Overcoming procrastination is not the easiest feat. Procrastination is a bad habit that affects millions of people around the world, if not billions. Identifying procrastination is the first step when starting your journey and there are many strategies for overcoming procrastination to help you along the way.
If you do not know what procrastination truly means, it is simply the act of delaying or postponing. My question is, why put off today what you can do tomorrow? Procrastination is the biggest thief of time, and if you remember how to manage time you won’t have a problem overcoming procrastination.
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Identify procrastination
The first step to overcoming procrastination is by identifying that you are procrastinating, to begin with. It is impossible to fight a problem when you do not know what the problem is or that you have a problem. Once you identify procrastination, you can then begin to visualise how procrastination has affected you, how it will continue to affect you if you persist and ways you can overcome procrastination.
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Deduce why you procrastinate
In order to overcome procrastination, you must understand why you procrastinate, to begin with. By doing so, you can effectively tackle the cause of your bad habit. For instance, an adult is bitten by a rattlesnake, it is not logical to treat the said person with the antidote for a cobra snake bite, the problem will not be solved. If you procrastinate because you the thought of these tasks triggers your anxiety, you must tackle your anxiety to overcome procrastination.
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Recognise how procrastination can negatively affect you
Sometimes identifying procrastination and why you procrastinate is not enough to get you on the journey of overcoming procrastination. When you have gone through the first two processes, it is only natural that you recognise how procrastination has negatively affected you and how it can affect you in the future. Procrastination is a lazy act, however, the mere subscription to this lazy act can cost you opportunities, your reputation and life long goals. By doing so, it serves as a driver to conquer the bad habit.
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Develop strategies to overcome procrastination.
Now that you have identified procrastination, deduced why you procrastinate and recognised how procrastination can negatively affect you, the next step is to develop strategies for overcoming procrastination. These strategies must be in line with your causes and how it can affect you. They are also not limited to these examples.
Strategies for Overcoming Procrastination
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Don’t beat yourself up
One of the greatest strategies for overcoming procrastination is to not beat yourself up about it. It is important to be optimistic and look at the bright side of things. Take a step forward to living a procrastination free life. When you have understood what procrastination is and the effects of procrastination, it can affect your emotional and mental health. This is due to the thought of the damage that it has caused you and can cause you. However, never beat yourself up about it, rise up and develop strategies for overcoming procrastination.
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Create a calendar
A calendar is another one of the best strategies for overcoming procrastination. This is because a calendar allows you to effectively dedicate time to tasks you wish to accomplish. A calendar is also easy to assimilate, and it mentally prepares you for what you have to do, hence, there is no running away or putting off.
A calendar is a great tool for overcoming procrastination because using it, you can easily identify your free time, and back up time. Sometimes, space on your calendar clears up because you accomplished more than one task at a given time. Other times, unforeseen circumstances keep you from accomplishing set tasks. In situations like this, get started on something else, so you will have time for what you couldn’t achieve.
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Be realistic
When trying to overcome procrastination, an important strategy is to be realistic. If you cannot achieve set goals, they will appear difficult and you will become overwhelmed. Such overwhelming moments are discouraging and will certainly lead you to procrastination. It is important to start with realistic challenges, with time you can up your game. However, there are times you reach the ceiling and can move any higher. It is okay, you have conquered.
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Don’t make excuses
At times we find it procrastination so comfortable because it is easy for us to make excuses. The moment you run out of excuses you would have found one of the strategies for overcoming procrastination. Quit making excuses, excuses are the only reasons to be lazy. With the absence of an excuse, you would see no reason to not do what you need to do at a given time or the allotted time. Excuses also make you look unserious and incompetent.
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Partner up
Overcoming procrastination can be easier when you have a partner. Together you will motivate each other to do more and be better. You and your partner can hold each other accountable. Your partner does not necessarily have to be a procrastinator like you, however, it must be someone with a higher level of discipline that you. Seeing how good life can be if you procrastinate less can and will be your driver for overcoming procrastination.
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Reward yourself
Anticipating a reward when you achieve a goal is another strategy for overcoming procrastination. The reward acts as an incentive which will motivate you to do more and go for the gold. Simply start by giving yourself daily or weekly rewards. Ensure that these rewards are things that you love and would do anything to get. If you decide to reward yourself with items you could care less about, you are not overcoming procrastination because what you will feel is not strong enough to motivate you.
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Seek professional help
Seeking professional help when overcoming procrastination should not be your first choice. Though it is one of the strategies for overcoming procrastination, before seeking professional help, try your own personal strategies and if all fails, professional help will do
