How to stop procrastinating

Postponing is a common occurrence. We often hear the phrase: I’ll take it from Monday ..

The habit of constantly putting things off until later is familiar to many. But few people take it seriously. And really, does another cup of coffee drunk instead of an annual report hurt someone, or a dialogue with an old friend on the Internet, which is conducted at a time when a report for a speech is to be worked out. Of course not, except for yourself.

And anyway, who said that I mindlessly check the mail, instead of checking financial documents? I am waiting for an important letter from ... And here the flight of fantasy knows no bounds. Yes, from anyone, just to convince yourself that it is really important.

This behavior continues day after day, week after week. And the most dangerous thing is that it becomes a normal human condition.

Scientific approach

The phenomenon of putting things off until later has a scientific name - procrastination. It was invented quite a long time ago, and if translated literally, it consists of two words: instead of tomorrow.

It's a paradox, but in ancient Rome, procrastination was a blessing, and a person who did not rush to make decisions was a wise man. In Japan, even now, decision-making is carried out with a long delay, but mentality plays a role here, and not the habit of procrastinating.

However, in our time, long deliberation can promise the loss of a profitable offer or money in general. Therefore, a person who puts things off for later runs the risk of being left out of work, or being constantly in the role of catching up.

Psychologists from different countries studied this problem with interest and came to the conclusion that laziness and procrastination are not the same thing. Indeed, for a lazy person it is absolutely not important whether he will have time to finish the work or not, but for a procrastinator, it is important, but with a small caveat, the work will be done a little later.

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Procrastination has several causes:

• unconscious desire to get an adrenaline rush when doing important work in the shortest possible time;
• upbringing in an authoritarian environment, when it was necessary to obey the will of one of the parents;
• perfectionism;
• self-doubt;
• possible troubles at work with colleagues.

This list can be continued for a long time, and, most likely, an experienced procrastinator will be able to answer why he began to postpone things for later, but this is not a way out of the situation. Postponing your affairs, you begin to postpone life for later, and this is already serious.

The main reason for procrastination lies in the head. It is in our brain. But this does not mean the presence of a serious mental disorder. No. Everything is simple to the point of banality. One of the parts of the brain, the limbic, is responsible for the desire to drink coffee, read a book, watch a series, have sex. And if in the limbic part these desires are born every minute and are also forgotten every minute, then in the second part of the brain, the perforal part, there are urges for actions associated with planning.

So, for those who like to delay the finish, the limbic part is in a dominant position. And this dominance occurs due to fatigue. Accumulated or instantaneous, it doesn't matter. The main thing is that the brain is tired and surrenders to the mercy of the winner, that is, the limbic part. And you are already scribbling another message to your girlfriend or brewing your fifth tea bag.

Problem found, what's next?

So, you have decided that the problem of all your troubles is postponing for later and you need to fight this. But you need to learn right away, there is no easy way to stop putting things off until later. Although, you can try to write a letter of resignation, but this is not our case. So get ready to fight. To fight with the strongest enemy. With myself.

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If the case is already too neglected, then the fight against procrastination can be carried out in a group, but for this it is necessary to resort to the services of a psychologist. It is better to start with an individual method, perhaps you can handle it yourself.

There are several interesting techniques. Let's start with the simplest.

Asking the question why I put everything off until later, try to understand, but what is it? All ones life? Or some of its manifestations?

Most likely, the answer will be the second. And it's mostly about work. Let's look at what motivates an employee to do extraneous activities during office hours. Usually these are cases or tasks that are conditionally divided into:

• causing uncertainty that they can be completed;
• disgusting;
• causing a feeling of confusion, where to start, all of the same type.

In this case, the following recommendations will help get rid of procrastination:

• If you don’t know where to start, or the case seems incredibly complicated, break it down into several stages. And you need to start with the most interesting. When more than half of the work is done, you will feel a surge of energy, because now the task is reduced;
• In the case of a job that is disgusting or uninteresting to you, you need to make plans for the day and try to cultivate a workaholic in yourself. In general, as was said before, you will have to fight with yourself;
• Well, when it comes to the same type of work, there is nothing better than a coin. Where to begin? Heads or tails will solve the problem.

Experienced Delayer

If the matter is not only in work, but also in everyday life, it is necessary to resort to little tricks that can mobilize the body to leave the bad habit of postponing things for later.

First, make a list of 15 to 25 of your merits, this will help you believe in yourself and activate your mind for further work.

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Next, you need to shorten the target. Namely, it makes no sense to strive to become the smartest or most responsible. These formulations are too vague and streamlined. Break the desire to become the smartest into several sub-points.

For example:

• enter the university;
• complete the first course with a score of 4.5;
• read 15 books;
• defend a thesis.

You can stop procrastinating until later with a simple question, what could I do at this moment. If you spend hours on the Internet, answer it.

The answer should make you feel embarrassed in front of yourself, influencing the subconscious, it mobilizes the worker and encourages the cessation of unnecessary pastime.

And, perhaps, the most effective way to stop putting everything off until later is to limit communication with irritants. That is, if the main absorber of working time is the Internet, mercilessly turn it off.

Tea, magazines, electronic gadgets - remove from the visibility zone, and even better from the reach zone. After all, you must admit that if there are no distractions, then it is easier to work.

The most difficult thing in the last paragraph is to overcome oneself and convince that there is no other way. The method is similar to the fight against smoking. At first it’s very difficult and you want to take a look at the feed on the social network with at least one eye, but over time you will be absorbed in work and forget that you used your time irrationally before.

Never put anything off until later, now is the time to do everything, because tomorrow it may be too late. These words should become your motto for life!

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