I considered writing this tomorrow.
Sometimes, procrastination can get the better of us. It certainly affects me everyday. If there’s homework due in for school, I often put it off till the last minute, and I’ll be worrying about it all night.
It’s similar with revising for tests. I’ll start my revision at 5 PM. At 5:15, I’ll be doodling, or even doing chores — just to get out of doing what I needed to do right then.
I was reading through some articles, and Wikipedia decided to put a positive spin on procrastination, stating that:
“it can also be considered a wise response to certain demands that could present risky or negative outcomes or require waiting for new information to arrive.”
Hm. Doing revision = negative outcomes? I’ll let you mull on that.
So why do we procrastinate? Some people associate putting off tasks, with negative connotations such as anxiety and unpleasant tasks. It’s also associated with being exhausted. But my homework isn’t scary and I get more than enough sleep in the night. So why can I not get on with the task in front of me? Some further reasons for procrastination are:
- Abstract goals
Goals such as ‘get fit’ and ‘eat more healthy’ are vague and people often won’t stick to them if they’re not clearly defined. - Optimistic about the future
Some people believe that they’ll be able to finish the task later on and hence don’t do the tasks on the day. I often do this and end up with piles of work on Sunday night. - Focusing about the future
Some people will postpone their work as they’re thinking about more attractive and enjoyable activities in the future. - Disconnection from future self
People often put off work without regarding that it will have a negative impact on them in the future.
So how can we stop procrastinating? Here are some tips:
- Create a scheduled timetable, making sure that you reinforce your goals for that day.
- Talk to someone who may have overcome procrastination and is organised
- Look at the bigger picture, and make sure you make the most of what is possible always.
Hopefully, in these coming days I’ll reduce my pit-stops at the fridge, and I’ll refrain from checking my social media every 5 minutes.
So what do you guys think? Are you procrastinators? If not, how do you manage to work around procrastination and overcome it?
See ya :)
A good video to watch about procrastination:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arj7oStGLkU
