How to Overcome Procrastination| Best Effective Ways
Procrastination is perhaps one of the most famous words when it comes to any kind of work. often categorized just there with resting, taking a break and not doing any work, the word itself has a power meaning. Similar to laziness, yet much different. It is the act of delaying something that needs to be done in order to get immediate gratification.
Meaning of Procrastination
Let us take a deeper dive into the meaning of the word. Procrastination is about being unable to do a certain job. It is pushing a task to a further deadline which you are entirely capable of doing at the moment and much before the final moment. Contrary to the popular narrative, this feeling is not entirely the person’s fault. Sometimes, negative emotions and external factors push laziness down someone’s throat. Procrastination is a force that essentially stops a person from completing their tasks.
Reasons for Procrastination
The big question remains, why does a human being procrastinate? If the action will produce good fruits of labor, the action should be able to be completed. It is not about delaying a certain task as much as it is about the need for immediate results.
Immediate Gratification
Human beings are always seeking out immediate gratification rather than the long term fruits of labor. While the brain does want the future to be good, it believes in the present being comfortable. This constant scuffle between the present and the future leads people to procrastinate on the given task.
Motivation, or its lack thereof
Sometimes people procrastinate merely because they have no motivation left. Even if the task is completely planned out, the fact that people feel no immediate reason to finish it often contributes to the delay or work. It is often an active process, but something that people have no control over.
Perfectionism
Perhaps the MOST important reason why people procrastinate. We all want our work to be perfect. We want the finished product to showcase 100% of our creativity, dedication and hard work. If someone is even at 85% of their energy levels, people find it hard to give a task it’s 100%. This often leads to postponing the job until humans feel absolutely content in themselves, which is often never.
“Procrastination is the thief of time”
Just because procrastination is something that is dependent on bodily functions does not mean it is not tameable. The point to remember is that our brain is a muscle too, and like everything else it needs time to rest, to work and always be up for a task.
The famous proverb, “Procrastination is the thief of time” is a warning for everyone. If someone delays work at the moment, it will only add to the workload later. While in the given moment it might feel like a great idea to fall down on the bed or watch that new video that has come out, the truth is that it is better a person completes their task at the given moment. Pushing any job further will lead to getting work done at the eleventh hour.
Yes, we have all been there. Trying to work against the clock and harboring the guilt that we could do better. It can all be solved if we take care of the tasks at hand. However, another word of warning is that humans are not machines. We cannot work 24/7 and therefore it is also important to know our limits. Time management is a way through which we can overcome procrastination to some extent. To learn more about it, check out our previous blog.
How to overcome Procrastination
The big question: how can one overcome procrastination?
Find the source
The first and most important step to beat this is to find out what is bothering someone. Is it immediate gratification, perfectionism or just unable to have the motivation to do anything? Unless a person can identify the cause of their problem, they cannot solve it at all. Once we have found the source, we can move further.
Make to-do lists
This may sound like pretty basic advice, but the truth is To-Do lists can do wonders. It does not need to be catalogued or divided or have some fancy equipment. Choose the medium that is most suitable and start making a list. Once we have put down the tasks to complete, no matter how big or small, we can prioritize, schedule and plan things out. Even if we do end up procrastinating on that, we will at least know what to do and then start again.
Accept your limits
Again, humans are not machines. If somebody is planning to complete everything in a single day and be functional for the upcoming days, they are fooling themselves. Some people are able to work better at night, while some are early birds. There are those who can work at a stretch and others need a break every twenty minutes. Every person is unique and it is important to find that uniqueness within to get the work done efficiently.
Use ways like “2-minute rule”
There are many number-based rules which are very helpful when it comes to avoiding Procrastination. “2-minute rule” dictates that if there is a task which can be completed within two minutes, like folding clothes and sending that main, then do it. Similarly, the “1-3-5 rule”, which indicates that a person ought to divide their tasks into three sections- major, medium and small. Then, for the day, a person should pick 1 major task, 3 medium tasks and 5 small to complete. That way, not only are we using the time productively but also making sure we do not exhaust ourselves.
Finding the way to beat procrastination is an individual journey and we are constantly working on making it better. These are things that are often not talked about in school and colleges but are inherent parts of our lives. We at Career Kites are working on building the gap between college and companies with our 6 weeks of training and learning program. This training module focuses on both technical and soft skills and developing the overall personality of an individual. Some of the topics we cover are Basic Excel, Resume Building, Interview Cracking and Mock GD’s.
If you want to be a part of this program and transform your career opportunities, then enroll for our 6-weeks skill-building program.
Written By:- Amber keshari, Shubhr Aakriti
Edited By:- Ashutosh Dhar Dwivedi, Zeya Ullah Saif
whoah this blog is great i really like reading your posts. Keep up the good work! You recognize, many individuals are hunting around for this info, you could aid them greatly. |
Highly descriptive blog, I enjoyed that bit. Will there be a part 2?|
Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your article seem to be running off the screen in Chrome. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The layout look great though! Hope you get the problem resolved soon. Many thanks|