Updated: Nov 9, 2021
Find out the reasons why you put off certain tasks and how to be more productive without any delay.
Do you sometimes find yourself hesitating to start working right away on certain tasks assigned to you by your boss? Or do certain chores appear extremely unappealing to complete immediately even when you know they’re inevitable? If, in those instances you end up spending your time doing something else entirely, that dear reader, is the act of procrastination.
More often than not, procrastination gets a bad rep due to its unfortunate similarities to another trait: laziness. Unlike laziness which involves apathy, inactivity and a general unwillingness to do something even at a later time, procrastination is an active process, which means you actively choose to do something that is more enjoyable or easier compared to an unpleasant, important task.
If you do find yourself procrastinating, rest assured you are not alone.
According to research, 88% of the workforce have been found to procrastinate at least 1 hour a day. So, the next time you find yourself typing away frantically to meet a 5pm deadline on a paper that you had two weeks to work on, don’t beat yourself up about it.
Ultimately, procrastination is not a time management problem, but a coping mechanism.
Nevertheless, anxiously trying to meet a deadline at the last minute is never a good feeling. For better productivity and peace of mind, procrastination must be tackled at its roots – the reasons behind why you might be procrastinating.
Here are 3 reasons why you could be procrastinating:
A plan is a very useful reference point in ensuring that you complete the tasks that you need to. Without a proper plan to guide you with your list of tasks, it’s easy to go astray, spending time on activities that are less important or less urgent instead.
Strategize by setting goals of the day or week and stick to achieving them; with the right amount of commitment you will find it very easy to complete your tasks.
Source: Pexels
Sometimes we can’t help ourselves from procrastinating when a task seems to be too big for us. We get overwhelmed when facing daunting tasks that could take long tedious hours. When a task is too complex, we start to question our skills and avoid doing it altogether, preferring to stay in our comfort zone.
During those moments, take a step back and start breaking down the mammoth-like task into smaller, manageable categories that you could tackle one by one based on their urgency.
Source: Pexels
Procrastination is not only limited to the size of a task or the lack of planning, but also due to something that we may have internalized, i.e. lack of self-confidence. The fear of not doing a good job or even failing at something altogether causes us to avoid starting on or completing a project.
This is a more sinister scenario, and we must focus on building our self-esteem by chasing away the irrational fears that haunt us.
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Delay no longer and take action against procrastination today. Check out the free Beating Procrastination learning pack on our easy-to-use app ThoughtFullChat for more tips, tricks, and strategies you need or chat with one of our ThoughtFull Professionals for help with not procrastinating again. Download our app on the App Store here and Google Play here.
Our ThoughtFull Professionals are credentialed mental health professionals. Through the chat, the Professionals will partner with you in a thought-provoking and creative process that will assist you in maximizing your personal and professional potential areas of your life.
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