Overcoming Procrastination

[admin]

Overcoming Procrastination: Are You Sweating Right Up to the Last Minute?
Peggy Duncan

If you’re waiting until the last minute to complete an assignment because you like that rush you get from being under pressure, and you think that’s when you do your best work, think again.

While it may be true that you’ll finish the work quicker because the pressure makes you move faster, is it that you’re finishing the work because you’ve done your best, or are you ending the work because you’ve run out of time? Did you have time to put the finishing touches on it, or did you raise the bar, taking your work to a new level? Probably not.

Instead, you threw something together, was satisfied with mediocre, took chances that nothing would go wrong, created a lot of unnecessary stress for yourself, and then plopped down to start procrastinating all over again.

Breaking the Habit

Procrastination is a habit that can be broken.

You just have to get out of the habit of procrastinating, and get into the habit of doing the work. Instead of agonizing over the thought of doing the work, and concocting every conceivable reason not to start, there are some things you can do right now to help you end this madness and begin overcoming procrastination right now.

Do you have the skills to do the work? Often, you’re given an assignment that you might lack the skills to do. If you have to write a report but you’re not very confident about your writing abilities, the thought of creating it will make you miserable.

Not having the proper skills for a task makes you less self-confident, and that will make you procrastinate. Try delegating this project to someone better suited to it. Then, enroll in a business writing class to improve your skills.

Look at the task differently Instead of looking at the project as one huge job, and being overwhelmed by it, break it up into smaller projects, and set deadlines for each phase.

Setting deadlines, even when you’re working on a project alone, gives you a goal to work toward. You could even tell a co-worker that you’d like to discuss each phase of the project with him or her, and give specific dates you’d like to meet. Your co-worker might not know anything about what you’re doing (or care), but your putting deadlines in place will help you get started and will keep you motivated.

Could technology make the job easier? Computer software has been written to perform absolute magic. If you know how to use it the right way, you’ll be able to complete the work much faster and can easily turn a full-day project into something finished in minutes.

You might not like that type of work. When it’s something you don’t like to do but have to do, don’t spend your valuable time agonizing over it. Schedule time on your calendar to do it so you can get it over with and off your mind.

How organized are you? Getting organized will help any situation. You might be jotting down ideas on sticky notes, various note pads, dinner napkins, and everything else that was nearby when you’d had a thought. If only you could find them now. You’ve perhaps spent time pulling together articles and reference material for a special report, but have no idea where they are. You walk into your office only to be greeted by mountains of incomplete work. Before you can even get started, you’re already overwhelmed. You’ll look for any excuse not to do the work.

Get organized so you can find everything when you need it and have a clear mind to get it done.

Do you have enough to do? It’s the strangest thing, but you may find that when you have too much time on your hands, you’re nowhere near as productive as you are when you have large projects to complete or major milestones to reach. If you don’t feel busy, you could get bored, and that usually leads to procrastination.

Stretch yourself, and set out to accomplish more than you think you can. You could end up accomplishing goals you never thought possible.

To break the procrastination habit, get as creative in coming up with ideas of how to get the work done as you are in thinking of reasons not to do it. Planning ahead and getting everything you need to complete the job, including acquiring the right skills, will help you reduce the stress caused by it.
http://stress.about.com/od/managetimeorganize/a/battlingprocras.htm

[admin]

Stop Procrastination--Now!
From Nancy Schimelpfening,

Styles of Procrastination; Time Management Tips

Never do today what you can put off for tomorrow. Better yet, never put off 'til tomorrow what you can avoid altogether!

I don't know who coined these phrases, but they must have been a depressive. The symptoms that we face, such as fatigue and hopelessness, make it so easy to say to ourselves, "I'll just put this off until tomorrow when I feel better". Before we know it, that deadline is creeping up on us and we're starting to panic. What's the best way to deal with panic? Hide your head in the sand and hope it goes away! Not really, but procrastination an easy habit to fall into and as the panic mounts, so does the depression. The more depressed we get, the more we avoid reality.

Why We Procrastinate

Why do we fall into the procrastination trap time after time? Because procrastination becomes a way--no matter how maladaptive-- of coping with the emotions and physical symptoms that accompany depression.

It may bring some temporary relief, but we eventually wake up the following day and find that no brownies have dropped in overnight and done our work for us.

Which style of procrastination fits you?

* Organizing thoughts and actions and keeping on track with plans is difficult. (People with ADD/ADHD may fall into this category.)
* Tasks seem overwhelming so it's futile to even try.
* Hostile feelings towards someone cause you to want to punish them by putting things off.
* Routine and schedule causes you to feel rebellious.
* You fear disapproval.

These procrastination styles can overlap in one of four themes:

Self-Doubt - These people feel there are rigid standards about how thing ought to be done and they fear they will fail. They second-guess themselves and delay taking action.

Discomfort Dodging - This person avoids activities that will cause them distress, discomfort or anxiety. Rather ironically, the act of dodging the activity doesn't make it go away so tensions mount because of this avoidance.

Guilt-Driven - The person feels guilt over tasks undone, but rather than correct the original lack of action continues to procrastinate in order to not face up to the guilt feelings.

Habitual - The person has procrastinated so many times, it becomes an ingrained response. The person no longer thinks about why they do it, they feel it's just a part of themselves. It becomes an automatic response to say, "This is too hard", "I'm too tired", or to laugh it off as a character flaw.

Once you recognize your style of procrastination, you can take steps to stop it.

Time Management Tips to Beat Procrastination

One of the most important things you an do for yourself is to get organized. Make lists, take a class in organization, or purchase an organizer. Do whatever works for you. One word of advice: follow the KISS principle (Keep it Simple, Stupid). If your organization system is too complicated, it will become just another task to avoid. Here's my own system. You are welcome to use it if it works for you.

*

Make a list of what needs to get done. This can be listed in no particular order and will give you a handle on just what you need to accomplish.
*

Prioritize these. My way of doing this is by deadlines. I arrange them in order of when they are due. You may also choose to rank them by how important it is to get them done. For example, paying your bills on time may be more important to you than cleaning out your closets. Do that first.
*

Get yourself a calendar with room to write notes in. I personally use a bound notebook and write in dates as I go. I make pages with dates for long-term planning and also keep a separate list that I transfer my short-term goals to.
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Take what's at the top of your priority list and determine how long it will take to accomplish it. If it's a quick task, put that down to be done the current day. If it will take a longer time, divide it into smaller tasks to be spread out over several days. Write this in your calendar with specific dates for accomplishing each. Include your deadline for completion of this task on your calendar as well.
*

Keep filling your calendar until you have a time set aside to do each item while still meeting your deadlines. Be careful to not overbook yourself and allow plenty of time for delays. This will allow you to feel confident that you can accomplish all you need to in the time you have. Now you can relax and work on one item at a time without feeling you have to do it all at once.

More Tips and Tricks

Bite Off Only What You Can Chew

Ever notice how broken up large shopping malls are? Lots of twists and turns, levels, and side corridors? There's a very good reason for this. If malls were laid out straight we could see just how far we are really walking. If we actually knew how far apart stores are, we would probably leave the mall, get in our cars and drive from store to store. By having our view broken up into small chunks, we feel as if it's a smaller distance. This same psychological trick can be used to help us overcome procrastination. Break large projects up into smaller tasks. For example, doing your taxes can be broken up into: pick up necessary forms, get records organized, fill in forms, double check forms for accuracy and mail. It won't seem nearly so burdensome if you take a small bit at a time.

Just Do It!

Next time you catch yourself saying, "I can do this later", think Nike.

Just do it! Push on through the feelings and do it now. The feeling you get when you finish will be so much better than any relief you get from putting it off.

Schedule Reward Time

As you go work through your tasks, you may find your mind drifting off to all the activities you'd rather be doing. You will find it much easier to concentrate on your work if you know that you have scheduled time for these activities. Tell yourself, I will work hard today accomplishing my goals because tomorrow is Saturday and I have scheduled time to go fishing. Knowing that you have finished your tasks will also make it easier to relax and enjoy your leisure time.

Anxiety Busters

Does the thought of performing a certain task fill you will anxiety? First, try this:

*

Inhale deeply while counting five heart beats (you may check this easily by feeling your pulse).
*

Exhale as you count five heart beats.

You should notice after each breath that your heart rate is actually slowing and you are feeling less tense. Now, do something, not matter how small. Just make a start. The very act of accomplishing something will ease your anxiety.

Change Your Expectations

Perfectionism and feelings that things should be a certain way, can be stumbling blocks to beating procrastination. Next time you catch yourself using language like "should" or "must", evaluate if these are only restrictions you are imposing on yourself or they backed up by the reality of the situation.

Perfectionistic thinking: "I must get an A on this paper or I'll be a total failure. There's just so much work to do. I'll wait until tomorrow when I am feeling better and can do a better job."

Reality: Not doing your work now will lead to a sloppy, rushed job just before your deadline and will leave you feeling too anxious and depressed to do a proper job.

Coping Strategy: Look at why you are procrastinating. Does the thought of failing make you feel anxious? Take deep breaths, replace your negative thoughts of failure with thoughts of your previous academic successes, and select a smaller task (such as preparing a bibliography) to begin chipping away at.

Mental Tricks to Give You Momentum

If you have several small items to do which are directly related to the project at hand, do these first. Even though you have some larger tasks left, psychologically it feels as if you have less to do when the list isn't so long. It gives you a feeling that you have accomplished something. Just remember, it must be a task that is relevant to accomplishing your goal. Raking the leaves may be a quick and easy task, but if what you really need to accomplish is a big term paper, you won't be helping yourself.

When you have accomplished a task, mark it out on your list with a pen. It gives you visual confirmation that you are getting somewhere. Again, this gives you a psychological boost. Sometimes I feel as if I'm getting nothing done, but when I look over what's marked out I see I've actually done quite a bit. I'm just constantly adding new tasks.

The Best Laid Plans...

Remember, if something can go wrong, it will. Allow yourself more than adequate time to finish each task. If you do not need all the time you've allowed, you will be able to progress ahead of schedule. This will be a psychological boost to you. At the very least, you won't be left rushed to finish.

Don't panic if you get behind schedule. If you've allowed yourself extra time each day, you will simply shift everything forward until you catch up. The key is to leave yourself room to be flexible.

What if you really don't have time to finish everything? Get creative. Request extensions on deadlines, get help from friends and relatives, delegate tasks to others, drop non-essential items from your schedule (the world won't end if you can't redecorate before your mother-in-law visits), or hire outside help. I haven't found a situation yet that couldn't be solved somehow once I let my expectations change about how it should be.
http://depression.about.com/cs/selfhelp/a/procrastination.htm

[admin]

Top Ten Time Wasters on the Web
Got some extra time, or just feel like putting something off? Don't say I didn't warn you, but these sites are addictive! Here are the top ten time wasters on the Web.
http://websearch.about.com/od/bestwebsites/ig/Top-Ten-Time-Wasters/

[Serenity]

Hi my name is Jill & i have been procrastinating on an amends. My sponsor has had me set a goal date, & I am encouraged to pray on it alot. Does anyone have any other advice on fear?

[flickchic]

Hello Jill,

firstly, I'd like to :46: :61: you, I'm Felicity, one very grateful recovering alcoholic and clean user, I live in Australia.

I have always been aware of being a procrastinator, only very recently gained awareness into the fact that my biggest area of procrastination has been driven by fear. It has been said many times over; 'if you have a fear then face it'. Pretty blunt and easier said than done hey? For me "facing my fear" was first to recognise it, pinpoint where and then working backwards to it's origin.
My experience to give you an example; I was late (again) to see one of my counsellors the other day, he suggested I put my hand up to be a leader of a community peer support group and I was going to see him to discuss that. I have always been a little late to see him, as a counsellor, on my journey I asked God for guidance as to why I continue to procrastinate here. Nervousness/fears became the answer; I find myself putting off leaving until the last minute and hence the lateness. The fears?...a) fear of the unknown = loss of control of self. b) fear of not being good enough. c) fear of being a failure. All of these things came to me as I began to look inwards.
ok, so now I have recognised when I do it, the feelings/concerns that are surfacing, next step for me was "why"?. Why am I feeling/thinking those things, where are they really coming from and what am I TRIGGERING here that is enabling the fear?
The why, where and what for me all originate from my c/hood abuse and continued to build over the years. The origin is the one I felt I really needed to focus on however. Tapping into my inner child/ren is where my answers lay.
So now I've recognised why I'm feeling what I'm feeling and where it is coming from. Next step, inner child work (for me), reassurance, love, self parenting. Lots of positive encouragement. Affirmations can be very helpful here. Even very simple ones; "I CAN DO THIS". The pains I "MAY" feel if things aren't quite they way I "think" they may be, that's ok, I can deal with that, because I am not a failure, what I am embarking on may not work BUT: that does not make me a lesser person for having given it a go and it not working out. I cannot control other people and all things in my environment, that DOES NOT MAKE ME A FAILURE.

In your instance, the fear of disclosure and looking at self and past mistakes may possibly be uncomfortable and even have emotional pain attached and if the fear is being driven by your inner child then she needs to be reassured that she need not fear, she is safe in you. This is about you, the adult, not her the child.

Making amends is somewhere we can fear going due to having to look at our past behaviours, and yep for most of us, some, maybe more of the outcomes of those behaviours are not something we want to see about ourselves. The reminders of how we "were" can be pretty scary. However by making true amends we are also acknowledging that we no longer are and or want to behave/ing that/those way/s any longer. We want to make amends to enable us to let go of the past behaviours, to move along and grow, to try and be better people, to serve others, to love, help and encourage others, to gain wisdom and be compassionate with others.

"For every negative there is always a positive"; what is feeling so negative at the moment will become something so positive when you work through it. The freedom of making amends and forgiveness, of self for wrongdoings is so healing and empowering, freeing of your soul/inner being/spiritual self.

The posts Tammy has placed here are very helpful and there are other posts relating to procrastination and fear also. I pray you are able to find encouragement and courage to go ahead with this piece of your journey.:195:

[clean42day]

Hi Jill, I am in the process of making amends right now to my brother Shane. I got two conflicting opinions on the topic. One was to let God guide me and let the process unfold naturally. The other was to take this opportunity and just do it.

the deciding factor being "god's will" not mine. I would like to "control" the situation and pick my time and my place to do the amends regardless if how the conversation unfolds. I was told this is self-will. on the other hand letting God pick the time and place and allow him to use me would require only my willingness to be in the moment and open to his voice within me.

I am a little confused too...or maybe I should say...not all that spiritually centered right now.

either way.....I will prolly not get this opportunity again to do my amends to him in person.....for many many years. so far I have wed. - friday to let God pick the right time and place.

I am more than willing....just a little on the pushing it side.

anyway I don't know if this has helped you but it helped me to write it.

light and love

Gail

[flickchic]

:195: ((((((((((Gail))))))))):195: