When you put things off. Don't be afraid to fail

Procrastination is psychological problem of a person, postponing things for later, as a result, they remain unfulfilled. At first, this problem does not seem global, however, this is not entirely true. Procrastination Syndrome is a habit that you just need to fight.

Postponing things for later is a process familiar to everyone. However, if it becomes a habit and becomes a stereotype of behavior, it becomes a problem and is called procrastination. Her syndrome is fraught with a certain danger.

A person who is used to putting off important things for later, as a result, refuses them, which leads to degradation and the development of depression. Looking back, you can see a lot of missed opportunities. For the further realization of a person as a person, this becomes dangerous. We urgently need to take action. Otherwise, a feeling of chronic dissatisfaction with life will begin to devour you from the inside.

Don't expect to be able to stop procrastinating all at once and effortlessly. Positive results take place only if they are applied maximum amount strength on the part of the individual. The habit of postponing everything until later will recede if its true cause is correctly determined, if you use tips and recommendations.

Where to begin?

In fact, postponing syndrome is not a disease. However, the desire to postpone things for later can provoke serious violations in human health. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to get rid of it. Before starting the process, it is necessary to determine the type of procrastinators to which the person belongs.

Tense procrastinator:

Fear of achievement. Some are afraid that later they will be required to do this all the time, some are afraid of losing friends because of this, there are also people who consider themselves simply unworthy of success. This type of setting should be changed to positive.
Fear of failure. Getting a bad result will be more painful than doing nothing at all. Another side of this type is well articulated by Abraham Lincoln: “It is better to be silent and seem like an idiot than to speak up and dispel the last doubts.”
Confrontation: "I can't be forced to do anything." In this case, you need to ask yourself who will be worse off if the deed is not done. Perhaps this confrontation is just a protest for the sake of a protest. Is it worth spending your whole life aggressively asserting your personal freedom, instead of bringing something useful to it?

Relaxed procrastinator;

Rejection separate species activity and the desire to avoid it. The way out will be a new attitude - the desire to postpone unpleasant job is the choice of students and uneducated people.

There is no hiding from life's difficulties, sooner or later you will have to face them face to face. You can stop putting off unpleasant things for later by taking just seven steps. The recommendations should be applied immediately, because by putting them aside for later, a person will again plunge into procrastination.

Get a diary. Tasks require accounting, so you should make a list of tasks that were postponed until later and prioritize. different color marker, make personal notes - by urgency, by personal interest, by degree of importance. Put an approximate due date next to it - you will see that tomorrow there will be the following things, so nothing should be postponed. Tip: think over a system of rewards and punishments for yourself.
A large work of many components can be divided into blocks: "The big elephant must be eaten in parts." Unpleasant work that requires a lot of time can be broken down into time slots: "I'll do 15 minutes and rest." Psychologically, such work will be much easier to approach - it will no longer seem impossible. We recommend taking a break between stages.
Write it all down standard phrases used for procrastination, and for each pick up a counterargument. "I can do it tomorrow" - "It should be done today, and tomorrow I will spend going to the movies, shopping, etc." Look for positive moments, lay in more positive arguments, and life will cease to be bleak.
Don't get distracted from your main business. Focus on only one of the cases and do not be distracted by outsiders. For example, when you start cleaning your closet, focus only on cleaning, not trying on clothes. After completing the main task, you can do more interesting things for yourself.
Make a detailed plan of realistic goals, defining each as short-term or long-term. After reaching even a small one, reward yourself for your responsibility and hard work. Praise and please yourself, because you completed the task on time, without putting it off for a long time.
Look for the right motivation and self-interest, because, according to Calvin Kulich, “nothing in life can replace perseverance.” come up with positive reason- and things will go much easier. For example, doing new project you are approaching a pay raise.
If you have no idea how to approach a business and do it correctly, just start doing it. Our behavior is also subject to the law of inertia. This means that energy must be expended only at the beginning of any business. And then it becomes noticeably easier - the law of inertia comes into force. In the process of activity, the decision will come by itself, you will get involved and complete the task imperceptibly even for yourself. Praise yourself! After all, you did not spend a lot of time to tune in, prepare for execution and think through the sequence of actions in detail.

How to get results as quickly as possible?

Any habit is developed within 21 days. We advise you to develop a certain business regime - to start business at the same hour. If you started on time, be sure to praise yourself, a little, slightly. To make it not so boring, develop a personal ritual of inclusion in work. After 21 days, most likely, the habit of postponing things for later will disappear, and a new, useful one will appear instead.

By the way, the reason for the delay may be the desire to do the job superperfectly. And the person begins to waste time collecting information. And you just need to get to work. According to the Pareto principle, 20% of the available information already provides 80% of the information necessary for work. And the rest is just a waste of time, since the missing 20% can only be calculated during execution practical work. To reduce the time of searching and processing information, the simplest plan will do, so there is no need to complicate everything.

Give yourself permission to be imperfect and you can start doing the work quickly. Most the best teacher is a practice, her experience is invaluable. Having done something once, in the future you will do it much faster and better. Learn to enjoy the little things, encourage yourself for the work started on time and not put off for later.

Even if the result is not exactly what you expected, cheer yourself up - after all, you did it!

Procrastination is enough compound word, but in fact for every fifth person it denotes his lifestyle. As many as 20% are wondering how to stop postponing things for later and not delay their implementation. This is a very insidious problem, which can be difficult to deal with. According to psychologists, every person at least once in his life delayed the solution of a problem or shied away from obligations. But that doesn't make him a procrastinator. Another thing is if all this is permanent. In this article, we will tell you how to deal with this problem and why people procrastinate.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, not today!" - so lazy people say

Such a well-known proverb fits very well under the concept of procrastination. It was during the period when it was most common that this term appeared (approximately the 19th century). In fact, procrastination is English word(procrastination), which translates as "delay". And since tracing paper is not entirely clear and easy to pronounce, modern psychologists use more local concepts:

postponing,
transference,
delay,
"breakfast"
"progeny"
tightening.

This concept should not be confused with laziness. Procrastination is the realization of the importance and urgency of the matter, but inaction for fictional reasons. And here lazy man, doing nothing, not much and cares about it.

Main types

It turns out that not all procrastinators are the same. Everyone has their own motives for postponing things for later. Psychologists distinguish three main types:

Irresponsible. Such procrastinators delay the completion of tasks in order to avoid unpleasant consequences. They are afraid to take responsibility. For them, this is a great way to not be responsible for anything in this life and always come out clean from the water.
Boyaguz. The second type is simply afraid of everything. Such a person avoids the fear of failure in every way. It is easier for him to remain in the shadows than to be a loser.
Extreme lovers. For some, being a procrastinator is a kind of fun. A person puts things off until the last moment in order to feel euphoria. Subconsciously, he likes to understand that he may not have time to complete the task, while a portion of adrenaline enters the bloodstream.

If you are thinking about how to stop procrastinating, then first decide why you are doing this and what type you are.

What's bad about it

Procrastinators who have not yet realized that they are such do not see anything unnatural in their behavior. Moreover, at first they even like it. There is a peculiar feeling of freedom of action (I want to do it, I want to - no). But in fact, procrastination has a lot of disadvantages. It interferes with a person's life and negatively affects his nervous system. The consequences may be:

constant stress,
loss of productivity
guilt.

Procrastination affects every area of a person's life. In what way?

life's troubles

Problems with self-discipline in a person a huge impact for the rest of his life. First, he cannot fully realize himself. For example, postponing things for later at work leads to the fact that the authorities are dissatisfied with their subordinates. The attitude towards such a person is changing. He is assigned fewer important cases and, of course, a promotion is out of the question. Such people are considered lazy, irresponsible, as a result, a person spends his whole life in a low position with a low salary.

Procrastination also interferes with relationships with friends, relatives, and loved ones. Postponing things for later that you asked for close person, is perceived as disrespect and is accompanied by resentment. For example, a woman asked her husband to buy washing powder. The husband postponed this business until later, at the very last moment he arrived at the store, but everything was already closed. He didn't buy what he was asked for, and his wife couldn't wash her work outfit. Of course, she will be offended by him for this. If he continues to put off important matters for later, most likely, the woman will decide that she is not at all important to him, and will leave him.

Procrastination often manifests itself in relation to parents and children. Even close people do not always understand such behavior and are offended. Relationships deteriorate, and then it will be much more difficult to restore them.

Painful psychological effects

A person who puts things off for later experiences many unpleasant feelings. In cases of failure, he is often ashamed and hurt for himself. Every time he promises himself that he will do everything on time, but everything repeats again. It is interesting that a person who cannot force himself to do something, sometimes, on the contrary, cannot stop.

Such situations, for example, happen with alcohol. A man knows that he has to get up early for work tomorrow. But in the evening, friends invite me to a bar for a glass of beer. He agrees and promises himself that he will drink just a little. But with each glass he allows himself another and another. He knows for sure and remembers that he has to get up early tomorrow, but he cannot stop. A lot of time has passed, but he is still sure that he will have time to sleep. As a result - a heavy morning, a hangover, but, in addition, self-flagellation for the fact that he nevertheless went to this bar and could not stop in time.

The tendency to constantly put things off leads to failure and loss. A person constantly criticizes himself and further aggravates the situation. The result of such behavior can be a nervous breakdown, depression, getting into the network of negative habits.

Wrestling Techniques

We have already figured out the name of a person who puts things off until later, and now it remains to find out how to stop being a procrastinator. If you are hoping to find a magical recipe that will change your whole life in a matter of days, your efforts are in vain. Work on yourself - hard work on the other hand, this is the path to success. The discipline of time management deals with the study of time management. Within this science, there are many various techniques who teach how not to put things off until later.

Transformation into a superhero

Procrastinators are always admired by people who do everything on time and with quality. They have time everywhere, while they still have enough time to visit various sections, relax with friends, build family life and succeed in your career. How do they do it all?

There is good news. Procrastinators are not born, they are made. And this means that it is quite possible to get rid of this tendency. You need to start becoming a superhero right now, right this minute. This will be your first task with which you will successfully cope. Further it will be easier. The main thing is to start.

Time management

The first step is to learn how to plan. And for this it is important to correctly prioritize. Write down all the important tasks you need to complete this week. Now decide which ones are the most important. They will need to be done first. Don't write too many tasks for yourself. It is better to write less and do everything than more, and then reproach yourself again for not being able to do everything.

Order of affairs and time for rest

It is very important for a person to take breaks between work. But for procrastinators, they usually take a very long time. Therefore, try to plan your breaks as well. The order of things is also important. For example, on Sunday you scheduled a spring cleaning, paying utility bills, and shopping for groceries. Between all these things, there must be rest. But if you start the day with a spring cleaning and then lie down on the sofa to watch a movie, then you are unlikely to go to pay the bills and go shopping later. It would be better to start with the latter. In the morning you can go shopping, pay your bills, and in between you will meet in the park with a friend for 20 minutes. After doing these things and having a rest, it will be possible to return home and start cleaning.

Motivation

How to learn not to put things off until later? You need to know exactly why you need them and why you should fulfill them. Every time there is a desire to move important task, ask yourself: “Why should I (should) do it?” Clear settings should be expressed in the head:

I go to the doctor because my health is important to me;
I carry out the instructions of the boss, because I want to occupy a high position;
I fulfill my mother's request, because for me she is the closest person, and I do not want to hurt her;
I clean my house because I want to live clean.

Real Goals

Sometimes, feeling a surge of strength and energy, a person begins to set unbearable huge tasks for himself. If you choose easy way stop postponing things for later, then the tasks themselves should not be difficult. If you are just learning to get rid of the phenomena of procrastination in your life, then you should not plan anything new. First you need to deal with what has already accumulated and ruins your life.

You can set yourself a single goal - what you really live for. For example, if you live for your child and think that the most important thing is to teach him and educate him, then write down in your daily routine a few hours that you will spend with him. You should not write in the goal of buying expensive things that you can only buy by a miracle. Remember that all unfulfilled plans will hang over you like a cloud and spoil your self-esteem.

On the other hand, don't feel too sorry for yourself. There must be at least one important goal, and then every day you will perform many simple tasks related to it.

Distractions

Without them, procrastination would definitely not exist. A person is not just constantly putting things off, at this time he is engaged in all sorts of nonsense. For example, instead of doing an important task:

talking on the phone,
communicates on social networks
reads the news
checks mail
watching movies and shows.

To resist these factors is quite simple. There is an easy way to stop procrastinating and not be distracted by trifles. This will require self-suggestion. Try to have a dialogue with yourself. Tell yourself that if you successfully and efficiently cope with the task, you will have time to do what you love. Or, for example, after you finish writing a report, treat yourself to something delicious. Motivation can be any, the main thing is to bring the matter to the end without being distracted.

It is very important not to say to yourself “I have to”, rather use “I want”. For example, I want to complete this assignment and get rid of it. In fact, almost similar phrases, but the brain perceives them completely differently. Even in a schoolboy, when they say that he must do something, a contradiction arises inside. Try to tell him not "you must comply homework", but "I think you want to do your homework and then go for a walk." And you will see that the effect will be amazing. The adult brain functions in a similar way.

To completely get rid of distractions, put your phone in silent mode, remove bookmarks on the social network from a prominent place, hide the remote control from the TV away.

How to relax properly

It turns out that not every rest is effective. If before important matter you decide to look for 5 minutes in social network, there is a good chance that you will be stuck in it for several hours. In addition, after the mass of information that you read and see there, you may not be able to continue doing your job (especially if it requires mental stress). It is important to choose the type of recreation for which you can take only a certain (clear) time. For example, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and just calm environment drink it. It is unlikely that this lesson will take more than 20 minutes. In addition, at this time you can think about the upcoming business, focus on it. To good ways reboots include:

walk on fresh air,
short sleep,
taking a bath,
meditation.

Watching TV is inappropriate recreation. Very often, a person, in order to take a break, turns on the “box”. And here, as luck would have it, an interesting program or a film that he had long wanted to review. And 20 minutes of rest turn into several hours. During rest, you can also perform the following exercise.

Imagine your life in retrospect. Here you are lying on the couch, then you eat, routine work, dissatisfaction with yourself and your life, and the years go by. Time flies at an incredible speed, but what have you already achieved in your life? And what could be achieved? Imagine two parallel realities. In this one you are a procrastinator, and in the other you are a successful and the strong man. Which one do you like more? Think about your meaning of life, about goals and quickly write down all your feelings in a notebook. By doing this exercise from time to time and rereading your thoughts, you will clearly see the dynamics of changes in your life.

Summing up, we can say that the mere fact that you are thinking about how to stop putting things off until later is already a good sign. This means that you realize that you are wasting a lot of time. You just have to make a little effort and change your life. And you need to start here and now.

Today we will consider such a very common bad habit as procrastination and talk about how to stop procrastinating. You will learn what procrastination is, what are its main causes, how procrastination is treated, how to deal with procrastination.

My communication experience shows that many people do not even know such a concept, although they have it.

Surely one of them, after reading the title, thought of some kind of illness, especially since I mentioned the word “treatment” here. In fact, procrastination is not a medical, but rather a psychological term, what it means and how it harms - more on that later.

What is procrastination?

The term "procrastination" is borrowed from in English(procrastination), where it consists of two Latin words: crastinus - tomorrow and pro - on. Thus, the term "procrastination" literally means "postponing until tomorrow." It appeared relatively recently - in 1977.

Procrastination is a psychological term that means the habit of constantly putting off important and inconvenient things until later. various pretexts.

A person who procrastinates is called a "procrastinator".

This bad habit is present to one degree or another in 80-90% of people, and more than half of them are observed in a rather obvious form, and for 20% it is an extremely serious problem that needs to be addressed immediately. Signs of procrastination can be observed in all spheres of human life: in work, study, business, household chores, etc. It is important that the procrastinator is always clearly aware that he needs to complete one or another important task, but at the same time he tries in every possible way to put things off until later, coming up with various pretexts for this, which are needed, first of all, by himself, in order to somehow justify postponing things. Most often, such pretexts are banal - classes that do not bring any benefit. Consider what procrastination is with an example.

A person who earns knows that he needs to gather his thoughts and write an article for an order or for sale. He turns on the computer and thinks: well, now I’ll make myself coffee and start writing ... He goes to the kitchen and finds out that sugar has run out. Then he goes to the store, buys sugar, comes back, makes coffee. Before writing an article, he decides to check the news on social networks and finds a topic there that he really wants to comment on. He leaves a comment, at this time a friend writes to him, some time is spent communicating with a friend. Then the responses to the left comment arrive, and he enters into a discussion with opponents. Thus, under various pretexts, he puts off an important matter for later - there is procrastination. Moreover, from this this case his earnings suffer, and possibly further cooperation with the customer.

It is important to distinguish procrastination from: when a person is lazy, he simply does not want to do any work, does not realize its necessity and importance, and does not feel any emotions about it. And procrastination is a special search for arguments with which a person justifies postponing things for later, while realizing the importance of the necessary work. “First I will do this (unimportant), and then I will take up that (important)” - here main principle a procratinator who takes on the task only when all possible excuses and distractions have been completely exhausted.

In the same way, procrastination should be distinguished from rest, “doing nothing”: when doing nothing, a person replenishes his energy, and when procrastinating, he loses it, wasting it on trifles.

Procrastination is not an innate, but an acquired property of the human psyche. And this means that it can be treated, it can be fought.

Procrastination “in small doses” is a completely normal and harmless phenomenon, as well as laziness “in small doses” and doing nothing. But when it takes on the character of a bad habit and has negative effect to some side human life(work, life, family relationships, etc.), and even more so, on all these sides at once - this turns into serious problem with which you need to fight, and the sooner you start this fight, the better.

To know how to deal with procrastination, it is necessary, first of all, to analyze the main reasons due to which it occurs.

Procrastination: causes.

1. Unloved job. The most common cause of procrastination is engaging in an unloved activity that does not bring moral satisfaction. It is quite logical that a person will try in every possible way to delay the performance of work that he does not like.

2. Wrong prioritization. Often people do not know how to correctly determine what is important and what is not, or do not even think about it, which is even worse, as a result, they develop procrastination.

3. Lack of life goals. If a person is not, and, accordingly, does not strive to achieve them, naturally, he does not need to rush to do important things, and he will develop procrastination.

4. Lack of time planning. Another reason for procrastination lies in the absence: when a person does not have a clear, fixed plan of action, he is much more tempted to put off important things.

5. Lack of knowledge, skills, abilities. If a person does not have the necessary to perform a particular job, he will also try his best to put it off, thereby developing procrastination in himself.

6. Inability to make decisions. When a person is overcome by indecision and doubt, he cannot, hesitates, constantly postponing for later, and this leads to the development of procrastination.

7. Fears and phobias. Procrastination can also be caused by various fears and phobias present in a person. For example, fear, fear of defeat, fear of success (and this happens!), fear of the opinions of other people, etc.

8. Perfectionism. And the last reason for procrastination that I want to mention is perfectionism, the desire for an ideal: with it, a person likes to put things off until later, “until better times”, which in reality never come.

Procrastination: consequences.

The phenomenon of procrastination, which at first glance seems quite harmless, can lead to very serious negative consequences including health issues.

1. Loss of productivity. First of all, procrastination significantly reduces the results of work.

2. Negative attitude. A person suffering from procrastination gradually calls to himself negative attitude the people around him: employers, clients, partners and even friends and relatives, because he cannot fulfill his work, his promises on time.

3. Overexertion and stress. When a person constantly puts off things for later, at some point he gets into time pressure, is faced with the need to have time to do a lot of things in a short period of time, as a result he experiences severe nervous and / or physical overstrain and. Which significantly undermines your health.

As you can see, the consequences of procrastination are very serious, which once again suggests that with this bad habit gotta fight. Fighting procrastination is so important that psychologists very often refer to it as medical term– “treatment for procrastination”. Consider how to deal with procrastination, the most effective methods and methods of such treatment.

Procrastination: treatment.

1. Awareness of the problem. First you need to clearly realize and admit to yourself that you have this problem, that it bothers you, and that you intend to fight it. Nothing will work without this.

2. Correct placement priorities. When thinking about how to stop procrastinating, you must first of all learn how to correctly divide all your work into important and unimportant, urgent and non-urgent. For these purposes, there is a wonderful tool called. Start applying it to your Everyday life and work - so you can fight procrastination.

3. Faith in your own strength. The treatment of procrastination will be ineffective if you lack the main component - that you will be able to complete all the tasks facing you.

4. Time planning. Highly effective method fight procrastination - planning your work and personal time. Make yourself an action plan for a month, a week, a day and strictly follow the plan - so you can no longer put off important things for later.

5. Delegation of powers. If the reason for procrastination is because you constantly have to do some unloved and unpleasant work, consider delegating it to someone else. Perhaps for another person it will be more acceptable, and in this way you can get rid of procrastination.

6. Job change. If you hate all your work (which, unfortunately, is not uncommon), seriously consider changing it to something that you like more. No need to torture yourself all your life, the money you earn is not worth it! Moreover, I am sure that you can still earn more while doing what you love, the whole problem is that you are afraid. Admit it to yourself and look for options.

7. attitude towards the situation. There is Golden Rule psychology: if you can’t change the situation, change your attitude towards it. It can be fully applied to combat procrastination. Try to look at the things that you put off until later, from a different angle, and they may seem to you no longer so undesirable, and even useful.

8. Fighting fears and phobias. The treatment for procrastination may be to get rid of the fears that cause you to put things off until later. This is psychological question, to which, I think, it is quite possible to find the answer on the Internet.

9. Source of motivation. If you still don't know how to stop procrastinating, find something that will motivate you to get things done. For example, the money you will receive for your work, the praise of your boss, the result of your work, etc. Even if none of this motivates you, come up with this source for yourself, for example, promise to buy yourself a cake that you love, in case you complete the work on time. This helps a lot!

10. Self-development. And finally, the general one will tell you how to deal with procrastination: you will set goals for yourself, develop a plan to achieve them, implement it, analyze your actions, etc. In people with high level development of personality, procrastination is virtually impossible.

Now you know what procrastination is, why it is dangerous, and how to deal with it, how to stop postponing things for later. I hope that this information was useful to you, and you can use it for your own benefit.

See you at - a site that will increase your level financial literacy and help you achieve success in any business!

Before handing in an important project, an exam, talking to your parents, or going to the dentist (when your tooth already hurts), how often do you find a lot of other, simpler activities that are absolutely not related to the main business? Moreover, each list of such cases and the situation is very individual and may contain quite a few items. And even if you have only one item on this list, it still interferes with a normal life. What to do? Deal with this unpleasant phenomenon.

Let's start with the very definition of the term " procrastination" - this is a concept in psychology, meaning the constant postponing of unpleasant thoughts and deeds for later.

As I said, the list of such things and thoughts is individual and can be quite impressive. There are several tips that help fight procrastination and do not require any complex actions. The main thing is not to postpone work on yourself “for later”.

1. Do one unpleasant thing for you in the morning. Of course, not immediately after waking up. And when the time will come get busy, let the first item in your "ToDoList" be at least one small thing that is unpleasant for you. For example, call a plumber or call a not very pleasant client. It's like jumping off a tower without thinking. Or approach the edge a hundred times, estimate the height, retreat, gather your courage and ... stop again just before the jump. And so on until you are pushed by someone who has already exhausted the patience to stand in line for the jump. good rule- at least a small unpleasant thing first, and your list is already one item shorter.

2. If you find it difficult to do any work several times a week, do it every day. As strange as it may sound, this rule works. For example, you need to write blog articles or fill out cards for a program. Of course, you can sit down and write in a few days right amount. But, firstly, it is not always at hand desired material, and secondly, it will be very difficult to sit down and force yourself to write a second time in a few days (taking into account the fact that you do not like it, but you still need to do it). If you start working on it a little every day, then gradually get involved. And to sit down for this work will not be so difficult. Gradually, it will become your habit, and later you may even like it.

3. Find company for your "unpleasant affairs." Research shows that we do many things much more willingly in the company of someone than alone.

4. Make prep your essential tool. That is, collecting the necessary tools gives you the opportunity to mentally prepare for an unpleasant task. For example, when printing a letter, or collecting necessary information before talking to a client. You don't have to do it today, you can postpone it. But it is quite possible that just by preparing in advance, you decide to finish this business as soon as possible and do everything on the same day.

5. Keep a List. This advice can be found quite often in the fight against non-fulfillment of tasks (in other words, ubiquitous laziness). And it works. Usually lists are made for doing something long-term, but it works with one-day ones too. Just write down on paper that by the end today I have to do this and that.

6. First - the most unpleasant (ladies and children - go ahead). Make sure you do one of the major unpleasant things first, and not by doing "little troubles" trying to delay the most unpleasant thing (and it happens).

7. Learn to enjoy the completion of things you don't like. Forced yourself to do what has been postponed for a month - rejoice! At least for the fact that you are such a fine fellow at home and have finally found the strength in yourself to complete a very unpleasant business. Even if you were a little sick during the execution and there was an unpleasant aftertaste at the end. You did THAT. You are well done!

And now I would like to ask what you are starting to do to avoid doing an unpleasant thing? I, personally, start sorting things out or looking for what else I should do “seemingly necessary”, often not related to “my dragon”.

Let's not be cunning: each of us is familiar with procrastination firsthand. Most are even able to courageously admit that from time to time we deliberately (or not?) Delay acceptance important decision that can affect our lives. It could be a trip to the dentist, a big or small task waiting to be done, or a simple house cleaning. Today we will try to find out in what situations one should be on the alert and what can help in the guerrilla struggle against this unfavorable quality for a person.

Let's start without delay.

1. Determine if you really need to do it

Perhaps the reason for your procrastination lies in the absence good reason to get started. A job that you can't stand, or something else, unloved since childhood, which you always wanted to get rid of, is from a completely different category, which does not include dreams and real goals.

AT similar situations I would advise first of all to approach the assessment of the upcoming task critically: why waste time on something that is decidedly not to your liking, if there are many other tasks that are a pleasure to take on?

2. Conduct a small "reconnaissance in force"

Once you figure out what tasks are idle, take one of them and do a small part of it to get an idea of the level of complexity of the execution. Based on the impressions received in the process, decide whether you need help.

Often we overload ourselves with thoughts about how many things need to be done, and then we can’t move, imagining an endless list of tasks: there are many of them, and the worker, that is, you, is alone. This approach is obviously wrong. But what if you give a pressing issue, say, 15 minutes or half an hour? It is likely that you will get a taste, thereby moving off the ground.

3. Listen to yourself. And do the opposite

The best friend "I'll do it tomorrow" - "I don't want something." If rebellious moods grow in the soul, they must be fought with the same decisiveness and toughness as with international terrorism. After all, if you follow your desire to do nothing, what will happen next? Correctly, nothing.

So, before you take on something that cannot be avoided, try to tune in to a new way: meditate, take a walk, or resort to another method that works for you.

4. Order First

The environment around you can successfully both promote procrastination and help in the fight against it. Take a quick look at your desk, home decor, or any other place where you have to work.

Surely not everything around you is in a state of perfect order, so find the strength to tidy up: get rid of the garbage, put everything in its place so that both the eye will be happy and the work will be argued.

By the way, after a little cleaning and I think it's easier. See for yourself.

5. Accustom yourself to the thought: now it will always be like this

As a rule, the first steps in anything, whether it be sports or new responsibilities at work, are always difficult. Probably the most simple example there will be a situation in which each of us finds himself at least once in his life. Remember the magic Snooze button on your alarm clock? I bet you may not know what this English word means, but you absolutely know how this button works: there is nothing easier than pressing it and sleeping peacefully on.

So here it is it is forbidden succumb to this kind of temptation, listening to your inner voice, calling to postpone all matters indefinitely. Forget about the rules of etiquette when he once again sounds in your head: cut off his tirade in mid-sentence and do what you must.

6. Tell a trusted person about your important decision

It can be your business partner, wife or best friend- Yes, anyone, the main thing is that he was in the know. State your intentions to this person with key points, dates, and deadlines. Ask him to control you as an experiment.

It may very well be that your ally in the struggle for productivity and yourself needs help and additional motivation in life. Therefore, we urge you to be honest with each other: gently but decisively point out the places that, in your opinion, require special attention. And act.

7. Don't Let Yourself Be a Victim of Circumstances

Have you ever wondered why the expression "being a victim of circumstance" is so popular? Why do stories from the mouths of losers gather crowds of sympathizers? The answer is simple: people want to be sure that there are always those who are weaker, more unfortunate, more unfortunate than themselves.

Let's think productively: digging into own problems will not help in finding solutions. Chin up! Try to dispel the gloom, convince yourself: "I'm fine." Then everything should work out.

8. No apology accepted

In general, you should apologize as little as possible. To apologize is, in fact, to forgive oneself, that is, our main enemy. If you forgive yourself everything right and left, in the end you will become stupid and begin to live, guided only by instincts and natural needs. Is this life?

There can be infinitely many reasons to agree with yourself, following the path of least resistance. Eradicate in yourself the slightest germs of this bad habit.

9. Learn to focus in a short time

If you want to be successful, learn to manage your time. Start small: train yourself to be focused for the small amount of time it takes to complete a given task.

Having mastered this technique to perfection, you will be able to begin long-term planning. As my favorite poet said, "big things are seen from a distance."

10. Listen to Indian Mantras

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Even if you are not a frequenter of ethnic festivals and have never thought about a trip to Nepal or Goa, pay attention to the national music of the country of elephants and curry sauce. Mantras are positive attitudes, listening to which and meditating, you can find peace and tune in to desired fret. The first thing to learn is to control the breath. When it is within your power, you can begin to comprehend more complex conditions- focus on what you need.

By the way, there are many mantras. You can experiment and choose the one you like and works.

11. Leave your comfort zone

Our eternal enemy is the inner voice. If you allow it to sound, it will subtly convince you that it is right. And we know for sure that in most cases he is wrong. Try to distract yourself from it by any means known to you.

Most often, it occurs in those moments when we tend to doubt our abilities. Therefore, if you are not sure whether you will reach the end of the path, try to drown out the words of doubt with positive attitudes: “I can, I will get there, I will do it.”

12. Visualize goals. Represent Success

Visualization is a powerful tool for achieving goals. It has been proven time and again that this technique helps to kill procrastination in the bud, motivating you to succeed.

Looking to the future helps you focus on your end goals and how achieving them will affect the quality of your later life. Get a "wish board" if you want to succeed as soon as possible.

13. Give yourself some trouble

Or a lot, as long as it takes. What am I talking about? The fact is that suffering and various kinds of grief are also sources of motivation: the feeling of disorder pushes us forward, and we change jobs, move, learn something new.

Reaching up to certain point awareness of a situation that you do not like, normal person starts act. So, if you are still sitting still and prefer not to think about the problem, then everything suits you, not otherwise.

In general, you are the same wizard who can help you cope with everything. As the wise Mahatma Gandhi taught us, if you want a change in the future, become this change in the present.

14. Who dares wins

Curb your fear! Fear of something is the surest accomplice of procrastination. Just tell yourself: "No, I'm not afraid of anything, I will succeed." Repeat this often, write it down on a piece of paper and hang it in a prominent place - we already talked about the benefits of visualizing thoughts in point number 12. If you manage to gain control over fear at least once, then it will continue to work.

How to do it? Talk to yourself - everyone has done it at least once in their lives. So why not make it good good habit? Alone with your thoughts, you can not prevaricate and not look for excuses for your negative traits: fear, laziness, unwillingness to change something. Try to identify your problem areas and start to deal with them.

15. Work on self-discipline

To be honest, the choice is often not so great: either gather all the will into a fist today and embark on a path of change, or reap the bitter fruits of disappointment in the foreseeable future. Leave important decisions life questions for later - it's too easy and, alas, completely inefficient.

Many people know the proverb "Sow a thought - you reap an action, sow an action - you reap a habit, sow a habit - you reap a character, sow a character - you reap a destiny." Charge yourself with the right thoughts, acquire good habits because everything is in your hands.

In general, each of us is nothing but a collection of habits and patterns. You can train yourself for absolutely everything. Take advantage of this feature human consciousness in your own interest!

16. Scales must be correct, and deadlines must be foreseeable.

It's easy to make promises, isn't it? Many songs have been sung around the world on this topic and even more words have been said. The same applies to deadlines, deadlines, as it has become fashionable to say now. It takes at most half a minute to assign them; it can take weeks and months to complete.

How to proceed? Let's think strategically: imagine that as a punishment for disrupting your work schedule, you will be deprived of the opportunity, say ... to drink coffee for a month! Not a very happy prospect, is it?

17. Declare war on perfectionism

In fact, there is absolutely nothing good in it. First, let's look at the definition. Perfectionism is the belief that best result can (or should) be achieved. It would seem that nothing is wrong, but, thinking in a similar vein, we are infinitely moving away from the true goal, which is to get the job done - get sh*t done as they say across the ocean.

The main mistake that many tend to make is the substitution of concepts. Perfectionism has nothing to do with high quality. No matter what anyone tells us about this, the answer will be the same: time is money. Learn to manage it in the same way as an experienced commander manages his army.

18. Don't Forget to Reward Yourself

Sometimes we miss the reward for a job well done. We must not forget about encouragement, because it is one of the strongest sources of intrinsic motivation. That's why it's so important to celebrate your victories, both big and small. Arrange an extraordinary day off, please yourself with a purchase that you have long dreamed of, feel the joy of triumph!

In the end, the fight against procrastination is not easy. As Jim Rohn, a famous American public speaker and business coach, said in his book Vitamins for the Mind:

We must all experience two kinds of pain: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. The difference is that discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs tons.

Are you prone to procrastination? What and why do you tend to put off over and over again? Share with us your opinion and successful experience in dealing with adversity!