Who doesn't want to get rid of procrastination? It wastes your time, reduces your productivity, makes you feel guilty, lowers your self-esteem, and damages your relationship with other people. The problem is procrastination is as difficult to stop as any kind of addiction. If you want to get rid of your procrastination now and not one day later, the following tips will help you achieve your goal.

• Figure out the root cause of the problem: Procrastination is a problem in itself, but oftentimes, it covers up a deeper underlying psychological or emotional problem. Ask yourself sincerely why you are procrastinating. Is it because you're afraid of doing or completing the task? Do you enjoy the task or not? Would you rather be someplace else than inside your room, for example, doing your homework? Once you figure out what causes your procrastination, it will be easier to address the problem.
• Create a productive environment: The place where you do your tasks contributes a lot to your productivity. If your work area is messy, you'll be tempted to clean it first, wasting the time necessary to complete the task. Some procrastinators will also use the messiness of the work area as a reason to not put their heart into their work. The solution is to find beforehand a productive environment where you can finish your task unhindered. The place doesn't need to be perfect, just enough for you to get things done without distractions getting in the way. (Learn how to get rid of clutter)
• Challenge your beliefs: Many procrastinators have many beliefs that discourage them from doing a task early or on time. For example, if you're a student writing a research paper, you might think that you can't start writing right away because you haven't done enough research yet. Then, you end up spending too much time researching, and not actually sitting down to write. The truth is though, that even if you spend a whole day in the library, you will never collect all the information for your paper. Instead of fussing over your resources, start right away with a paragraph or two using the information you have, then add some research later if you encounter problems along the way.
• Break a huge project into smaller chunks: The sheer volume of work that needs to be done is enough reason for many people to procrastinate. They just want to avoid the image of agony that the pile of work brings, so they put off the work until the deadline. To solve this problem, try breaking up the work into smaller chunks, and concentrate on one chunk of work at a time. This will get you moving with the project, and you'll feel more motivated as you finish more and more tasks.
• Talk about your goal: Getting rid of procrastination has a lot to do with focusing on your goal. It's hard to do this alone because your work attitude is the problem in the first place. You need outside influences to push you to do the right thing. In order to stay focused on your goal, always talk about it with your friends, family members, or colleagues. They may be able to remind you to continue on your objective and help you stay motivated. (Tips on how to stay awake and motivated)
• Remind yourself of your work: Procrastination is oftentimes done unconsciously as your mind pushes away the thought of your work to save you from the “pain” of visualizing it. To counter this, you must always make sure that your workplace reminds you of the tasks that need to get done. If you're a student, leave your paper, books, notes, and pen on the top of your desk where you can always see them. It also helps to leave a paper in the middle of a paragraph, so that you'll feel guilty about postponing doing it.
• Be realistic about your schedule: Lots of procrastinators view time unrealistically. For instance, a procrastinator may say, “It's only going to take me about five hours to write this paper, so I don't need to start until the night before the deadline.” What he fails to realize is that a bunch of other activities will consume his time before he actually sits down to write the paper. Meetings, gym workout, shower, dressing up, eating dinner, and other smaller activities will push the work to around 8:00 PM. By this time, however, he still needs to check his e-mail, answer phone calls, and attend to a bunch of other distractions, extending the work up to about 1:30 in the morning. The solution to this problem is to set up your schedule realistically and start early on your work.
• Set a time limit: Instead of planning when to start your work, try setting up a time limit to finish it. Delaying the time to start your work is easy because you know you can still cram along the way. By setting up a time limit, however, you will feel more pressured knowing that you will fail yourself and others if you go beyond it. It's also more effective to break up big a project into smaller tasks, and then set up shorter time limits to complete each task.
• Start by getting one big task over with: A bit project consists of tasks of different sizes. The ones that really scare you into starting or finishing the job are the bigger ones, since it's a pain to think about them. A good technique to get moving with a project is to start by tackling at least one big, nasty task. You'll feel great once you finish this task, and all the other tasks will look a lot smaller compared to the one you just completed, making them easier to do.
• Prevent interruptions before they happen: Interruptions stretch a two-hour task to a five-hour task, and a five-hour task to a task that takes a whole day to finish. Instead of entertaining interruptions, try to prevent them before they even occur. Turn off your phone, don't answer the door, or if you have a child, use a babysitter. You'll finish faster if there's nothing to distract you from what you have to do.
• Don't be a perfectionist: According to experts, procrastination is closely tied to being a perfectionist. A person may overplan things to such a degree that he fails to actually do the work and gets stuck in his schedule. He may also fuss over little details, trying to perfect them until finishing the whole task becomes impossible. The important thing to remember in getting rid of procrastination is to always get things going. Tasks must be accomplished regularly however small or big they are. Your focus should be on actually doing and finishing something rather than contemplating, planning, or perfecting it.
• Save the fun for later: Another reason for procrastination is the constant urge to feel pleasure and avoid pain. Today, cyberslacking or using the Internet for personal reasons during working hours is a typical manifestation of this pleasure principle. As the desire to feel pleasure is more and more gratified, getting back to work and doing less pleasurable or unpleasant things becomes harder. To get around this problem, commit yourself to saving the fun for later. If you work with a computer, promise yourself not to answer personal e-mails, not to go to forums, chat rooms, or play games until all your tasks for the day are over. Having fun or relaxing is so much better if you don't have to think about work.
• Choose a role model: Instead of comparing yourself to other procrastinators, compare yourself to someone who's prompt, punctual, and gets things done. This way, you'll have a clear picture of how poorly you are doing or how greatly you are improving in terms of completing your work. It's much better if your role model is a friend of yours or someone close to you, so you don't have to think up of reasons like, “But he's special.”
• Just do it: The best technique to get rid of procrastination, and perhaps the hardest to do, is just to get things done right away. Don't fuss over plans, schedules, the cleanliness of the work area or the volume of the work, and just do what needs to be done. If you can summon enough spirit to start a task immediately once you sit down, you'll be more inspired to work on everything and finish early.

Don't lose hope if you relapse into procrastinating every once in a while. It takes time to train your mind to have complete control over the things you do. Instead of feeling hopeless, give yourself a pat on the back for every small accomplishment, and you'll surely be on your way to become a productive person. If you enjoyed reading this article, you might as well read how to manage your time.

Ask a question

Question:
Powered by

[x] Post answer

* Answer:

* Email:

Register

Complete the form below to register with www.howtogetridofstuff.com. Registering an account will allow you to ask questions on any site powered by UnAsked.com

Name Email Password Confirm Password
Powered by

Login

You must be a registered user to ask questions. If you are not registered, Register Now. Otherwise, please login.

Email Password
Powered by

Not Registered