We've all been there, but there are many different reasons for why we procrastinate. People often procrastinate because they are scared of failing at the tasks they need to complete. This fear of failure can lead to procrastination, to avoid starting a task and postponing it as long as they possibly can (usually by a deadline).
Did you know there are 4 types of procrastination?
Fun procrastination: The fun procrastinator would rather be doing anything except that one dreaded task. After all, there’s so many fun and exciting things you could be doing instead, how can you bear to start that boring project?
Anxious procrastination: people who procrastinate a lot are usually bad at managing their time and often end up scheduling in more work than they can actually do, leaving no time for fun activities or resting. Therefore, by not fulfilling these unrealistic expectations causes stress and anxiety which some people deal with by procrastinating.
"Plenty of time" procrastinator: Many people find it difficult to start a project when they know the deadline is a long way off. This type of procrastination is clearly visible in students who often struggle to start an essay earlier than a few days before the deadline.You may also have tasks that don’t have deadlines. Take a look at your to-do list. Chances are you have at least one item that you’ve been putting off for weeks if not months. It’s something you want to do, you know it will make things better in the long run, but you keep putting it off.
Perfectionist procrastinator: Perfectionists are always striving for the best and, as such, are constantly criticizing their own work. For some perfectionists, the fear of failing, or producing work to a low standard, can be so overwhelming they never actually get around to starting anything.
Which type are you? Identify your past jobs were you procrastinated, did it serve you? Do you want to stop stressing out and find a structure in your work? Try the 5 tips below, let me know what worked or what you may struggle with:
Raise awareness around your behaviour: Awareness is the first steps towards change. If you are aware of your procrastinating i.e. when and how you do it, it's easier to change the behaviour
Identify your patterns: Do you always use the same excuses? "I'm tired", "I'll do it later", or do you simply have a harder time executing in the afternoon and loose motivation? By identifying your patterns, you can improve your action plan to overcome them.
Break it down: The problem is often "taking on more than you can chew" and suddenly you feel overwhelmed, so you quit before you've had a chance to start. If you break the tasks up into smaller steps, it's easier to do one thing at a time and you get one step ahead - which will give you some satisfaction.
Be precise and organize: Create a structure and write down your tasks and schedule when you are going to execute on it. It's better to do one thing at a time than nothing at all. It's not a sprint! The risk of planning too much is loosing the motivation and thus turning to procrastinating, again, before you even got started.
Use your energy wisely: Every time you think of all you have to do, it'll consume your mental energy. Give yourself an alloted time, and follow your schedule. This step is about maximising your "do- time" and minimizing the "I should be doing" - time.
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