Too tired. Too lazy. Too busy. Are these your reasons for putting off work that has been on your to-do list for a long, long time? Cleaning up the cupboard or your work station may not seem as the most fun thing to do but is that the only reason why you are putting it off? Consider this – do you put off updating your LinkedIn profile but do not fail in posting the smallest detail of your day on Facebook? Have you been sitting on that important bill that needed to be processed last week, just because you do not feel like working on it? Do you keep telling yourself that you will make a fresh start ‘tomorrow’ and end up delaying things again? Well, if you have all these symptoms, then be sure you are a certified procrastinator!
Procrastination is an evil that we all fall prey to. That mundane activity which takes a revoltingly enormous amount of time can be delayed- this is a thought that crosses all our minds when faced with some boring yet important task which doesn’t have a deadline set to it. It may seem easy to say ‘tomorrow’ and get on with your daily schedule, but procrastination has its own disadvantages. Imagine losing your dream job just because your professional profile isn’t updated or missing out on an achievement because you decided to put off an important assignment. There are many reasons for procrastination – avoiding an emotional discomfort, fear of failure, hesitation to make a change etc.
Whatever the reason, procrastination can cause you severe damage in your social, professional, financial and personal life, if not checked in time. Here are a few ways to help you get rid of your procrastinating habit and help you achieve success and all your goals:
* Plan your time
Planning your time helps you in visualising clearly how much time you will need for a particular task. Write down your goals and targets on a sheet of paper. If your goals are too futuristic, break them down into immediate tasks. You needn’t know all the steps to achieving your goal, just jot down the ones that you need to work on immediately.
* Set deadlines for yourself
Working without deadlines will leads to procrastination again. Work out clear time tables and assign a time slot for each task. This way you will train your mind to perform tasks on time. Put all your tasks on a calendar. This will help you visualise your schedule clearly. When delay in one of your tasks affects others, you can see it in your calendar and this will create an urgency to act!
* Hang out with people who do not procrastinate
Work with someone who is not in the habit procrastination. Hang out with someone who inspires you and let that person pass on some of his/her spirit and work ethics to you.
* Remove all distractions
Usually, social networking sites and instant messengers are the greatest distracters. Stop logging into these accounts when you feel that they are distracting you from work. Log in after work or during breaks.
Visual Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59632563@N04/
