For sure, everyone wants to work with comfort and generate high-quality results. However, due to many factors available around us today, we often get distracted and fail to achieve the goals we set to our job. We chose to procrastinate instead of using time wisely to accomplish more.
Why Do We Procrastinate?
Sometimes, no matter how we wanted to finish our tasks on time, there are instances when we still feel that time is not enough. This is because we are more inclined to procrastinating instead of taking prompt action.
Procrastination will have a significant impact on our lives and jobs. It is a challenge that we often face at one point or another. Commonly, it is the act of delaying or postponing a task or a set of tasks. For a behaviour to be classified as procrastination, it must be counterproductive, and with a free will to delay a deliberate course of action despite expecting to be worse off of the delay. Some say that it has something to do with the event called "time inconsistency" which aids in explaining why procrastination seems to pull us in despite our good intentions.
We procrastinate on things that are boring, uncomfortable or painful in some sort of way. It has the same theory across all the delaying factors that we have in our life. When we are going through some emotional pain, we want something that can make us happy, some comfort food or habit/hobby that could take away what you feel for a while and make us feel better when we go back for work.
It's an internal struggle within yourself, something that is resisting the activity that you need to do. This happens while there’s an urge for you go toward activities you do not need, but still feels good. If you give in, that's procrastination. But if you stay strong and overcome the resistance, then it becomes an act of willpower.
What Are the Effects of Procrastination?
The effects of wasting time and not being able to meet deadlines are both devastating at a business and personal level. Procrastination for some may result in stress and loss of productivity, as well. This can cause adverse effects on business, social responsibilities and commitment. This can also bring losses on financial matters and hurt the company’s work reputation.
Ways on How to Prevent Procrastination
Overcoming procrastination can be a difficult struggle especially for those who become used to delaying the tasks for a long time. Because of wasting too much time, we panic and wish we got started earlier. Regrets become overwhelming and this affects our self-esteem to finish the tasks assigned to us. Facing work only when it's unavoidable or when time is already limited must be avoided to happen over and over again. It's a bad habit that consumes us away and prevents us from achieving more significant results in life.
Let us not waste our time with procrastination. Here are some of the essential tips that can overcome procrastination with great success.
Break Your Work into Little Steps. The reason we avoid to work even though it is necessary is that subconsciously we are overwhelmed with the workload. Breaking down and dividing your work into little parts will help you decide on a task that is necessary to do. If you still feel overwhelmed, break it down again further until you feel that your job becomes simpler and easier for you to do.
By having this type of mindset, your tasks will become manageable and easy to be accomplished. The key is also to focus on the specific task, work on it, and not think of another task yet until the prior is done. When it's done, that's the time to move on to the next phase.
Create a Detailed Timeline with Your Specific Project. Create a deadline for every set of tasks. Just like breaking your work into little steps, it is best to create a timeline on your project to avoid having a mindset that we have plenty of time, and that it can still be pushed back.
Create a to-do list with all tasks being organized based on priorities. Put as well the time that must be spent on each task. Establishing a timeline that is broken down into weeks or months will be helpful in knowing what needs to be accomplished on a specific date. The idea is that you don't need to accomplish all tasks at once; you need to achieve each step so that you won't feel overwhelmed.
Take a Break. There are some instances that taking breaks is regarded as procrastination. However, this is actually one of the keys to productivity. There is a point in which taking breaks are mistaken for just avoiding difficult tasks to deal with. So how do you know if it is necessary to take breaks? Here are some of the tips that your body and brain are telling you.
- You feel tired and unfocused
- You're staring blankly from your computer desk for a long time.
- Your eyes and body hurt for a long hour of brain-bending work.
It is also essential that you stand once in a while during work to avoid stress and fatigue. Using a sit-stand desk will allow you to stand if you feel numbness, tiredness, and pains. Standing makes us more productive as it makes us avoid a sedentary lifestyle or being stagnant for long periods of time at work.
Clarify Your Goals. If you have been procrastinating for an extended period of time, one of the reasons could be the lack of passion for work. Often, goals set are not specific, thus lead to confusion and low productivity level. It is best to check on what you need to achieve and what are the steps to take for you to determine your goals.
It all boils down into action, if you can strategize and plan but failed to take action, nothing will change.
It is important to pay attention to the reasons why you get inclined with procrastination. These things need to be avoided to make sure that the quality of work will not be affected. Consider doing the tips mentioned above. They will help you create good habits and working routines to ensure a higher level of productivity and efficiency.