Procrastination

Procrastination 

Procrastination - is probably the number one cause of people being disorganized, not achieving what they want, or not being the best they could be. However, people don't realize that you only need the right tools to conquer it.  
 
Let's brush away the reasons you might be procrastinating, and we will leave you with no excuse to get on with it. 
 
"I haven't got the time right now." 
 
This is the most popular excuse for procrastinators. The thing is, you are probably right. You have not got the whole block of time it takes to tackle the spare room, the whole of the ironing pile, or the complete reorganization of the kitchen. But you have got 10 minutes, or maybe even 20 or 30. And that is all it takes to make a start. Start by sorting through one box, ironing 10 or 20 items, and tackling one single drawer. And if you do that every day, you will realize that you are making slow but steady progress. 
 
If you find yourself still procrastinating, there must be other, deeper-rooted reasons. These possible other reasons fall into two categories, ones concerning the project itself, the others your personality style. 
 
First, let's look at the project itself. The project might be perceived as: 
 
1. Threatening  
2. Too difficult  
3. Boring  
4. Impossible to finish  
5. Waste of time  
 
1. If a project or the outcome of the project is perceived as threatening, thoughts like "I'm in trouble if I get this wrong" might be going through your head. In this case, a natural reaction is not to start the project at all or not to progress beyond a certain point to avoid failure. In cases like this, make sure you have all the facts right.  
 
Ask questions: 
 
"What is the worst thing that could happen - realistically?" "How likely is this to happen?" 
 
"What exactly do I need to do to get it right?"  
 
"Have I got all the skills and abilities to do this project?" - If the answer is no, you should probably consider getting someone to help. 
 
2. If you think a project is too complex, you might never start it. Sit down and think about what is difficult. Are you unsure how to create and break the project into smaller, manageable chunks? Find an expert on the subject, someone who has done a similar project before, and ask for help.  
 
3. If you think a project is tedious, try and make it more interesting; see how much you can achieve in a certain amount of time. And then, for the next chunk, see if you can beat your previous record. Or put some of your favorite music on while you work. 
 
4. If you think a project is impossible to finish, either it's the type of project that never ends (like housework), or it is an extensive project. Again, breaking it up into smaller portions will help. Set yourself a daily target. 
 
5. Finally, if you consider the project a waste of time, re-evaluate it. Does it need to be done? Is it simply one of those jobs that need to be redone regularly, like tidying up or ironing. Use one of the solutions from number 4 to get the job done. Some jobs seem to be a waste of time, but we would sink into crud and chaos if we didn't do them. 
 
The second set of reasons is to do with someone's personality. These could be:  
 
1. Perfectionism  
2. Thriving on adrenaline  
3. Lack of self-confidence  
4. Internalized negatives  
5. Externalized positives  
 
Let's look at these hurdles to getting things done in detail, see what they are about, how they manifest, and what you can do about them. 
 
1. A lot of people have a perfectionist trait. This mindset is acceptable if that perfect condition is feasible and you have a good track record of starting and finishing your projects. If you don't, your perfectionism is probably an excuse for not starting the project.  
 
2. "I work better under pressure." We all know people like that, and we might have used that phrase ourselves." So again, there are two ways of dealing with this.  
 
Number one, it's a good excuse not to start until the last possible moment, and it's simply a way to put things off. Instead, divide your project into segments and do one each day until it's done.  
 
Number two, if you work better under pressure, and some of us do, make the project more challenging. Set mini-goals with a shorter deadline. This way, you keep yourself on your toes but still, make timely progress towards your end goal. 
 
Also, get a project buddy. Tell someone about your project and the deadline. Make yourself accountable. And be sure that particular someone is a person who will check up on you. 
 
3. If you suffer from a lack of self-confidence and feel that you can't tackle the project, find out the first thing you need to do to start the project. Do that, then find out the next step, and so on. Also, divide the project into smaller chunks. 
 
4. Internalizing negatives means that you always look for faults within yourself. If you do this, you will quickly develop negative emotions, such as "I'm lazy, that's why I don't get things done" or "I'm stupid, that's why I don't know where to start." I can assure you that none of this is true. You might lack motivation or not be an expert on a particular subject, but you can easily do something about that.  
 
Think of a treat that you reward yourself with once you have completed the first part of the task, and then keep rewarding yourself for every bit that you achieve until the project is completed. Also, there is no shame in asking people for help and advice on tackling a particular project.  
 
5. Externalized positives are usually the reverse side of the same coin as internalized negatives. It means that you attribute anything positive that you do to outside influences and not to your skills and abilities, such as "I was lucky last time, and it was easy. However, I could never do that again." It is usually a sign of a lack of self-confidence.  
 
Achieving something has most often nothing to do with luck. It is more likely to be the result of hard work and skill. And when you found something easy, you had the skills and talent to do it and nothing less. 
 
Any more excuses? Or did we cover them all and show you how to conquer them? So, what's stopping you now? 

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