Your sitting in the living room, or your room, or wherever. When suddenly you look down at your phone, realizing the date. The deadline, of an extremely important project, you swore to yourself. You’d actually get done, and not procrastinate it like usually. Yet here you are, in the same exact situation.
Your sitting there overwhelmed, knowing there’s nothing you can do now, because its due in a few minutes.
We’ve all been there, at least once. And let me tell you, its one of the most stressful and worst feelings in the world.
What will this article cover then?
In this article, I will be explaining procrastination,and how to stop! To finally never feel this horrible feeling again, or at least for a long time, because it might happen for time to time.
Is Procrastination the Same as Being Lazy?
Procrastination is often confused with laziness, but they are very different.
Procrastination is when you do something else instead of the task you know you should be doing. However, laziness is the, not activity, and an unwillingness to do something. If we procrastinate over a long period of time, we can become demotivated with our work, which can lead to depression and even job loss, in extreme cases.
Signs of procrastinating
You might be putting off a task because you’ve had to do something instead. If you’re putting it off for an important task that has to be done faster than the actual one and for a genuinely good reason, then you aren’t really procrastinating. However, if you start to put things off all the time, for no reason, or just to avoid it, than you probably are.
Other signs of procrastinating:
- Filling your day with low-priority tasks, on purpose.
- Leave an item on your To-Do list for a long time, even though it’s important.
- Start a high-priority task and then go off to relax.
- Wait for it to be a good day, or bad day
How do we stop procrastinating?
Same as with most habits, it is possible to overcome procrastination. Procrastination is a habit, a pattern of behavior. This means that you probably can’t break it overnight.
- Forgive yourself for procrastinating in the past. Lots of studies show that self-forgiveness can help you to feel more positive about yourself and reduce procrastinating in the future.
- Promise yourself a reward. If you finish a difficult task on time, reward yourself with a treat, such as a slice of cake or a coffee.
- Do as you go. Do things, when you find out you have to do them, rather than letting them build up over another day.
- Avoid distractions. Turn off your notifications, and avoid sitting anywhere near a device while working.