Procrastination Help - Strategies To Increase Efficiency

For business owners, not having someone watching their hours and keeping them on track can make it easy to procrastinate. You start to arrive late, spend too much time on personal matters or simply spend time doing 'stuff' but not focusing on the most important tasks.

Being your own manager can give you freedom to choose what you do when. So it's critical that you make sure you're making the right choices with your time. If you find yourself with work you were supposed to have finished, clients calling you because you have not delivered as you had promised to or you tend to do other things when you are supposed to be busy at work, you might need procrastination help. Following are some tips to help you avoid procrastination and improve your efficiency.

Advance Planning Of Each Day

Towards the end of each day, plan your list of tasks you need to do the following day. Make sure you include the amount of time you realistically expect to spend on each activity. Doing this helps to ensure that you start each morning with a clear plan of what you need to focus on during the day.

Many people find planning their day each morning is less effective that planning the night before. By being able to sleep on the tasks that need to be tended to the next day you often find your mind is better prepared. And at the end of each day, check how you progressed with your daily tasks. Did you find you weren't able to complete a particular task? If so, why was this? Can you do something differently to finish it tomorrow?

If you are looking for help avoiding procrastination, it is also important to note that it is better to have fewer things to do on a daily basis than have a lot of things to do and nothing to show for your hard work. You'll also find it helps to be clear on what your overall business goals are, then make sure that your daily tasks focus on the most important things to move you towards these goals.

Know Your Weaknesses

Which activities in your business do you find yourself putting off for a later date? Maybe it's filing your tax returns, paying your bills, returning clients calls or mail, or clearing the to do list on your work desk. When you are aware of the tasks you consistently procrastinate on, you can start to understand why you procrastinate. Plus, each day you make sure you do what you set out to, you'll find the desire to avoid these tasks reduces. You'll also find that the feeling of accomplishing your goals will be helping you to focus on getting through your daily tasks, rather than procrastinating.

Make Time To Relax

The reason why you may be procrastinating may be because you are too tired or stressed out to take care of anything at work. If you spend most of your time at work, this may leave you burnt out and without energy to attend to important business projects. You should ensure that you sleep well, take a small break when at work and have at least one day off every week.

Occasionally, take a few days or weeks vacation to clear up your mind and help you refocus on your business goals. These strategies are useful for anyone looking for procrastination help.

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5 Ways to Handle Chronic Procrastination

Procrastination is a debilitating condition because it saps away our motivation to work and achieve, and eventually resulting in negative repercussions to our jobs, relationships and overall mental and physical wellbeing. To procrastinate is to intentionally and habitually put off and delay completing certain tasks or responsibilities that you should. This could be something simple such as exercising twice a week, or something more severe such as a school or work assignment. 

If you find yourself being swamped by work despite there being no increase in the daily amount, or that you often make empty promises to yourself, you might be a procrastinator. Unlike simply putting off a task for a day or two because we are feeling lazy, procrastinating is a long term habit that has been built up for months, and perhaps even years in some cases. 

Thankfully, it is not impossible to rid yourself of this habit. Much like other habits, in order to get rid of it you need perseverance and determination to build up a positive habit and override the procrastinating bug. If you have acknowledged that you have a problem, that is a positive first step in the right direction already. Below are 5 ways for you to handle your procrastination habits. 

Step #1: Take Action
It is one thing to acknowledge a problem, and quite another to be willing to sit up and take action. It is no use just saying, "Yes I have a problem", and not taking any action to curb it or cure the problem. It is simply a matter of having a positive and a "can do" attitude. 

Step #2: Find the Root
What is the cause of your procrastination? Is it that you are simply lazy and couldn't be bothered? That is highly doubtful, as most people who suffer the evils of procrastination do so due to other reasons, and not laziness. Try to trace back to when you first started procrastinating, and if there were any events that were particularly significant to you. Alternatively, speak to a close friend or family member and find out when you started putting off your work. Examining your emotions when you are faced with tasks that you always procrastinate is a good place to start. 

Step #3: Set Goals
Once you have identified the cause, you can take positive action to correct it. For example, if the cause was poor time management, you can set out a to-do list in your planner and follow it. The important thing is to set goals for yourself. These should be achievable and with a time factor incorporated, so that you can chart your progress. 

Step #4: Be Realistic
It is easy to get carried away and buy many planners and draw up incredible to-do lists that utilize every minute of your waking time. However, this is simply not realistic, and you will not be able to follow it, causing you to feel depressed or inadequate. The key is to be realistic in your expectations and actions. Plan for breaks to rest your mind, and allow for buffer time because things never go perfectly according to plan. 

Step #5: Review
Always review your progress, so you can see how much you have improved. Speak to your counsellor or your family to see if they have noticed any lapses or if they have any suggestions for you. Look back and track your progress to prevent yourself from regressing. It is also a good way to reward yourself for a job well done, and you will be well on your way to beating the procrastination bug!

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WHY PEOPLE PROCRASTINATE

Do you tend to procrastinate? Procrastination keeps you from starting, working on, or
finishing important tasks. But why do you procrastinate? By looking at the reasons you put
things off, you will make valuable discoveries about yourself that can help you put an end to
procrastination.

Here are 10 Reasons Why People Procrastinate: 

1. Putting the cart before the horse. 
Most procrastinators believe that you must feel
motivated in order to begin a task. If you wait until you feel motivated or “in the mood” you
may never start the task, especially if it is boring or unpleasant. Action comes first before
motivation.

2. The mastery model. 
Do not assume that successful people easily achieve their goals.
Most people endure frustration, self-doubt, and overcome obstacles to achieve their personal
goals. If you think that it should be easy without setbacks and struggles, you could conclude
that something is wrong and give up.

3. The fear of failure. 
Procrastinators might believe that trying hard and failing is worse
than not trying. They can rationalize it by saying “I really did not try, so I truly did not fail”.
Or, “I could have done better if I had had more time.” Procrastination is a way to protect them
from the possibility of perceived “real failure”. For some people their self-esteem is based on
the success of their accomplishments. Or for others, family expectations and standards set by
parents may be so high that no one could actually live up to them. Their fear may be so great
that they would rather do nothing than risk failure. Consider that the problem is actually the
unrealistic standards that have been set, not the failure to meet them.

4. Perfectionism. 
Trying to do things perfectly can put pressure on people and cause them
to feel so stressed that they procrastinate. Instead of doing nothing at all, try to relax and just
do your best. If you at least get started on the task, you can always go back later to work on
improving the quality.

5. Lack of rewards. 
Procrastinators tend to put themselves down and not give themselves
credit for what they do. Feeling rewarded for your efforts is a great motivator.

6. “Should statements.” 
Procrastination is often associated with obligation – feeling pulled
between what you “should do” and what you want to do. Saying that you should or ought to
do something could make the task seem unimportant or not urgent.

7. Passive aggressiveness. 
Procrastination can be a tool for passive aggressiveness – not
expressing negative feelings openly and directly. Your true feelings may come out indirectly
through procrastinating on things that others will find frustrating. Example: Chronically
showing up late for group projects because you are annoyed with your project leader.

8. Unassertiveness. 
Be assertive and don’t agree to do things that you don’t really want to
do and don’t give in to unreasonable demands from others. Otherwise, you may get
overcommitted and procrastinate.

9. Coercion sensitivity.
Procrastination may be a form of rebelling against people who are
making unreasonable demands or coercing you into doing a task. Delaying tactics can be a
form of rebellion against imposed schedules, standards, and expectations. This strategy hurts
you more than whatever or whomever you are rebelling or resisting (i.e. getting the bad grade,
loss of self-respect, etc.).

10. The lack of desire. 
This is probably the most common cause of procrastination. You
procrastinate simply because you don’t want to do the task. This could be because of a lack of
interest. There are times in life when you will have to do things that you don’t like or want to
do. If your natural interests are not stimulated, one solution to procrastinating might be to
“just do it”. This will give you more “guilt-free” time to do those things that are more
interesting to you.
Understanding the reasons why you procrastinate can help you put the problem into a
different perspective. Perhaps your reasons are good ones. Maybe the task is not a high
priority. Or, you realize that it is your family and friends who are encouraging you to pursue a
goal that you are not committed to or isn’t quite right for you. Once you have analyzed the
situation you may discover that you never want to do the task you’ve been putting off.
However, if the analysis shows that it is to your benefit to get started on the task then develop
a plan.

TIPS TO OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION 

1. Identify the reasons why you are procrastinating on completing a task. 
2. Seek help to overcome any self-defeating problems such as fear and anxiety, or 
perfectionism. 
3. Identify your own goals, values and priorities. 
4. Ask yourself if your goals realistic? Are your actions consistent with your goals, values, 
etc.? 
5. Develop a plan for completing goals/projects. Outline the smaller steps needed to complete 
the project or reach your goal. 
6. Discipline yourself to use time wisely. Set priorities. Give yourself deadlines for completing 
tasks. 
7. Reward yourself after completing a task. The bigger the accomplishment the bigger the 
reward should be

The Causes of Procrastination

Procrastination is not altogether bad. One good reason to procrastinate is that by procrastination you are assured of lots to do. If we could be happy with looking at what will not get done as tomorrow's adventure, we would not likely be concerned with either writing or reading articles on procrastination.

Procrastination is not about all the things that do not get done. We all leave many things undone, the constraints of time do not allow any other option, but we are not all procrastinators. What denotes a procrastinator is the effort put into attempting to do those things that either do not get done or get done only under the most difficult of circumstances. Procrastinators are not procrastinators because they are lazy, or slovenly nor because they are time-challenged.

Procrastinators may have difficulty meeting deadlines but it is not because they are unconcerned about them or incognizant of the chaos that results from missed schedules. Most people who do little and worry less do not fit the clinical definition of a procrastinator. Nor do the indolent see what they do as procrastination. A procrastinator in comparison knows what needs doing and understands when it has to be done and desperately would like to achieve his or her objectives. What denotes a procrastinator is the difficulty they have doing what they sincerely desire to do.

A major problem we see in a procrastinator is poor judgment regarding priorities. Dinner may need to be cooked but the procrastinator seeking to avoid the task continues to look at it as a task more appropriate for the future. In the meantime they become preoccupied with the exotic recipes and the colorful pictures in the recipe book. For most people the priority is to cook dinner. The procrastinator whose underlying objective is to avoid making dinner as long as possible, decides to make a statement and chooses dinner as the vehicle by which it will be made. Since he or she does not have the ingredients required to make the meal of their dreams, they become immobilized by indecision. They neither want to do what they dislike (scale down their objectives) nor do they have the means to do what they wish (amaze everyone with their culinary skills).

What is an ordinary task becomes an emotionally laden dilemma filled with anxiety and conflicting goals. Which in the end is their way of escaping from having to face the task of preparing a meal.
As the culinary artist struggles with this irresolvable dilemma time overcomes the threshold of the procrastinator's resistance. A disliked task is turned into desperate haste eclipsing g all possibility of the task being either pleasant or done properly. Yet if he or she had remained focused the task of cooking dinner could have been done with a minimum of fuss, as it generally is the world over.

Procrastinators get distracted because of their inadequate prioritization. They also look at the most simple of tasks such as making dinner as a huge, overwhelming job. From deciding what to cook to putting the last fork back in the cutlery drawer the procrastinator sees work as an uninterrupted flow of activity. The immensity of the task helps them justify avoiding the job until the last minute.

A more organized approach looks at complex jobs as several components each of which can be performed independent of the others.
All of these unpleasant emotions make the procrastinator dislike even thinking about what needs to be done. They are prone to forget and they are less likely than other people to plan. Today is spent catching up with yesterdays work.

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How Not To Procrastinate

HOW NOT TO PROCRASTINATE

Procrastination can affect your future. Setting goals and proper planning will help overcome postponement.
You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure -- ZigZiglar.

Unfortunately, we all are obsessed with success and greater achievements. If a student gets few marks, we make him feel like it is the worst thing that could ever happen to a him or her. But there is always something we can learn from it.
This feeling of yours can affect your future studies because your negative thinking and attitude impair your ability to manage the situations you face. You mentioned that you didn't concentrate and work hard on studies due to recklessness and postponement. The occasional instance of wanting to sleep in late on a particular day or wanting to postpone studies to the next day after an exhausting day's work, is perfectly normal, and nothing to be alarmed by. But if an attitude or laziness and procrastination start creeping into every single aspect of your personal or professional life, then that certainly becomes matter of concern.
Postponement or procrastination is a complex psychological behavior that affects everyone to some degree or another. With some it can be a minor problem, with others it is a source of considerable stress and anxiety.
Although the problem may not appear that serious, it does have devastating effects on the life of the procrastinator. There is a feeling of weakness and helplessness accompanied by the frustration of not being able to take control of one's life. The strategies to overcome procrastination can help you attain a peace of mind, a feeling of being in control and sense of personal freedom. With few minor adjustments procrastination can be tackled.

Steps to overcome:
1. Realize that you are delaying tasks unnecessarily.
2. Discover the real reasons for your delay. List them.
3. Dispute those real reasons and overcome them.
4. Begin the task.

Here are a few simple ways to overcome procrastination:

1. Setting Goals and Priorities:
Goal setting and prioritizing things is an important step in overcoming laziness. Often it happens that we are lazy or indifferent about doing some particular task or activity simply because we are not clear in our minds about its priority, importance, value or significance. So set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound (SMART) goals. This can help in overcoming any postponement associated with studying.
2. Plan the day:
Most important micro skill required to avoid procrastination is proper planning. It is important that you plan your day and allocate a specific time and duration for your studies. To help you better understand. If you have three subjects to cover every day, better plan your day accordingly.
3. Motivation:
Lack of motivation coupled with insufficient inspiration, is another major reason for postponement of studies. If you are not motivated enough about doing a particular task, then naturally, you will have difficulty accomplishing or completing that task in time, and with sincerity or genuineness. Motivation is directly related to positivity and an internal driving force to do or achieve something.
4. Mental Discipline:
Strong mental discipline is as important as being motivated is. You may have the motivation or the inner drive to take up a particularly long and complex task, but it is a strong mind and good mental discipline that will ensure that you do not quit halfway through the job, and that you complete what you have begun.
5. Break down into shorter tasks:
The size of a pending task is enough to depress a person. However, rather than dwelling on its daunting size and effort, break up the task, into smaller manageable tasks. This makes it easier to create an action plan. Start off with the smaller, quicker tasks which will give you sense of achievement and motivation to help you work further.
6. Beat the stress:
The feeling of constant stress and pressure makes it hard for you to study. While it is good to stick to a schedule, overdoing things can add to the stress. Instead, give yourself a break and do things which are not that overwhelming. This allows you to de-stress and clear off the mind clutter before you can proceed with the studies.
7. Treat yourself:
Being stuck to one task and developing the negative feelings of being trapped can leave you frustrated and overworked. Giving yourself time off from the hectic schedule and treating yourself small rewards allows you enjoy the task at hand.
8. Remove distractions:
Distractions are often the source for procrastination and the sole reason for laziness. We often get attracted by the distractions ( TV, internet, etc.) as my primary task studying seemed boring. Whatever it is that distracts you (and I'm sure you know exactly what is distracting you when you have to study, work or need to get things done) remove it!
9. Perfectionism:
If you keep unrealistically high expectations or standards, it creates a high degree of dissatisfaction and frustration because seldom is anything accomplished absolutely. Such attitudes may mask problems of self-esteem and self-confidence.

How to Resolve:
-Strive for excellence not perfection.
-Try self-reassurance that this effort or version will be good enough.
-Make an effort to praise what you have done.

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7 Magical Ways To Stop Procrastination

What can you do to stop procrastination when it won't let you finish a job?

There are a number of techniques to help you stop procrastination once and for all. If you can stop procrastination in your life just think about what you could accomplish and how much better you would feel.

People who procrastinate in excess are prone to feelings of guilt, anxiety and powerlessness. Why does procrastination occur?

It could be as a result of not wanting to do things or of not being able to do things. It could also be a result of fear. Many of us fear failure as well as success. Still others procrastinate simply because it works for them.

Procrastination is not something we should live with. When procrastination occurs, nothing gets done. And when nothing gets done due to procrastination, that's when we feel down and worthless.

Feeling this way may be avoided with a number of techniques designed to stop procrastination:

1. You can stop procrastination by getting organized. Being unorganized leads to chaos and feelings of being overwhelmed. Stop procrastination by organizing your life.

2. Breakdown tasks into manageable units to stop procrastination. Smaller tasks are less overwhelming that large jobs.

3. Have discipline. Allow your desire for success to overcome your desire to put things off.

4. Positive motivation. Talk yourself up with encouraging quotes. Even very successful people feed their minds with positive input each day.

5. Get someone else´s help to stop procrastination. Ask someone to hold you accountable for completion of a task you have been procrastinating about.

For example, if you are putting off cleaning the garage ask you wife to question you about when it will be completed several days before the due date.

6. Do the easiest or most enjoyable task first so that you get off to a good start. This works for some people while the opposite works for others. Some people like to get the unpleasant work out of the way so they can enjoy the rest.

7. Giving yourself a deadline can stop procrastination.

Procrastination should not be something you should live with. Successful people do not tend to procrastinate, instead, they stop procrastination because they know what needs to get done must get done.

It is not because they necessarily enjoy the unpleasant tasks which others procrastinate about but rather the strength of their desire for success is greater than their desire to procrastinate.

Procrastination should not be a hindrance to achieving your goal. Take a moment to recognize the signs and do something to overcome it and stop procrastination.

If you begin by rewarding yourself for small successes and stop punishing yourself when you do procrastinate you will be able to develop new habits that, in time, will help stop procrastination.

The Three Best Tips for Overcoming Procrastination

We all procrastinate from time to time. However, some people are chronic procrastinators, and their procrastination takes a huge toll on the quality of their lives. Here are some of the characteristics of people who have a problem with procrastination:

- They are constantly late turning in their work assignments, and their opportunities for advancement are limited because of this. Not only do they hand their work in late, but, because they leave things until the very last minute, they usually turn in poor-quality work.
- Their friends and family members are constantly complaining that they're always late, and that they don't live up to their commitments.
- They have lots of ideas, but these ideas seldom make it past the drawing board stage. Even if they do get started with some of their ideas, they leave most projects half-finished.

If you recognize yourself in any of the three scenarios above, take solace in the knowledge that there are steps you can take in order to overcome procrastination. This article presents the three best tips for overcoming procrastination.

Chunk Down Big Projects

One of the reasons why people procrastinate is because they're overwhelmed by the size of the tasks that they have to take on, and they're not sure how to get started. Therefore, they prefer to work on unimportant tasks which don't take much time to complete, so that they can feel a sense of accomplishment at having gotten something done.

If your to-do list is filled with large tasks, such as, write a novel, declutter your apartment, or start a web site, it's no wonder that you feel overwhelmed. Try breaking down these tasks into much smaller pieces. When you have to face a small task, you won't be overwhelmed by it, and it's very likely that you'll do it.

For example, if you want to declutter your apartment, write down in your day planner that on Wednesday, at 10:00 a.m., you're going to declutter your top desk drawer. Once you do that, write down that on Thursday, at 8:00 a.m., you're going to declutter your second desk drawer. Continue in this way until you've decluttered your whole apartment.

Remove All Distractions

A second common cause of procrastination is becoming distracted by other things while you're trying to work on something that's important to you. As an illustration, you might be working on a report that your boss wants on his desk in two days. However, whenever you start working on the report, the following happens:

- You hear the "ding" that signifies that you got an email, so you interrupt your work to read it.
- Your phone rings, and you answer it.
- Someone sends you an instant message, and you decide to respond.

When you're constantly being interrupted by emails, phone calls, and instant messages, you won't get the important work done. Therefore, before you start working on that report, try to free your environment of all interruptions. Shut down your email and IM applications, set your phone so that your calls are directed to voice mail, and turn off anything else that might distract you.

Reward Yourself

Another way to get yourself to get to work on the tasks that are important to you is by giving yourself constant rewards. For example, if you're going to write a novel, write down in your day planner that you're going to write every morning, for an hour and a half. Then, each morning, after you've completed your writing for that day, treat yourself to a cappuccino and a scone at your favorite café.

Conclusion

By breaking large tasks down into small pieces, rewarding yourself each time that you complete one of these small tasks, and creating an interruption-free environment, you'll soon be able to overcome procrastination. You'll be a completely different person: one who gets things done on time and keeps their commitments.

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