How many of u have ever used this sentence”I will do it tomorrow or any other time” and that tomorrow is yet to come till now? Well, this is the habit of procastination. Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished.Procrastination can take hold on any aspect of life—putting off cleaning the stove, repairing a leaky roof, seeing a doctor or dentist, submitting a job report or academic assignment or broaching a stressful issue with a partner. Everyone puts things off until the last minute sometimes, but procrastinators chronically avoid difficult tasks and deliberately look for distractions.
The pleasure principle may be responsible for procrastination; one may prefer to avoid negative emotions, and to delay stressful tasks. The belief that one works best under pressure provides an additional incentive to the postponement of task.There can be several other excuses made by a procastinist: Of course people come up with all sorts of creative reasons why now, today, just isn’t the right time. Too busy. Too broke. Too stressed. Too risky. Too uncertain. Too inexperienced. Too old. Too young. Too disruptive. Occasionally those reasons are valid. But more often they are simply excuses for doing the real work and experiencing the emotional discomfort inherent in making meaningful changes in our work and lives.At the core of that discomfort is fear. fears can drive us to cling on to the hope that if we procrastinate long enough, our situation will improve, or our misgivings will magically evaporate and be replaced with newfound clarity and courage. We tell ourselves that ‘one day’ we will be ready to make a change, or take a chance; that ‘one day’ the timing will be better, our confidence stronger, our circumstances easier.
Unfortunately the reverse is generally true. As the days roll steadily by, our fears grow larger, not smaller, until they eventually lead to a burial ground for unfulfilled dreams and untapped potential. All the time, our procrastination can exact a steep toll on our finances, career, business, relationships and health.
To a certain degree it is normal to procrastinate and it can be regarded as a useful way to identify what is important, due to a lower tendency of procrastination on truly valued tasks (for most people).On the other hand, excessive procrastination can become a problem and impede normal functioning. When this happens, procrastination has been found to result in health problems, stress,anxiety, sense of guilt and crisis .
To overcome procrastination, it is essential to recognize and accept the power of failure without condemning, to stop focusing on faults and flaws and to set goals that are easier to achieve.We can evaluate our own goals, strengths, weaknesses, and priorities.
Also we should start setting realistic goals, and develop a personal positive link between the tasks and the concrete, meaningful goals. Another way to reduce procastination is Restructure activities of daily life.Next useful tip is to discipline ourselves to the priorities we set.Better time management is a key to overcoming procrastination, including being aware of and using one’s “power hours” (being a “morning person” or “night owl”).
Procastination will not end from someone’s life in a day.It may take time. But we should take proper measures to avoid them and prevent procastination.