For How Long?

Procrastination is the act or habit of putting off or delaying or defering an action to a later time. Experts define it as to VOLUNTARILY delay an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay. A procrastinative behaviour is counter-productive, needless and delaying.

Some people postpone tasks that they have to do because they believe that they work best under pressure.

Procrastination may result in stress, a sense of guilt and crisis, severe loss of personal productivity, as well as social disapproval for not meeting responsibilities or commitments.

Well, procrastination to some degrees, is normal but the moment it starts to impede normal functioning, it becomes a problem.

There are many styles of procrastination. Some of them are: Avoidance of where the task is to take place; intentional distraction in other things to prevent awareness of the task; trivialization of the task as not being that important; comparism of one's situation with that of another person in a worse situation; making a joke of one's situation; attributing the task to be done with a difficult status; pretending that it is not good to get an early start on a task; denying that one is procrastinating; laziness to do the required/desired task. 

Also, inability to prioritise; anxiety about the task (you actually spend more time worrying rather than doing); overload of tasks at a specific time; difficulty concentrating; feeling overwhelmed by the task; being bored by the task; and poor time-management. 

Some people have an "All or Nothing" mindset. Others avoid doing tasks just because they dislike the thing they have to do. Some have personal negative feelings while others have the fear of failure or not meeting personal standards. 

Whichever category(ies) you fall into here, there is still hope for you. You know you cant put off the doing of some things forever. 

Here are some tips to help you put off proscrastination from your 'to-do' list.

You have to develop better organizational and time-manegement skills and a clearer understanding of its personal or emotional meaning. You have to discover the ways of working that best suit you rather than copying someone else's style.

You must accept thay the task is yours to do as no one is coming to do it for you.

Take account of the sort of person you are, your values and expectations. Then assess whether your personality fits with the way you are trying to do the task. Find out if you need new approaches that make you more comfortable.

Work out why you procrastinate and ask yourself the golden question
 "What Do I Gain From Proscrastinating?".
Identify goals and make realistic decisions about how to do the tasks, and prioritise.
Ensure you have the necessary equipments and information to tackle the task before you begin.
Your plans need to be flexible.
Break down the task into manageable bits.
Boost your motivation.
Dwell on your strengths. On tasks you have accomplished and feel good about, in order to remind yourself you can be successful.

Think of how much better you can and will feel when you dont have to worry about the task.
Reward yourself when you accomplish something.
Dont give up when you get stuck. Try another strategy

Quite often, procrastination is connected to anxieties about the quality of the work you hope(or fear) you will produce. At times like this, it is worth remembering that it is better to produce something rather than nothing.

No one is immune to procrastination. You just have to stand up and say Enough is Enough!
Dont leave till tomorrow, what you can do well today!

Have a blessed sunday, folks.