Procrastination and Stress Go Together
Photo: b1gtuna According to PsychologyToday 20% of people consider themselves to be chronic procrastinators. Procrastination is a major source of stress and anxiety in one's life. By letting unfinished tasks pile up a person lowers his self worth, and burdens himself with feelings of guilt. It is the cause of under-achievement, neglect of health, missed opportunities and lowered self esteem in one's life. High achievers are not procrastinators.
If you are a procrastinator, you know it: it has caused lots of stress in your life, time and again. Each time you have cursed yourself, afterwards, and promised to yourself that you would take care in future to finish all tasks on time, only to fall back again in the procrastination trap.
Procrastination and stress that it causes in your life, may or may not be a problem of time management. True, it tends to waste a lot of time, but many a times some personality traits are the real culprits behind this habit. By its very nature, it is difficult to control or overcome it. Overcoming procrastination requires a lot of hard work and self discipline and may not make you feel internally transformed.
In this article, instead of considering why we procrastinate, we will examine how people procrastinate, and how it can be overcome. 'Why' of the problem is discussed in another article.
How You Procrastinate: The Method Behind Madness
Different people tend to procrastinate differently. Go through the following list and identify the way, you procrastinate -
Ignore the task – You act as if ignoring a task will make it go away. As if, your aversion to the task is a sufficient reason for it to vanish into thin air and to lessen its importance in your life.
Underestimate the task and over estimate yourself - You underestimate the work involved and convince yourself that there is sufficient time at hand to finish it. You tell yourself that you are super efficient and can finish your tasks much quicker than others. This is a form of self deception, that chronic procrastinators often indulge in.
Lower your standards – You tell yourself that average performance is acceptable. This excuses you from committing to that task and giving it your best. This thinking eats away at your performance levels and makes you accept mediocrity in your life.
You are willingly distracted – Distractions are more than welcome. You keep on getting diverted to unproductive activities at the cost of neglecting the really important tasks. For example, you are attending to your email – one of the most time-wasting activities of the present times – when you should be attending to an important letter form your client whose business is very important for your company. You perfect the art of procrastination and stress follows as surely as day follows night!
'Small Delays don't matter' – Habitual procrastinators often delude themselves and waste many hours, days and some times months, telling themselves all the time that 'minor' delays don't matter.
You are always preparing - You are always in the 'preparation mode'. You collect all the relevant papers, call for a hot coffee to freshen your mind, put up a 'do not disturb' sign on your desk, etc., but never get around to taking up the actual task. Another form of this habit is that, you start something and then take an eternity to get around to finishing it, making use of all the other delaying tactics.
Analysis paralysis – Do you become paralyzed whenever you have to make a decision? Do you think that not taking a decision is better than taking a wrong decision? Are you always looking for the perfect solutions, which are never there? Do you waste so much time reaching a decision that taking a decision becomes irrelevant? If you are indecisive, procrastination and stress are a part of your life.
Getting At The Root
Know yourself to understand how procrastination and stress works in your life. Deep rooted attitudes and self limiting thought patterns are at the root of procrastination. You may learn all the smart techniques for killing procrastination, but the person applying them is still that good old YOU.
For getting a little help in overcoming blocks, bringing about changes in attitudes and removing psychological barriers, download the Psychology of Procrastination Course now.
Further Reading
6 Steps to Control Procrastination And Stress
The Real Benefits Of Time Management
Reduce Stress Levels With 10 Practical Time Saving Tips
How Good Are You At Stress And Time Management?
How to Relieve Stress When You Are Overwhelmed
Reduce Stress by Minimizing Distractions
How Hypnosis Is A Friend
The Five Causes Of Procrastination
The Importance Of Time Management
Seven Time Management Skills That You Must Have
The Secret To Writing A To Do List That Gets Things Done
New! Comments
Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.
