Why You Procrastinate And What To Do About It
Procrastination is a part of life.
It happens to everyone from time to time.
Procrastination robs you of time and it can make you feel defeated, tired and frustrated.
The problem comes in when procrastination starts to become a habit or more the norm than an occasional thing.
So what you can do about procrastination? First, it helps to understand it.
Why You Procrastinate It helps to understand why you procrastinate.
Most of us don't do it on purpose.
Instead, we think we are handling it in our own time but really only end off delaying the inevitable.
Whatever thing it is that we don't want to be doing still eventually has to get done.
But some reasons we procrastinate are: The task is no fun.
This might include work you don't like or chores around the home.
When you don't like what you're doing, it can be very difficult to get motivated to do it.
The task is mentally exhausting.
If you find a task mentally exhausting, it can be difficult to give it the time and attention it deserves.
You may procrastinate doing it, waiting for a more opportune time, but finding that time never really comes.
The task is too difficult.
If a task is too difficult for you or is something that requires help, you may find yourself procrastinating because you just cannot get your mind around how you are supposed to complete it.
We have an emotional reaction to the task.
When something elicits an emotional response, it may make it difficult to complete this task.
This is especially true if the emotion is a negative one.
We put off doing things that will make us unhappy or uncomfortable.
With each of these common reasons for procrastination, there is a way to get around it and relieve that burden from your shoulders, once and for all.
What To Do about Procrastination When the task is no fun, it can make it difficult to do.
Things like house chores or even work-related tasks may be things you'd prefer to put off until later, only to find that "later" never really comes.
Some ways to get around this are to plan ahead, keep a schedule, spread out unpleasant tasks and also give yourself little rewards for when you complete these unpleasant tasks.
When the task is mentally exhausting, you need to try to plan to work on it while you are well rested.
If possible, you should try to break down the process so you are doing a little bit at a time until completion.
When the task is too difficult, ask for help.
It's also important to know when to say no to projects or responsibilities that are just too much for you.
When you have an emotional reaction to the task, you may need to get in touch with your emotions in order to deal with the task at hand.
Seek help with this such as with someone to talk to.
If this is especially hard for you, then you might want to skip the task if doing so is possible.
It happens to everyone from time to time.
Procrastination robs you of time and it can make you feel defeated, tired and frustrated.
The problem comes in when procrastination starts to become a habit or more the norm than an occasional thing.
So what you can do about procrastination? First, it helps to understand it.
Why You Procrastinate It helps to understand why you procrastinate.
Most of us don't do it on purpose.
Instead, we think we are handling it in our own time but really only end off delaying the inevitable.
Whatever thing it is that we don't want to be doing still eventually has to get done.
But some reasons we procrastinate are: The task is no fun.
This might include work you don't like or chores around the home.
When you don't like what you're doing, it can be very difficult to get motivated to do it.
The task is mentally exhausting.
If you find a task mentally exhausting, it can be difficult to give it the time and attention it deserves.
You may procrastinate doing it, waiting for a more opportune time, but finding that time never really comes.
The task is too difficult.
If a task is too difficult for you or is something that requires help, you may find yourself procrastinating because you just cannot get your mind around how you are supposed to complete it.
We have an emotional reaction to the task.
When something elicits an emotional response, it may make it difficult to complete this task.
This is especially true if the emotion is a negative one.
We put off doing things that will make us unhappy or uncomfortable.
With each of these common reasons for procrastination, there is a way to get around it and relieve that burden from your shoulders, once and for all.
What To Do about Procrastination When the task is no fun, it can make it difficult to do.
Things like house chores or even work-related tasks may be things you'd prefer to put off until later, only to find that "later" never really comes.
Some ways to get around this are to plan ahead, keep a schedule, spread out unpleasant tasks and also give yourself little rewards for when you complete these unpleasant tasks.
When the task is mentally exhausting, you need to try to plan to work on it while you are well rested.
If possible, you should try to break down the process so you are doing a little bit at a time until completion.
When the task is too difficult, ask for help.
It's also important to know when to say no to projects or responsibilities that are just too much for you.
When you have an emotional reaction to the task, you may need to get in touch with your emotions in order to deal with the task at hand.
Seek help with this such as with someone to talk to.
If this is especially hard for you, then you might want to skip the task if doing so is possible.
