“I never put off till tomorrow what I can possibly do - the day after.”
― Oscar Wilde
Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily postponing decisions or actions.
Procrastinating! Yes most of us do it, well 95% of us anyway. Maybe we delayed revising for an exam or put off an assignment or project. As we get older other tasks like monthly accounts or the yearly tax return are common tasks many of us put off and it’s no wonder you can’t get through to the tax office on January 31st.
It’s a wonder we do it because putting things off and having them playing in the back of our mind and worrying is not a good feeling at all and yet we still do it.
Why we procrastinate and how to stop
| Cause | Fix to try |
|---|---|
| Fear of failure | Visualize finishing and the freedom you will feel when it is done. |
| More interesting tasks | Do the most difficult task first. |
| Not sure how to start | Break the task into manageable sections. |
| Lack of motivation | Give yourself an incentive to finish. |
| Lack of energy | Take regular breaks. |
| Lack of focus | Set a deadline to work toward. |
So why do we procrastinate? Why do we do the very thing that actually holds us back. Most reasons are quite obvious, maybe the task in mundane or boring or it may be challenging in some other way. The No1 reason is fear of failure but here are some others too.
Top 6 causes of procrastination
Fear or failure…..
More interesting tasks to do…
Not sure how to get started…
A lack of motivation…
A lack of Energy….
A lack of Focus….
95% of us procrastinate. It may make you feel better to know that you are not alone but the best thing would be to stop it. So how do we stop procrastinating?
How to stop procrastinating
First, accept and recognise that you are procrastinating
Set a deadline .…
Visualize finishing and the feeling of freedom when you’ve completed your task.
Break the task into manageable sections…
Do the most difficult task first
Give yourself an incentive to finish…
Take Breaks…
Realise you are not alone.
Recognise that you are not alone and we all have to do things we don’t enjoy sometimes…
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Shop the 2027 plannerSo do you procrastinate? And if so what are the tasks that you tend to put off?
