To begin, begin.
-William Wordsworth
Do you have a long list of things to do but never seem to find the time to actually do them? At home, school or work there are always a pile of things that you need or intend to do. Maybe you have been thinking of redesigning your kitchen. You probably need to rearrange the mountain of documents in your office but keep on putting it off. For what seemed like ages, you probably have a few personal goals to fulfill such as losing weight, exercising regularly or reading more but never get around to accomplishing it.
If your answer is yes, then you might be guilty of procrastination. It may be embarrassing to be caught red-handed with the practice of postponing things, but it is a common problem for a lot of people. A 2014 study done by an educational technology company revealed that 87% of 1500 students surveyed considered themselves procrastinators. The numbers prove that you are not alone. But, it is not quite a source of comfort as the same survey indicates that 45% of procrastinators agreed that the bad habit negatively affects their school performance. So if you want to achieve more in life, make an effort to bid goodbye to procrastination. It may feel like a struggle to change a bad habit but the outcome will be worth it. The following easy tips can help you win against procrastination!
Just do it.
If you want to finish something, then start somewhere. This statement may sound like a no-brainer but it is the concept behind a term in psychology which is the Zeigarnik effect. The term, which came from Russian psychiatrist Bluma Zeigarnik, implies that people are likely to finish or remember uncompleted rather than completed tasks. Apparently your brain will keep on urging you to work on tasks that you left hanging. So if you want to finally cross something off your list of goals, resolve to start doing it today!
Turn goals into specific actions.
A particular objective will remain just an objective if you are clueless as to how to accomplish it. In fact, lack of skills or knowledge to tackle a certain goal is one of the things that hinders people from achieving something. To make your objectives doable, it will be helpful if you list a series of specific steps or actions you need to do to complete a task. Breaking down a seemingly huge and impossible task will make them much more doable.
Think of the consequences.
Are you aware of all the benefits that you will enjoy from working on a goal but they fail to get you working on a project? Maybe you can try focusing on all the bad effects you will have to endure if you stubbornly keep on delaying the work. You may miss a lot of great opportunities or jeopardize the success of a huge project. Everybody wants to avoid bad situations, so it may be a more effective way to get you moving.
Since procrastination is a huge obstacle that hinders your success, you should strive to overcome it. Do not let your list remain just a list. Take action to beat procrastination today!
