Well, first of all procrastinating is the typical attitude of leaving everything "for later" and that usually leads to situations of much stress depending on the importance of what you have left for later. Fortunately, stopping procrastinating is easier than you might think. In this article I will give you some tips to stop procrastinating today.
Many of us go through life with a variety of unmade tasks, small and large, day-to-day or important.
I have always imagined that procrastination becomes like the waves of the sea crashing against a pier. Over and over again, making that spring ever weaker and weaker (like your intentions to start or finish the pending task).
The solution is to build a strong wavebreaker, to control that tide of distractions, excuses and unproductiveness.
PROCRASTINAR IS THE PROBLEM THAT ALWAYS IS SOLVED "TOMORROW"
The word procrastinate comes from the Latin that means tomorrow.
And that's exactly the logic we use when postponing. We leave things for later, forming a vicious circle between anxiety and guilt that generates more anxiety.
Even the big minds also postpone things, as George Akerlof said he was postponing sending a parcel to a friend for 8 months. He came to the conclusion that procrastination is more than a bad habit, it is a natural impulse in humans.
In fact, it is estimated that the number of people who procrastinate quadrupled between 1977 and 2002.
WHY DO WE HAVE THE HABIT OF POSTPONING?
There are 3 main reasons:
- We estimate our future productivity.
We blindly believe that the perfect moment will be after not now. But surely that perfect moment never comes.
- We want to have an instant reward.
As the negative consequences are not immediate (although we will pay for it later) at the moment everything is fine.
For example: Eating chocolate cake is tastier now, than eating vegetables or lounging on the couch is more comfortable than going out to do sports.
- We are afraid
This is the most hidden reason of all. Fear paralyzes you and makes you postpone important tasks, doing something simple and secure instead.
THE STAGES OF PROCRASTINATION
-First stage: You perceive anxiety in front of that important task that you have to do.
- Second stage: Your brain seeks to alleviate that sensation with some other task. That's why you become more productive in other activities that are not a priority at that time.
-Third stage: Your brain identifies that important task that you have to do, as painful and seeks logical excuses not to feel so guilty.
When you go back to remembering that unmade task, it generates guilt and remorse and you return to the starting point.
Procrastinating has other consequences like:
- DO NOT ACHIEVE YOUR OBJECTIVES.
-Winning a bad reputation with the people around you.
-The loss of your ambition to succeed.
-Affect your health, if that task is related to your health.
HOW TO STOP PROCRASTINAR
Well, the key is that if you are not doing that important task then you have to stop, as easy as that, because when we procrastinate, what happens is that we become extremely productive in other tasks that are not priority at that moment.
If you are not doing that important task, you can do absolutely nothing else.
It's a trick. but, a very powerful one.
If your mind wants to go to the clouds and it is not possible to start or advance in that task, nothing happens. But DO NOT anything else instead.
When you follow this strategy, you stop becoming productive in other activities, which simply forces you to do that important task pending.
It seems like a waste of time because you're not doing anything. But really, it's a training for the brain, this way you'll be in control.
When you have to do something, you'll just be doing it and you'll be much more efficient at the time of studying and much happier with yourself.
Well, I hope I have helped you stop procrastinating and get ahead, good luck and a hug :-)