Struggle against Procrastination: The Worst Enemy of Productivity
How often do you find, before delivering an important project, an exam, talking with parents or going to the dentist, a great deal of other, smaller, less important things to do absolutely not related to the main process? And everyone’s list of such cases and situations is very different and can contain a lot of items. And even if you have only one item on the list, it still prevents from living a normal life. What to do? To deal with this unpleasant phenomenon.
Let's start with the very definition of “procrastination”: it is a concept in psychology, indicating the permanent postponement for later of unpleasant thoughts and deeds.
There are a few tips to help you deal with procrastination, which don’t require any complicated operations. The main thing is not to put away this dealing with procrastination for later (if those don’t help, you can always try https://academic-consultants.com/ for best writing essays).
1. Make one unpleasant thing in the morning. Of course, not immediately after waking up. And when it comes to do chores, let the first item in your ‘to-do’ list be at least one small thing you consider uncomfortable. For example, call a plumber or sit and work on the cover of your term paper. It's like jumping from the high-board without hesitation. A good rule is to do at least a small unpleasant thing at first place, and your list will get shorter by one item.
2. If you find it hard to do any work several times a week, do it every day. As strange as it may sound, but it usually works. For instance, you need to write in a blog article or fill cards for the program. Of course, you can sit down and write everything you need within a few days. But first, you don’t always have the necessary material at hand, and second, the next time it will be very difficult to make yourself write (especially if you don’t like it, but still need to do). If you start to work on it every day, little by little, it will gradually become a habit.
3. Find a company for your “unpleasant things to do.” Studies show that many of the things we do are much more likely to be done in company than alone.
4. Make your preparations for work the necessary tool. That is, collecting the necessary tools and materials gives you the ability to get mentally prepared for the uncomfortable things to do. For example, printing out an email, or gathering the necessary information before talking to a customer. You don’t have to do it today, and you can postpone it. But it is quite possible that, by simply preparing in advance, you can decide to finish the whole task the same day.
5. Make a list. This advice can be found quite often in dealing with hard case of procrastination. And it works. Usually lists are made to carry out anything long-term, but with a one-day task they work, too. Just make a ‘to-do’ list on which everything has to be done by the end of the day.
6. First goes the most unpleasant. Make sure that you first perform one of the most unpleasant things.
7. Learn to enjoy the completion of your unpleasant things to do. If you forced yourself to do something that was delayed for a month and you did it, then rejoice, compliment yourself! At least for the fact you finally got the job done, or the term paper written, or all the apartment tidied-up. You did it! Well done!