Okay, maybe a dramatic title to catch your attention, but procrastination really does throw you off your game and makes your life dramatically harder…
Don’t set yourself up for failure
You know you need to get the task done anyway, so why set yourself up for failure? By the way, this is what I tell myself daily. It has taken me a long time to combat procrastination and task-avoidance. I have found through my trials and tribulations that there are a variety of different reasons why people procrastinate.
Reason #1: You don’t enjoy the work
It’s harder to tackle a lengthy paper or reorganize your closet when you’d rather be doing something else. However, those are the crucial times when your reasoning needs to remind your instincts that you’ll thank yourself in the long run for having an organized closet and for not being up all night completing a paper the day before it’s due. If it NEEDS to be done, it needs to be done. No point in dragging it out and stressing over it.
Reason #2: You can’t make a decision
I often put off choices and struggle with coming to a decision. I have learned that I do this when neither option is the right one. If I can’t come to a decision, I need to create an alternative. If I can’t decide if I should visit friends over the weekend or spend it on the couch, it’s because I know I really should spend that time studying and playing with 6.
Reason #3: The task is overwhelming
It stresses us out and overpowers our senses when projects are daunting. It’s hard to see the finish line when it’s so far out. Often this anxiety makes us just throw our hands up from the get-go and give up. The key to combating this anxiety is to break the huge project up into small manageable tasks. If you can’t complete the project in a day’s time, you need to do it in parts. Maybe just sort the laundry into piles the first day. Takes twenty minutes while you’re watching your favorite TV show. Then wash a few loads the next day. That will give you the motivation to put it all away the third day: because you’re so close to the finish line. Remember—it always seems hard until it’s DONE.
The Vicious Circle of Procrastination
Art by Paige Martin
How do you combat procrastination? Let me know below! <3, M
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