Overcome Procrastination

One of the most important steps to develop positive attitude is to overcome procrastination. What is procrastination? Procrastination is when we "put off, delay or postpone important tasks, which we have to complete within a time frame. For example a student might procrastinate when he has to prepare for his exams, submit an assignment or a presentation. Another example could be of a business executive who has been given a deadline to achieve certain goals. Instead of doing that important task at time one will say “I will do it tomorrow” and tomorrow never comes. We might complete it at the eleventh hour if there is no other way out. Doing any important task at the eleventh hour might cause problems like tension, stress, apprehension, anxiety, fear and poor performance. So it is recommended to overcome procrastination. Why do we procrastinate?

Causes of Procrastination
Early childhood training
Poor time management
Lack of interest
Lack of motivation
Inability to organize one’s thoughts
Fear of failure
Perfectionism
At times procrastination works as a reinforcement

How to overcome procrastination?
Remember we all procrastinate at some point in life. Some people procrastinate rarely and some tend to develop a habit to procrastinate. We develop habits in our early childhood. The way we learn habits we can de learn too. So, instead of cursing yourself or feeling bad about yourself you make a commitment to overcome procrastination.

Give yourself targets to complete the assigned task within the time frame. Write down on a piece of paper what you have to do and when you have to do it. Then put that piece of paper in your room/office. It will help you develop motivation.

A very simple way to overcome procrastination is to develop a habit of “just do it and do it now.
So, you make a commitment, set a target, write down your target, paste it in your room and now organize your thoughts. Avoid diversions while doing so and do it with interest. Just imagine you have completed your assigned task and feel your feelings. You will definitely feel good and it will help you develop interest in your work. Moreover, you will feel focused and your motivation will grow further and further.

To organize your thoughts, you can write down important points on a piece of paper and start working. Remember! “just do it and do it now”.

If you are a perfectionist, you will have a fear of making mistake. Learn to kill your perfectionism and “just do it and accept it”. Remember to admire your work even if you see yourself making mistakes. This is the only and the best way to get rid of perfectionism. Once you kill your perfectionism, you will get rid of your fears.

Hope you will be able to achieve your deadlines by following these simple suggestions. Once you achieve your deadline give yourself a treat. It will reinforce your habit of “just do it and do it now”.
Follow these steps and you will be able to overcome procrastination, which will help you develop a positive attitude towards life. Positive attitude will lead you towards success.