I’m going to clean out the shed tomorrow. I’m going to call the dentist next week to make an appointment. Real! I will update that administration next weekend. Just not right now. Procrastination, what can you do about it!
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Reasons for procrastination
It was often thought that chronic procrastinators were people with a certain fear of failure. The thought was that what you don’t do or won’t do certainly can’t fail. It has also often been stated that procrastinators were perfectionists. People wait endlessly because they want to get it done perfectly. Many scientific searches have also often examined the behavior of laziness. In retrospect, this is not the reason for the postponement. Someone who is lazy doesn’t want to do anything at all, while a procrastinator wants to do something. Just not at that moment. Where does procrastination come from? Impulsiveness. These people live day by day and their plans can change from moment to moment. Impulsive people are often easily distracted. They often fool themselves by saying that they can work well under pressure and that there is still enough time to finish something. If the deadline is in sight, they will find themselves in a tight spot and will look for more distractions to escape the deadline. Another clear reason for procrastination is that we think we can’t do it anyway. Looking for a new job is often postponed with the thought that you will not be hired. Another reason for postponing is simply that we don’t feel like it.
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In which areas are most postponed?
Notorious procrastinators don’t like annoying chores. What is meant by annoying varies per person. In general, there are two areas where people tend to procrastinate. First of all, the finances. This category of procrastinators includes people who would rather arrange the jars in the kitchen cupboard in alphabetical order than go through the tax papers. They are the same types who are delaying in terms of their education and career. The second area of postponement is that of your physical and mental development. These people would rather sit aimlessly on the couch and do nothing than go for a run for a few hours. This group of people also often pushes social agreements and romance forward.
Five tips to tackle procrastination
How do you tackle procrastination to prevent everything from going wrong? There are ways to do this, but be careful, don’t postpone them!
Accept your mistakes
It is important to accept and forgive yourself if something does not work out. Only by accepting this will you continue to motivate yourself to do better next time. Forgot to call your grandma on her birthday? With a bit of luck you will have a second chance next year.
Keep your goals small
Make sure your goals remain as concrete and small as possible. Don’t prepare the entire garden for summer, but start with the hedge today and plant the plants next week. Set a time limit, make an agenda for yourself and stick to it!
Willpower and procrastination
A complete behavioral change will never succeed based on pure willpower. People who want to quit smoking or drinking know this. But for simple tasks, willpower is very important and very effective. That closet door still not repaired? Use your willpower.
Try to break that first step
Procrastination is precisely that moment of weakness. Addicts also have that and this can therefore be compared with each other. Someone who procrastinates wants to feel good by not doing something and not thinking about it. The good feeling quickly disappears and is replaced by guilt. If you recognize that this behavior is a kind of addiction, the first most important step has been broken.
Do not think, do!
Thinking about that one task can be many times worse than the task itself. Don’t make a habit of daydreaming. Make it a habit to do everything mindlessly, it will save time!