“Procrastination can wait”

Procrastination is fatal for someone who wants to manage his time better and take control of his life.  Procrastination is akin to setting fire to your own home, cutting your favourite suit into shreds, and crashing your Porsche onto your neighbour’s hedge.  It is self-sabotage, plain and simple – so why do people do it?

Fear of Failure:  Some procrastinate because they are afraid to fail.  They are too afraid of not living up to their expectations or to other people’s expectations that they’d rather be called lazy than lacking.

Procrastinators who fall under this category must first build their confidence in themselves to overcome this problem.  This can be done through having small successes first and building on these towards accomplishing bigger goals.

Enormity of Problem: 
Some people procrastinate because of the sheer enormity of the problem.  They know deep down that doing nothing is the worst thing that they can do.  However, they don’t know where to start in solving the problem.  Failure actually comes as a relief for procrastinators under this category since this means that they can move on to other things.  That is, until they come face to face with another big problem.

For this type of procrastinators, the solution is learning how to break the big problem down into smaller and more manageable chunks. 

By breaking down a big problem into various but smaller problems, the person can focus his or her energies into solving the big problem, one small problem at a time.

Analysis Paralysis: 
Analysis paralysis happens when there is simply too much information or possible options so the person becomes unsure of the best course or resolution.  This frequently happens to perfectionists or to people who want total control.

People under this category are like mice trapped in their exercise wheel – spending so much time and effort going nowhere.  They would usually focus their energies into doing completely irrelevant things such as doing the laundry, cleaning the house and other errands just so they’d have a semblance of control over the situation.

To overcome this type of procrastination, the person must learn how to identify the things that are within his control and those that are not.  A number of options could be narrowed down through analysis based on priorities.  One can’t always expect the perfect solution.  Perfection should be seen for what it is:  a process of continuous improvement.

Force of Habit:
Some people, on the other hand, have lived with procrastination for so long that it has become a deeply ingrained habit.  Procrastination then becomes an unavoidable or unchangeable fact that has to be accepted.  Procrastination, however, is neither unavoidable nor unchangeable.

For people who procrastinate out of habit, the development of and the exercise of the will is usually the first step. 

Willpower, just like the mind, is something that grows stronger with use.  To overcome habitual procrastination, one must take the time to build his willpower by keeping the small promises that he makes to himself.

If you want to become an effective time manager, you have to change your whole attitude.  The next time you hear yourself saying, “This can wait until later”, or “This can wait until tomorrow”, get a grip.  Admit that you are procrastinating and say, instead, “No, this can’t wait. 

It’s procrastination that can wait!”