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!

Source: http://bit.ly/1hUnumD

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.

Source : http://bit.ly/SiK10V

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.

Source : http://bit.ly/1u4XpE3

Five Empowering Procrastination Tips

procrastination (Photo credit: Mickie Quick)

One of the most destructive effects of procrastination is the fact that it makes you feel out of control. Procrastination is like an 'invisible force' that keeps you from doing the very things you know you must do. With the increasing demands on our time and attention there seems to be an increase in procrastination as a chronic problem, especially amongst those people that want to succeed the most. Procrastination usually sets in when you feel overwhelmed by all the 'have to's' in life and instead of making steady progress you take on too much without ever getting any of it done.

Feeling out of control takes away all your power to shape and direct your own life. It's true that there are many things over which you have no control, but you always have full control over what really happens to you - and what really happens to you is a mental process and independent of the circumstances and events of the outside world. Being empowered means that you realize that you already have the power and this realization also gives you the ability to take action. Here are five empowering procrastination tips that can help you to reach this realization and become empowered to effectively deal with procrastination and inaction.

It's All Inside:

Procrastination is an internal process and although it might feel like it's happening to you, you are in actual fact responsible for it. This procrastination tip can help to put you back in control almost immediately. Procrastination is not an external force, but an internal response and evaluation. The simple realization that it's 'you' that are doing it to 'you', gives you the power to do something about it.

It's All You:

When procrastination drags you down it's all to easy to think that 'it just is' and that you can't do anything about it. Although it feels like you have no control, you actually do. In fact this is why you feel out of control - because you believe that you can't do anything about it. There are two very important beliefs you need to develop to help you break free from procrastination. The first is that you CAN overcome procrastination and the second is that YOU can overcome procrastination. No one else can do it for you and because you created it, you can un-create it.

It's All In Your Head:

The reason why most people remain stuck in patterns of procrastination is because of fear. At the most fundamental level, all forms of procrastination comes down to fear. What you don't face controls you. To overcome the fear and the procrastination that comes with it, you need to confront and do the very things you don't want to do. The instant you do, you take charge and it no longer has any control over you. The ironic thing is that fear only exists in your imagination - it's always something that hasn't happened yet. Procrastination is not real - it's only the way you evaluate things in your mind.

It's All about conditioning:

Success at anything in life relies on consistency. The best of the best at anything are those who can repeat their greatness consistently. The way you get consistent is through conditioning. Your nervous system operates through conditioning. When you do something over and over again it becomes 'normal' and when it's normal you don't have to think about it - it becomes automatic. The challenge is that this principle works both ways. Whether your conditioned responses support you or whether it pulls you down, your nervous system does not make that distinction. If procrastination is your conditioned response you will always feel out of control, simply because that's what you've 'learned' to do automatically. You simply need to 'recondition' yourself to a new response; to teach yourself to respond in a different way..

It's All about awareness:

Procrastination does serve a purpose - and a very important one as such, but only is you are aware of the benefits. We only procrastinate about those things that have value to us. At some level, either directly or indirectly, you believe that taking action will benefit you. If it didn't it would not bother you, right? Be grateful for procrastination and use it as a guide to 'know' what you need to act upon. Being aware of this fact, and developing an awareness for what you do and fail to do can empower you to be in charge of yourself on a much higher level.

When you are empowered you are in charge, and even if things seem to go wrong on the surface, underneath you know that you have the power to deal with it effectively. Procrastination is disempowering and it takes away your ability to take immediate action and deal with any situation. Always remember that you are ultimately in charge of you. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. Don't delay. Act!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/467247

The Top Ten Ways to Stop Procrastinating Now

Procrastination (Photo credit: Reynante Martinez)

10. Procrastination Condemnation - Lose the Labels! All those things you call
yourself, such as lazy, scattered, disorganized, not good enough, incompetent,
or stupid, for example, aren't helping you get things done, are they? You've
learned to believe them, and you think they've become something of a
self-fulfilling prophecy. If you look around yourself, though, you'll see
evidence that you can accomplish quite a number of things without delay.

9. Procrastination Exaggeration - Are you really procrastinating, or are you
simply focusing on other priorities? It's possible that those things you're not
doing shouldn't get done until sometimes later, perhaps not at all. Focus on
only the most significant areas first, and the rest will come.

8. Procrastination Temptation - If you hang out with people who coax you to 
procrastinate, it's time to start surrounding yourself with better examples. If 
you know certain that situations are too enticing and will lure you from 
following through, create a work-around plan that will help you prevent yourself 
from "taking the bait".

7. Procrastination Alienation - Recognize that you're not alone, and are, in 
fact, in excellent company. Most people procrastinate about something, 
sometimes about many things. In a recent survey on procrastination, almost 1/3 
of respondents who identified themselves as procrastinators had a 
post-graduation or higher education.

6. Procrastination Inclination - At the moment you are about to procrastinate, 
stop for just a moment to acknowledge the pattern, even if you continue on to 
put off whatever you were going to do. Awareness and acceptance that these are 
your current patterns is a necessary step in procrastination extermination.

5. Procrastination Perspiration - You probably think that the only way to stop 
procrastinating is to use will power and discipline. While that certainly can 
work, it can cost you a lot of energy and struggle. By allowing yourself to 
begin recognizing what is specifically in the way of following through, and 
creating simple new patterns, progress is pretty painless and immediate. 

4. Procrastination Exploration - What is your procrastination costing you? Do 
you have a procrastination reputation? Do you continually have to make 
procrastination explanations or reparations to others? Are you in 
procrastination isolation so nobody will know what you're not doing? Is your 
credit history in procrastination degradation because of paying bills late? Are 
you in procrastination desperation because you might lose your job or 
significant relationships? Sometimes understanding how badly you're paying and 
in exactly what ways can provoke you to seek assistance.

3. Procrastination Consultation - Talk with friends about how they overcame 
procrastination. Buddy with them on their own projects, holding each other 
accountable to get things done. Hire a procrastination coach, someone who has 
worked with hundreds of people and not only knows about procrastination 
generation, but has helped many veteran procrastinators with procrastination 
renunciation.

2. Procrastination Transformation - nothing helps you achieve more easily than 
knowing all the steps you need to take, having a plan to take them, scheduling 
that plan into your calendar, creating incentives to make following through more 
attractive (and consequences to make it less attractive!), and putting some 
accountability supports into place. This, combined with a simple 
procrastination meditation, will get you back on track quickly and easily.

1. Procrastination Emancipation - Once you've fully understood that one of the 
big reasons you have been procrastinating is that you're focusing only on 
finishing (and that's too daunting) you'll begin to instead concentrate on 
starting, which is a much more approachable and manageable way to get thing 
done. All you need to do is keep starting, and finishing will take care of 
itself.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7705