How to deal with procrastination – expert advice
Procrastination is a psychological concept that characterizes a person's tendency to put off doing important things or making some decisions until later. And justifying it with ridiculous excuses, coincidence of circumstances and other insignificant things. Behind them is often hidden laziness. And it interferes with productive work. But if you want, you can find ways to get rid of procrastination and increase your productivity. So we decided to tell you how to deal with procrastination.
It's just that someone is lazy for periods, and for some, procrastination has become a lifestyle. Or an endless search for yourself, which, most likely, will never end. But remember the main character I. A. Goncharov? Oblomov is a typical example of protracted laziness. Does humanity really still not know how to overcome procrastination?
Common Types of Procrastination
Only three variants of procrastination are worthy of attention:
- lack of any affairs, laziness;
- doing less important things when there is urgent important work. And promises were made to someone in the speedy fulfillment of their obligations;
- full immersion in work, with the removal of everything less worthwhile and important.
The first option is the most common. And he is familiar to most people. We all want to stop procrastinating. Because from time to time laziness violates important plans.
The last option is the most harmless, but everything needs a measure. But it is most effective to fight procrastination after realizing the problem. To do this, you need to evaluate your own actions and understand what actually reduces performance.
The first step in the fight is awareness of the problem
Everyone has procrastinated at least once in their life, and many do it all the time. When things are unpleasant for us, we often put them off until later. The reason for this behavior is simple – unwillingness to do a certain job.
But at the heart of the problem is often a banal fear. Of course, meeting a strict boss or asking for a pay rise is an unpleasant prospect for every person. But the realization that we are driven by cowardice and fear is wonderfully invigorating and clears the mind. After all, this is the easiest way to deal with procrastination on your own. And without resorting to the help of psychologists and other specialists.
Try to have a mental conversation with yourself. Honestly admit to yourself that you are not doing certain things not because of being busy, but because of fear. And because of hostility, unwillingness to meet someone or experience a certain discomfort. And this honesty will be the first step towards solving the problem.
Crushing and systematization of cases
A large project seems to us an unbearable burden. But if you break it down into smaller parts, then it becomes not so scary to get to work. The absence of a system provokes the rapid progression of laziness.
Try dividing your work time into chunks of 30 minutes. Each of them must be recorded in a special calendar. That is, they worked for half an hour, marked, rejoiced and again into battle! This is how human labor is visualized. And we begin to see progress and realize our own significance. This will help you stop procrastinating and no longer put off important work in a distant box.
The Benefits of Procrastination
But procrastination can also be positive. Think about why your being protests so violently against something? Perhaps you should not go against nature if you are not driven by ordinary laziness. But, for example, self-preservation or intuition? Giving up less significant and important in favor of a worthwhile cause is not so bad.
Many scientists, actors and outstanding personalities would never have been able to achieve such heights if they did not care a little about everything except their desired goal. But this is a little crazy, which only people who are in love with their work are capable of.
And not always procrastination requires a fierce struggle. After all, in any case, you can not do all the work at the same time. And if you are washing the dishes now, you will procrastinate in relation to other things. But the main thing is not to try to force your body. Because it is better to learn how to use these features for your own benefit.
good procrastination
Before you can effectively deal with procrastination, it is worth deciding whether it is “good" or “bad”. Feel the difference between these concepts: doing things and doing things. So, good laziness implies just the second, when you work fruitfully and do not depend on your laziness, fears, complexes or views that the surrounding individuals have on you.
If you are passionate about an interesting project, then all the empty, petty problems can wait. Such tactics will bring you self-affirmation, material and moral satisfaction in the future. Exchanging for trifles takes a lot of strength, leads to thoughts about one's own laxity and insolvency. Of course, you should not go to extremes. If your work on an important case is violated by a subpoena, then you should prove yourself to be a law-abiding citizen and take a break from all cases for a while. And if it's just cleaning or an interesting movie on TV, then you must be hard as flint.
We draw the right conclusions
For the organization of fruitful activity, it is very important to tune in to work. In large teams torn apart by gossip, salary talk, and the endless fascination with social networks, even the most hardworking employee will also begin to be lazy and look for excuses for his laxity.
Choose the most effective method for yourself, but start solving the problem only after realizing that it really exists. An honest analysis of your activities during the day helps a lot. You can even record the amount of time spent on social networks, useless phone calls and other unproductive activities. When you see the real harm of useless activities, you can really tune in to an active struggle.