| Oct-14-2010 Sadhana Chaturvedi |
Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last possible minute, can be a major problem in both your career and your
personal life. Procrastination is not positive. It is a negative force and causes dullness and unutilization of skills.We often use the phrases “I’ll do it later.”, “Well, I will do it tomorrow.” or my favorite “I’ll get to it eventually.”
It is natural for us to put things off that we really don’t feel like doing. We just wait last minute to do these things and eventually, we get them done. It’s always better to do them beforehand, but it is easier said than done especially when it comes to procrastining. Once you get into the habit, it’s really difficult to come out of it, and you really need to ‘pull your socks together’ as they say.
Procrastinators always think that “there’s time later” but why don’t you finish it when you have to? If you keep putting off the task at hand, doing it is inevitable, but it will remain on your mind, and daunt you for the rest of the day. So do whatever you have to and enjoy the rest of your day in peace. Procrastinators tend to make up some excuses to get out of the work they have to do, like, “ I work better under pressure” or “I have too many other things to do.” or “It won’t make any difference anyhow.”
Whatever the excuse, you need to recognize when you make them. Catch yourself in the act of making the excuse, and remind yourself that is just an excuse. Be honest with yourself and you will find that your excuse isn’t true at all.
Make a to-do list and keep checking off the things you have done. To-do lists serves as constant reminders and keep procrastinators from using their favourtie excuse “I forgot” When you absolutely can’t keep from procrastinating, then start keeping track of how much time you procrastinated. Start counting using a stop watch ( on your computer or cell phone) and keep track of the time through out the day. When you realize that you wasted 3 hours in playing solitaire and organizing your shoes instead of working, you can’t use the excuse of not having any time anymore.
Sometimes we procrastinate becuase we’d rather do something that’s fun than work. If this is the case, make time in your schedule for your fun activity in between working times, and stick to the schedule so that you feel like working.
Work smarter, not harder. Save time and think first. What is the fastest, most efficient way I can get this done? Are there tools available? Think yourself and find out. Time is of the essence in our busy, hectic lives. Make the most of it by cutting out unnecessary work.
Basicwomen's Blog 