We talked about how procrastination is that.. "habit" or tendency to procrastinate always things: from paying a bill, to studying for an exam or starting a work project, to the most mundane commitment one can set, like starting your diet on Monday.
But procrastination can be absolutely destructive: it's a'negative habit, that stops you in any area of your life.
The thing we need to notice is that we "self-inflict" it on ourselves. We are the ones who decide whether or not to do something, we are the ones who unconsciously look for excuses not to do it and we are the ones who many times come to eat our hands for not having acted sooner.
Behind procrastination lie many factors, such as fear, anxiety, insecurity, fear of failure or even success. That's why when you start overcoming procrastination your self-esteem increases, you feel better immediately.
Procrastination destroys your life day in and day out, but if you've been an inveterate procrastinator all your life… how can you stop being one?
Stopping procrastination is possible
If I scared you well… was my intention :-). The more I can create negative emotions in you that go versus procrastination, the better.
And in fact I'm telling you now that procrastination has stolen money from you, banged your girlfriend and even scratched your car while you're here reading this article.
All jokes aside, the first step to stop procrastinating is to be aware of what you're doing and don't lie to yourself.
Unfortunately, we are told lies and lots of them: "I don't have time right now.", o "I'll do it tomorrow", these are are are baloney ok?! Cut the crap!
I can't tell you how important it is for you to look in the mirror at your procrastination, and finally realize all that it entails.
Because procrastination can lead to so many things, and all of them lead to one result: dissatisfaction.
If you're not fully satisfied with who you are now, it's because you've procrastinated actions in the past that would have led to satisfied.
I'd say it's time to take matters into your own hands, and you will?
Ah, you don't think it's time, you say it's better to put it off until tomorrow?
No, it's now! Let's take a practical look at how to stop procrastinating.
5 ways to stop procrastinating
1. Think about the consequences
If you find yourself procrastinating try thinking about the consequences Who might have your procrastination.
Ask yourself: to what negative consequences will bring my procrastination?
2. Don't allow distractions to loom
When we procrastinate, we automatically unconsciously seek out the following pleasant distractions to put off what we don't feel like doing.
This is the 21st century, the age of distraction! Check email, go on social networks, sleep, watch TV etc. etc. all of these are distractions.
When we get distracted, we make a trade-off: instead of doing what we should be doing, we move on to something that we enjoy and that gives us relief at that particular moment.
Distractions are the "weapons" of procrastination, the "weapons" that procrastination uses to hurt us.
When you need to do something, you tend to procrastinate and distract yourself with other things that are much more enjoyable.
At work for example go look at your Facebook page or your personal email address.
They are called distr-actions precisely because they shift our attention, but we could turn these negative distractions into something positive and really enjoyable.
Like? Doing what we want to do in the end, as if it were a prize. Let's do that job or errand first, then devote ourselves pleasantly to what we enjoy.
In other words, the solution is to do what you need to do first, especially when it comes to your work, but also at home or in other areas, and then give yourself a "little reward".
If you can get your assignment done without distraction, treat yourself to coffee with a colleague without the anxiety of knowing there is work to be done, but with the peace of mind that you've already done it.
Another way is Giving yourself times in advance for distractions. For example you can decide to:
- Look at facebook and emails only once or twice a day, on lunch break and before dinner (maybe to seduce quanle beautiful damsel with the Seduce with facebook Guide)
- Not answering the office phone for a few hours a day to complete that important project
- Instead of sitting in front of the TV and zapping (that's how they say it?! ) , choose in advance what programs you want to watch, so you will decrease your time in front of the damn television and watch only the things you like
3. Make a list
Did you realize you fall into vicious vortex of procrastination, where responsibility is an enemy, insecurity becomes a disease, and laziness a symptom.
If you're reading this article, it's also because you want to stop procrastinating, improve and get out of this vortex.
You have so many things on your mind that you wanted or needed to do but haven't done yet: do you now make a list of all these things.
This way you'll have in black and white what you need to do, not just in your head, so that stressful thinking "I have so many things to do" will be downsized and made manageable.
4. Start with
Once you've made your list, where to start? There are two solutions for different needs.
If you really struggle to get started then start with things easier and then continue with the difficult or time consuming ones.
By doing this you will take acceleration and you will use the acceleration to do the others.
If you can get started instead then start immediately with the longer and more complex ones so your thinking will be "I get them out of the way and then I just have quick and easy things to do later".
Everyone is different, I for example prefer to start with the more complex ones, also because in the morning I'm more creative and focused, then in the afternoon my brain falls asleep a bit and so I do the simpler things… until the evening when I get dumb but that's another matter .
5. Start small
Scientific studies have shown that if we start a job we are more likely to finish it.
Why?
Because when we start a new task it "opens a mental drawer" and our brain is more satisfied when this drawer is closed. The consequence is that it pushes you to finish what you've started.
So to inspire you instead of thinking "I need to do this." think "I start and then we see, and your brain will give you a hand to finish it.
You want to overcome your procrastination for good?
These two articles on procrastination were inspired by an ebook I read recently and I really liked it.
The ebook I'm talking about is Start! of Andrea Giuliodori, who by the way I also had the pleasure of meeting in person and has proven to be a very practical person, concrete and who knows perfectly what he is talking about. Like me, she has experienced everything she teaches on her own skin and this can be heard in her words.
If you also procrastinate from time to time, and maybe that's lowering your self-esteem, do you I highly recommend Andrea's guide, you can have it by clicking here.