Shivaji Mohinta
Procrastination is defined by the Merriam–Webster Collegiate Dictionary as “to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done now”. It is a challenge we have all faced at some point or the other. It is a state of acting against your better judgement, mainly owing to the lack of self-control.
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This happens in student and professional lives as well. Procrastination is a behavioral trait that if not corrected can lead to habitual disorders impacting performance and career growth. The reasons for procrastination can be classified as follows:
# Fear of failure/outcome: When we are worried that the result might not be to our liking we tend to delay taking any action. We fear that we will be branded as failures.
# Strong dislike: Several times we develop a strong hatred towards some activity, persons or problems that we postpone acting on those.
# Lack of energy or motivation: Physical fitness, low energy, sedentary lifestyle and insufficient motivation to step out of the comfort zone often results in delay.
# Waiting for a “perfect tomorrow”: The perfectionist mindset is often an enemy of timely action. We feel preparations or conditions are not ideal to commence the action, hence delay it.
Procrastination is a behavioral trait that if not corrected can lead to habitual disorders impacting performance and career growth
# Losing focus midway: We are unable to get into the peak performance zone as we feel the efforts are not worthwhile. We lose the clarity or the big picture & drop out midway.
Of course, there are means to correct this behavioral anomaly; some proven remedies are as follows:
# Taking the bull by its horn approach: Observe and read success stories of your contemporaries or your role models. Take action without thinking too much. Often the approach of ‘shoot and then aim’ is helpful in these circumstances.
# Begin with the end in mind: Mentally create the big picture. Visualise your ‘future self’. These beautiful thoughts will spur you into action.
# First things First: Prioritise important tasks now rather than doing it when a crisis precipitates.
# Public announcement: Often announcing your goal to your friends, peers or bosses urges our brain to take action as we do not want to be seen as a “laggard” socially. It is a powerful tool to bite the bullet.
# Break down the bigger goal: Dissect the larger goal into small daily steps. The final goal can be overwhelming but when you break that down to smaller, achievable sub-goals, it is like taking a flight of steps to reach the top gradually.
# Eat the ugliest frog: Start your day by attacking the most unpleasant job at hand.
# Celebrate small wins: Every small achievement must be celebrated. Reward yourself on every little success that you get in this journey. It is the perfect fuel to help you stay motivated and an antidote to procrastination.
# Take care of your body & mind: Be physically active and mentally fit. Engage yourself in activities which will sharpen your responses and keep you energetic. A fitter body and mind enable one to see the world in a positive perspective.
# Pomodoro technique: During long working hours we get stressed & irritated. Better to follow this technique where you take a break of 5 minutes after a cycle of 25 minutes of work. It keeps your mind relaxed, allows ideas to crystallise, adds a different dimension to your line of thinking and, above all, keeps you mentally aligned to the larger goal.
# Sometimes procrastination is a boon: In the corporate world there are occasions when ‘not taking a decision itself is a decision’ might work in your favour. Waiting for things to calm down and then appropriately acting on it, might not aggravate or make the situation unpleasant. In these situations too, understanding the Big Picture frame is useful.
Be aware that the negative consequences of procrastination manifest in the long term. Start small but make it a routine to manage and overcome this trait.
The writer is a business coach and NLP practitioner. e-Mail: shiv_9807@hotmail.com.
