Why do we procrastinate?

At the start of another year being 2022, plenty of new year resolutions are made but doomed to fail before the month has ended, only to be added to an ever-increasing list of empty promises.

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Why do we procrastinate?

The following piece includes nine powerful tips and three actionable steps you can take right away. It also lists suggested readings for those looking for even more information.

Foremost tips

Sometimes you need to hold off on a task, job, or project because something more pressing comes up. When you continually push it off, you may be struggling with procrastination. 

There are many reasons people procrastinate, from perfectionism, remaining in your comfort zone, or just being overwhelmed, but defeating procrastination is possible with these nine tips.

What is organising in the


  • “Organising is the process of identifying and grouping the work to be performed, defining and delegating the responsibility and authority and establishing a pattern of relationship for the purpose of enabling people to work most effectively to accomplish the objective”.

  • (https://kalyan-city.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-is-organising-meaning-definition.html)

1. Figure Out Why You Procrastinate

Understanding 'the why' behind your procrastination aids you in overcoming it. Some reasons you may put off completing a task include poor organising, feeling overwhelmed, fear of failure, fear of success, and perfectionism. 

Consider what is driving your procrastination so that you can defeat it. 

2. Write Out a To-Do List 

You may feel overwhelmed at everything you need to get accomplished, and you may have less to do than you initially thought.

Writing everything down can help you gain a better scope of what you genuinely need to do.

3. Prioritise What You Need to Do

After listing everything out, prioritise what needs to be done and then add how much time it will take next to the task. If there are deadlines, you should also add those. The goal is to identify where to place your focus first. You may even find some tasks you can put off or ignore.

4. Break Projects Down into Bite-Sized Tasks 

When you have a large project in front of you, it may seem like a mountain, and you move a mountain one pail of dirt at a time. It helps break your project into smaller, more manageable tasks that you can quickly check off.

At the risk of seriously mixing my metaphors, more of us are familiar with the term,

"How do you eat an elephant"

5. Do Away with Distractions

Completing tasks takes twice as long when you are dragged away and then lose focus. Turn off all notifications on your phone and computer.

That includes social media notices and email. If you need background noise, find some soft music, but avoid turning on the television.

6. Take Care of the Hardest Job When You Are at Your Peak

 Do you get more done in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Take advantage of your peak time of attentiveness to tackle those jobs you have been putting off.

You will have more energy and can get invigorated by accomplishing much more.

7. Tie a Reward to an Accomplishment 

Some people love rewards for getting things done. If you do, pick a task or project and set a reward for accomplishing it or getting the necessary steps completed.

You might indulge in a film, playing a video game, or social media time.

8. Find an Accountability Partner

Knowing you have to answer to someone about your progress can be a great motivator. Look for someone who can encourage you when you get sidetracked, as well as give you firm reminders to get back on task.

9. Get Started 

Getting started is often half the battle; instead of just thinking about starting a project, set your timer for five minutes and work on it. Once the timer goes off, you are more likely to keep working, which means you are much closer to getting the job done than five minutes earlier.

Fast Actions steps

1. Ask yourself why you procrastinate on some jobs but not others. You can then alleviate the blockers and learn how to accomplish more.

2. Take a piece of paper and brainstorm everything you need to do. Then, assess what you can do and what you can delegate, and this frees up time for those items you can only handle.

3. Decide on some rewards you can give yourself, write them on slips of paper, and place them in a jar. You can have the extra fun of choosing a surprise reward once your task is complete.

Further reading

    Tony

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