break it down: Doing something in chunks makes it seem much more manageable.
- Get started and remember ‘done’ is always better than perfect!
- Visualize what will happen if you don’t do it: A late tax return will give you a grumpy accountant and cost you a fine.
- Change your attitude: Telling yourself how horrible something is and how much you don’t want to do it will compound your reasons not to start it. Telling yourself that actually it isn’t that bad and the result of doing it is a good one, will make you feel more positive about starting it.
- Learn how to tell the time: Be realistic about how long something is going to take. Convincing yourself that something will only take a couple of hours when in reality it’s a day’s work, won’t help you. Don’t be a rushaholic!
What happens when you actively change the way you work?
It’s taken you a long time to perfect your procrastinating skills but by experimenting with strategies that will help you work differently you will overcome it, get more sleep, be less stressed and have a happier more successful life!