How to Beat the Procrastination Monster: Fighting The Inner Demons that Prevent Us From Progress
Some of us are innately punctual and efficient at time management, but for most of us even starting a task is more brutal than the process of completing it at all. Luckily, there are ways we can get out of this stump and become more productive individuals!
One of the biggest reasons we tend to put off important tasks or projects, and choose to occupy ourselves with frivolous work is because there’s usually a level of anxiety associated with the task. It might be that we think it won’t turn out that great, or might be deeper in the sense that we might not feel we have the strength to accomplish said task, and it’s more about the quality of our person than what we can produce. Either way, there are tips that can help us be reach new levels of confidence, and compose ourselves in a way that prepares us for whatever it is we want or need to do.
Know Yourself!
Something to always keep in mind is to be self-aware. Recognize what it is that causes you stress, and in turn causes you to become avoidant. The degree to which this can negatively affect someone varies person to person, but nevertheless starting off with a little bit of introspection can be the most important step into changing any bad habit.
Be Realistic!
Be realistic with how much time an assignment might take you, and then factor in how you can fit that into your daily schedule. For many people, it’s very difficult to remember to complete a task or find the motivation to do it when deadlines are up in the air. Not just assigned deadlines, but personal deadlines. Now, it’s very easy to constantly modify our own deadlines to make ourselves comfortable or justify laziness, but you have to make it a habit to at least write down on a list everything you’d like to accomplish in the day. Give yourself wiggle room to make mistakes or for minor setbacks. You’re human, but try your best to follow your list. You’ll be surprised how satisfying it is to scratch off items, and see how much you’ve done at the end of the day.
Surround Yourself With Productive People!
You know how when you’re about to start a weight loss or muscle-building regime at the gym, and someone tells you, you should bring a buddy to keep you motivated? Yeah well, that logic applies to other things as well. Maybe you’re a writer and you want to start a novel but can’t find the way to bring your ideas from the imaginary land in your brain to paper? You can find a writer’s group in your area, and suddenly like-minded people who share your struggles and insecurities, but can also share their wisdom surround you!
Forgive Yourself
Like I mentioned before, you’re human. It’s natural for there to be times when you slip up. We all do it, and often times we can be very harsh on ourselves for overlookable mistakes. So what if every single little thing didn’t get done. Arrange your schedule the next day to fit in what you couldn’t get done. Pat yourself on the back for what you were able to do, and try again next time. The wonderful things about anything you plan in life, is that life is happens when you’re busy making other plans. Our goals change as much as we do, and if it’s for a job, well we’re always learning new things. Eventually we figure out a system that works for us and we’ll be happy to stick to it.