Procrastinators often do not even know that they’re procrastinators. Technically they might be innocent of the fact that they have turned procrastinators. We’re here to help you do away with this oblivion. If you’ve fallen prey to at least seven of the below-mentioned symptoms, you’re a procrastinator. And that’s not a good sign at all, we’ve got to work at changing ourselves.
Symptoms of Procrastination
You wake up late
You aim at being an all nighter and keep delaying tasks for the morning. Your night finally ends with power naps and you realize that you’re not even close to finishing your work and it’s already the next afternoon.
You can sleep all the time
You have no clue about when to sleep or wake up. You sleep when you want to delay things a little more. You do not have a schedule in mind which makes it all the more difficult for you to start working on time.
You are getting addictive
Shopping, eating or biting your nails releases you of stress momentarily. But you often find yourself indulging in such activities to get away from the long list of pending chores.
You don’t trust yourself
You just can’t seem to keep a promise, even to your own self. You realize that your promises are only meant to be broken and therefore stop trying.
You despise hard workers
Deep down, you truly admire how determined hard workers are. You wish to be like them someday. But you convince yourself that you cannot.
You don’t remember the last time you hit the gym
Getting fit is a dream. Bad sleeping habits and food addictions keep you far from your fitness goal. Even though you make plans of getting fitter very often, you just never seem to be able to stick to them.
You’re always late
Your friends are always mad at you for not turning up on time. You’re the reason they end up missing out on rock shows and movie screenings. You do not understand the idea of being on time and despise it.
You’re messy
You wouldn’t want to put in the effort to clean your wardrobe or workplace. You would rather let it be the way it is unless there is absolutely no other choice.
You wake up when deadlines strike hard
Your inner voice only screams in the case of a fast approaching deadline. That’s when you start cursing yourself for having wasted all the time you had.
Daydreaming is an addiction
You can’t figure out how to go about your work. So you daydream instead! When work strikes you, you decide to put everything aside and escape into your own kingdom of happiness. This gives you relief and eases you of the burden of impending work.
How to Stop Procrastination?
Set milestones for a task
Most of the time, you find yourself procrastinating because you think the goal is not achievable. Break down your task into little parts and focus on only one part at a time. If you procrastinate on a part, break it down even further. The task will now appear to be much simpler.
Create a working environment
The environment that you work in has a significant role in determining your productivity. Organize your work arena such that it inspires you to give in your best. Your workspace may appear to look boring beyond a certain span of time. Bring about changes to keep you motivated and excited.
Specify deadlines
Do not keep a single deadline for the entire task. As specified in the first point, break down your task into sub-tasks. Define a deadline for each sub-task. Then create an overall deadline for the entire task at hand. Example: you always longed to have a blog of your own. But it did not see the light of the day. What you should do – grab hold of an ultimate guide to write a blog. Bingo all information in one place. Also, remember to keep realistic deadlines so that you continue to stay motivated.
Keep distractions at bay
Things you turn to while you generally procrastinate need to be kept away. Make sure you have limited or no access to distractions like social media, video games, mobile phones when working. Focus only on the task at hand. You needn’t spend long hours working. Permit breaks once you accomplish a considerate part of your work.
Hang out with friends who are active
People have a big influence in your life. Spend your time with people who inspire you to be a go-getter. You will inculcate their virtues even before you realize it. Learn how they stay upbeat all the time. Be inspired and inculcate virtues from others.
Have a buddy
Make working fun. Have a companion with his own set of goals. Keep track of each other’s progress. Reward/penalize each other based on achievements. This way work doesn’t feel like work anymore. It becomes fun. When work doesn’t feel like a burden, you’re motivated to accomplish it.
Look up to someone who has accomplished the task already
Look out for people who have already accomplished what you intend to. Connect with them and understand how they did it. Let’s say you both are writing some essay. Looking at an example may rectify you from making mistakes students make in their essays. Live examples always act as great motivators. Once you have a clear picture of what needs to be done and how all that would remain is implementation.
Visualize the future
Imagine the satisfaction you will get once you’ve completed your task successfully. Think about celebrating your success with your favorite people. This will give you a boost to accomplish the task. Imagine yourself and others being proud of you, patting your back. You will get the motivation you need.
Reward Progress
Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Give yourself a reward each time you meet a set goal. Buy yourself a new dress or give yourself a couple of hours off. This way, you will stay motivated to complete the task until the very end.
Start TODAY!
Make a list of all your pending chores and start dealing with them, one chore at a time. It doesn’t matter if you’re not able to finish them all today. You will still feel great about yourself for having tried, by the end of the day.
Your Takeaway!
While procrastination is the easiest way to stay away from work, you must keep in mind that it will only lead to more work piling up. The only way is to curb stress in the future is to start working right away.
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