Procrastination: 7 Simple Tips

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

How often do you find a lot of other, simpler activities that are completely irrelevant to the main business before passing an important project, an exam, talking with your parents or going to the dentist (when the toothache already hurts)? Moreover, each has a list of such cases and the situation is very individual and may contain quite a few items. And even if you have only one item on this list, it still interferes with a normal life. What to do? Fight this unpleasant phenomenon.

Let's start with the very definition of the term "procrastination" - this is a concept in psychology, meaning the constant postponement of unpleasant thoughts and deeds for later.

As I said, the list of such things and thoughts is individual and can be quite impressive. There are a few tips to help you fight procrastination without requiring any complicated steps. The main thing is not to postpone work on yourself "for later".

1. Do one thing unpleasant to you in the morning … Of course, not immediately after waking up. And when it’s time to get busy, let the first item in your ToDoList be at least one small, unpleasant business. For example, call a plumber or call a not-so-pleasant customer. It's like jumping from a tower without thinking right away. Or approach a hundred times to the edge, estimate the height, step back, gather courage and … stop again just before the jump. And so on until you are pushed by someone who has already exhausted the patience to stand in line for the jump. A good rule of thumb is to do a little nasty business first, and your list is already one item shorter.

2. If you find it difficult to do any work several times a week, do it every day. As strange as it may sound, this rule works. For example, you need to write articles on a blog or fill out cards for a program. You can, of course, sit down and write the required number in a few days. But, firstly, you do not always have the necessary material at hand, and secondly, it will be very difficult to sit down a second time and force yourself to write in a few days (given that you don’t like it, but you still need to do it). If you start working on it a little bit every day, then you gradually get involved. And it won't be so difficult to get down to this job. Gradually it will become a habit with you, and later you may even like it.

3. Find yourself company for your "unpleasant affairs". Studies show that we do many things much more willingly for company with someone than alone.

4. Make work preparation your essential tool. That is, collecting the necessary tools gives you the opportunity to mentally prepare for the execution of an unpleasant task. For example, by printing a letter, or collecting the necessary information before talking with a client. You don't have to do it today, you can postpone it. But it is quite possible that simply by preparing in advance, you decide to finish this business as soon as possible and do everything on the same day.

5. Maintain a list … This advice can be found quite often in the fight against non-fulfillment (simply put, the ubiquitous laziness). And it works. Usually lists are made to do something long-term, but it works with one-day ones too. Just write on paper that I have to do this and that by the end of the day.

6. First - the most unpleasant (ladies and children - go ahead). Make sure that you are doing one of the main unpleasant things first, and not by doing "little troubles" trying to delay the execution of the most unpleasant (and this happens).

7. Learn to enjoy completing unpleasant tasks. Forced yourself to do what has been postponed for a month - rejoice! At least for the fact that you are such a fine fellow and have finally found the strength in yourself to complete a very unpleasant business. Even if you felt a little nauseous during the execution and there was an unpleasant aftertaste at the end. You did IT. You are well done!

And now I would like to ask what you are starting to do to avoid doing an unpleasant task? I, personally, begin to sort things out or look for what else I have to do "seemingly necessary", often in no way connected with "my dragon."