I am always procrastinating

Is there anyone who agrees with this statement?

Is there anyone who has experienced the feelings of guilt, anxiety, powerlessness, uncertainty because you are always procrastinating?

Is there anyone ready to make a change for the better and fight the desires to keep procrastinating?

Let’s starts by defining the habit of procrastinating.

Procrastination occurs as a result of postponing things that you ought to do. It involves delaying needlessly, putting off or avoiding tasks which need to be completed within a specific time frame. It’s the reason you are unable to accomplish things often, genuinely, correctly and on time.

The effects of procrastination.

1. It breeds pessimism, has a negative effect on your creativity and there’s a tendency to look back with the feeling of regret/disappointment because of the things you failed to do.
2. It opens doors to the feeling of guilt, fear, shame and indecisiveness.
3. It allows failure hang over your head.
4. It brands you as a lazy person not possessing any admirable qualities.
5. It lowers your morale.
6. Whether you admit it or not, we all are guilty of procrastination at certain points in our lives and it prevents us from achieving success.

If you understand why you constantly procrastinate in the first place, then you are about to take the first step to accomplishing much more than you could ever imagine.

I think it’s about time you stop procrastinating and start facing each task or problem head-on.

Do you wonder how much you could accomplish and how fulfilled you would be if things were done on time?

I have listed below a few reasons for procrastinating:

1. There’s a build up of anxiety and nervousness at the tasks to be completed within a specified time frame.
2. There is a feeling of insecurity associated with timidity to participate in things that would enhance personal growth.
3. You believe the tasks can’t be carried out easily.
4. You feel inadequate in terms of knowledge or skills to do the task, so you try keeping it off until the very last minute.
5. Fear is also an important factor why people procrastinate.� You may be afraid of the outcome of any project you’ve set out to do.
6. feel the task isn’t a priority and believe there is plenty of time to attend to it.
7. There might also be uncertainty on what to do, so you think of ways to justify why you can’t do the job.

A step in the right direction is realising you procrastinate and knowing there is a need to address or do something about it.

I have come up with 17 ways to deal with procrastination.

They are as follows:

1. Be structured and organized.
2. Reprogram your mind and way of thinking.
3. Discard the thoughts of fear and failure.
4. Be determined and take that first step to overcome procrastination
5. Wake up bright and early with a plan mapped out for your day.
6. Learn the act of responsibility and accountability
7. Map out or lists your tasks.
8. List your goals, your intentions, your time frame and your strategies.
9. For some it’s best to get the worst jobs out of the way while for others it’s quicker to resolve the easiest tasks
10. Sort out your tasks according to priorities, deciding what needs to be done, what has to be done and what you will do.
11. Ensure that you cultivate the habit of being disciplined.
12. Work with deadlines.
13. Learn to delegate responsibilities to other people capable of helping you out
14. Get motivated to take positive actions.
15. For some, working with a calendar or planner might do the trick.
16. Look at how what you are putting off keeps you from reaching those goals.
17. Exercise regularly. A fit body and a healthy mind can do wonders in your quest to overcome procrastination.

Procrastination is not something you should toy with. It creates a negative image, reduces your self worth and hampers your personal/progressive growth.

If you desire to be successful and accomplish more, you need to work on the habit of procrastination.

On a final note, is there anyone ready to work on the habit of procrastinating anything and everything important?

I look forward to more suggestions on how to deal with procrastination.

Ayo Olaniyan is a certified Unitive Life Coach, an Accredited Professional Counsellor with the Counselling Society and the editor of The Life Skills Magazine. For further information, please complete this form.

Tagged as: achieving success, anxiety, desires, effects of procrastination, feelings of guilt, personal growth, pessimism, procrastinating