Procrastination

What is Procrastination?

Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily postponing decisions or actions. It is putting off task until the last minute or even past the deadline.

Procrastination is when someone tends to find themselves being occupied to perform other tasks, watching another TV episode, check out YouTube videos, Instagram, and Facebook messages, rather than completing tasks that have a deadline to meet, a commitment made to others, a decision to be made to act, etc.

Studies show that around 15-20% of adults regularly procrastinate. You are not alone. Studies also show chronic procrastination can severely impact mental health, exacerbate stress, and reduce happiness. (Reference: https://lnkd.in/ggH6QQe2)

Often, the person would delay working on undesirable tasks and keep waiting for the right moment when he/she feels inspired or motivated to work on the task, which that moment will never come, and the task will not be completed.

What are the negative effects of chronic procrastination?

When a person procrastinates to a point that becomes a habit, there are 5 major impacts that will affect a person’s life and well-being.

1)    Creates elevated level of stress that cause illness.

2)    Affect social relationships.

3)    Can cause resentment from people around you, including friends, family, teams at work, and peers.

4)    Not paying bills on time and even delay in income tax returns, cause unnecessary financial burden

How do you overcome Procrastination?

Here are my top 5 ways I use.

1)    Break up big task into smaller bite-size sub-tasks. It allows progress to happen. The success of completed tasks motivates you to continue and finish the big task before you know it.

2)    Prioritize the tasks based on criticality. Avoid choosing to do the ones that are easy to do first.

3)    Remove distractions to help you focus. Put away mobile device, you do not have to check messages and emails constantly.

4)    Time-blocking, put it on your calendar with focus time to complete tasks.

5)    Take short breaks after finishing a task. That helps to refresh your mind to regain focus for your next task.

 Practice these 5 tips and make it your work habit so you will not have to fall into the chronic procrastination trap.