How to stop procrastinating?
30 September 2008
Read by 2213 persons
Cleaning, shopping, bills... I'll do it all tomorrow. Who hasn't put off until later what they could/should have done earlier? This is called procrastination. Here are some tips to understand and change this tendency that can poison our lives.
Causes of this bad habit
This tendency to postpone what could be done earlier can be seen in different areas: professional life, daily life and emotional life.
To get rid of it, it is important to look for its origins. Contrary to popular belief, procrastination, which is sometimes accompanied by great guilt and paralysis, is very rarely linked to laziness but often to a form of anxiety.
> Fear of failure: Faced with certain decisions, projects or missions, one can feel incompetent and fear not succeeding and receiving criticism. We then practice the ostrich policy by not wanting to face what must be faced.
> The need for perfection: A party to organize, an idea to implement... Everything must be perfect. This desire for absolute success and almost unattainable goals can inhibit the perfectionist in you.
> The fear of success: this may seem paradoxical and yet... Indeed, achieving one's goals can worry those who fear the blues of the accomplished action and hyperactive people. It is linked to a fear of emptiness. Doing nothing allows to delay this deadline.
Note: We must also not dramatize this habit. Some people only function well under stress and even find this adrenaline rush linked to urgency stimulating.
Tips to learn to act right away!
> Have confidence in yourself: easier said than done! Procrastination is often linked to a lack of self-esteem and confidence in one's abilities. It is then important to learn to work on oneself, alone or with the help of a therapist.
> Better manage your time: the clock, your worst enemy! To avoid being caught by the passing minutes and days, learn to organize yourself. Don't hesitate to make lists of things you need to do. But set yourself reasonable goals. It is better to start with 3 or 4 things to do during the day that can be done rather than being demoralized by an endless list of goals to achieve. Without forgetting the pleasure you will feel in crossing off the things you have accomplished!
> Eliminate distractions: it's crazy how many other things we find to do when we don't want to tackle the main task at hand. We make calls to our friends, we tidy up our shoes, we go on the Internet. Stop! We identify these diversions and eliminate them, even if it means disconnecting from the outside world by letting the answering machine take messages, for example.
> Project yourself...
Imagine for a few seconds the feeling of well-being you will experience when you have accomplished the famous tasks that paralyze you. By becoming aware of this well-being that awaits you, do everything you can to achieve it as quickly as possible.
Anyway, you won't be able to avoid it, so you might as well act now and stop holding back to take the plunge!
aufeminin.com
Causes of this bad habit
This tendency to postpone what could be done earlier can be seen in different areas: professional life, daily life and emotional life.
To get rid of it, it is important to look for its origins. Contrary to popular belief, procrastination, which is sometimes accompanied by great guilt and paralysis, is very rarely linked to laziness but often to a form of anxiety.
> Fear of failure: Faced with certain decisions, projects or missions, one can feel incompetent and fear not succeeding and receiving criticism. We then practice the ostrich policy by not wanting to face what must be faced.
> The need for perfection: A party to organize, an idea to implement... Everything must be perfect. This desire for absolute success and almost unattainable goals can inhibit the perfectionist in you.
> The fear of success: this may seem paradoxical and yet... Indeed, achieving one's goals can worry those who fear the blues of the accomplished action and hyperactive people. It is linked to a fear of emptiness. Doing nothing allows to delay this deadline.
Note: We must also not dramatize this habit. Some people only function well under stress and even find this adrenaline rush linked to urgency stimulating.
Tips to learn to act right away!
> Have confidence in yourself: easier said than done! Procrastination is often linked to a lack of self-esteem and confidence in one's abilities. It is then important to learn to work on oneself, alone or with the help of a therapist.
> Better manage your time: the clock, your worst enemy! To avoid being caught by the passing minutes and days, learn to organize yourself. Don't hesitate to make lists of things you need to do. But set yourself reasonable goals. It is better to start with 3 or 4 things to do during the day that can be done rather than being demoralized by an endless list of goals to achieve. Without forgetting the pleasure you will feel in crossing off the things you have accomplished!
> Eliminate distractions: it's crazy how many other things we find to do when we don't want to tackle the main task at hand. We make calls to our friends, we tidy up our shoes, we go on the Internet. Stop! We identify these diversions and eliminate them, even if it means disconnecting from the outside world by letting the answering machine take messages, for example.
> Project yourself...
Imagine for a few seconds the feeling of well-being you will experience when you have accomplished the famous tasks that paralyze you. By becoming aware of this well-being that awaits you, do everything you can to achieve it as quickly as possible.
Anyway, you won't be able to avoid it, so you might as well act now and stop holding back to take the plunge!
aufeminin.com
