Why Do We Procrastinate and How Do We Fix That?

Are you a procrastinator? This human habit is unavoidable, but it's not inescapable. Procrastination is a toll to our productivity and it can negatively affect how we go through our daily life.

Leaving pending tasks behind will only make our life more disorganised and hectic, then we get stressed out for delaying. So, whose fault is it?

This article will explain further about 'the art of procrastination' and how we can fight it.

What is procrastination?

“I’ll start doing it tomorrow!” Does this statement strike a chord in your head? Yes, it is something that most of us will say daily when we are faced to do a task. Delaying the task until the very last minute is known as procrastination. So, how common is it? 

Source: c&en

According to a study published by the Malaysia Psychology Journal, 92.9 % out of 310 students admitted they have procrastinated on a regular basis, especially when it comes to study-related activities. All of us have paid dearly for procrastinating and it is time for us to stop this habit. 

Why do we procrastinate?

The force of resistance is a psychological force that stops most of us from achieving our goals, dreams and even from improving our lives. Resistance comes in multiple forms, such as fear, self-doubt, addiction and of course, procrastination. 

Unlike other forms, procrastination is the easiest to rationalize. That’s because when we know that a task is due, we procrastinate to do it because there is always a ‘later’. 

How do we stop procrastinating?

1. Divide and conquer

Break down a big task into a smaller individual task. Instead of waiting till the last minute to write that 2000-word essay. Start small by writing 50 words every day. Do bit-by-bit every day, and you’ll see that the end goal wouldn’t seem so hard to achieve after all. The next thing you know, you’ll be done with the task in no time!

2. Make a to-do list

A to-do list consists of the task that you want to complete by the end of today. It helps you to manage your time wisely and it also reminds you that there is still task left to be done. An effective checklist consists of sub-headings for the overall task. 

Each sub-heading task should take no longer than 30 minutes.  Before going to bed every night, write a to-do list for the next day so that you’ll be ready to conquer the list when you wake up the next morning. 

3. Schedule your tasks

Besides making your to-do list, it is important to set the deadline for each task you're planning to do. Even better, arrange your schedule every week for your daily tasks so that you already know the things you need to finish.

This is how you have your expectations coming every week. You would feel more spirited to get everything done accordingly. An organised individual proves that they live a better life.

4. Change your environment

You've probably heard that the environment does affect our productivity. Observe your surrounding, look at how your room and desk are arranged. Have you comfortably been living in space that can lift up your motivation? If no, it's time for a change, revamp your study area, your room and your workspace. You will breathe anew in a comfortable environment which not let you procrastinate.

5. Put your distractions away

In the age of the internet, we have been pampered with countless distractions. Video games, smartphones, social media and more, these are what disturb our focus. Remember that the time is valuable, once it's passed, we cannot turn it back.

This depends on how determined and responsible you are. Only scroll your social media accounts when you have completed all your tasks, allocate a number of hours you can spend on the entertainment.

6. Get friends who inspire and motivate you

The people who you are hanging out with shape you. You need to be with a group of friends who inspire you to take action and to advise you if things do not go towards the direction.

Peer influence defines who you are going to be. It is important to identify the people, friends or even colleagues in your circle. If you find them trigger your motivation, you will not lose anything if you depart away from them. Hang out with those who are hard workers and always get encouraged in doing work.

Yup! In brief, procrastination is a habit that will hinder the process of the particular task you are doing, simply because you might encounter some difficulties during the process that you cannot solve in a short period of time. 

As the saying goes ‘Procrastination makes easy things hard and hard things harder.’ In fact, using the above methods can help you stop procrastinating and start working on your task as early as possible.

Therefore, divide and conquer and making a to-do list will help you in completing your daily tasks accordingly without doing it at the eleventh minute.