“It’s a job that’s never started that takes the longest to finish!!”

J.R.R. Tolkien

Most of us have a habit of delaying things that need to be done till they actually turn into something very urgent. This habit not only creates unnecessary fuss but also robs us off our mental peace. This is what we call as “Procrastination”. Procrastination is typically defined as the act of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying or postponing something despite knowing that there will be negative consequences for doing so. But then question arises, why exactly we put off important things even though we know the repercussions. Is there any strong reason behind it? Well, psychology can help us understand why we actually procrastinate.

A person needs to push himself in order to take any necessary action or to complete any task. And the drive to push depends on the kind of reward they will get after performing that action and also how early they will receive this reward. So, I’ll tidy up my wardrobe which I have been postponing since last two weeks to search a dress which I need to wear in the evening. Similarly, a student will complete his assignment just a day before the submission deadline when he could have finished it earlier. Because in both these cases, the reward is immediate and necessary. So, the drive to act is stronger than the drive to delay.

Another aspect of procrastination is that we tend to delay those tasks which may either cause inconvenience to us or challenge us emotionally. Some may delay their routine medical tests as they are afraid if there reports show something abnormal. Also, in case of some people, they deliberately procrastinate as they perform better under the pressure. Such type of procrastination is called “active procrastination” and has some positive effect to it. But still, it may cause stress in some situations. Perfectionism also can play role in procrastination as people may delay tasks, they feel they won’t perform well or fear that they will fail completely. Distractions such as internet and social media are the culprits most of the times when we put off routine tasks such as cleaning, organising or paying bills. Lack of motivation and worry about the failure are also important reasons behind postponing things.

We have gone through some of the common causes of procrastination. So now, let’s take a look at how we can work on ourselves and avoid procrastination even if we can’t put an end to it completely (after all, we are humans and not programmed robots).

• Set specific and achievable goals: Any task seems overwhelming if it’s vague and impractical! So, it is important to set specific and achievable goals for yourself. So, if you want to prepare for your exam, your goal can be studying 2 subjects daily for 2 hours each which is definitely specific and achievable rather than committing to mug up all subjects in 4 days. Dividing the task, you need to complete in small and doable steps increases the probability of getting the job done.
• Take that first step and just start off: Sometimes, the habit of overanalyzing things leads to not taking any action. The best way to avoid this is start doing the things you are fearing. I know, it is easier said than done but when you start doing the task, your mind concentrates on the action and not on the excuses. So, the possibility of completing the task increases. This is because, once you start doing, you may soon realize that it was much easier than you anticipated. And then you can also choose to discontinue the task if it doesn’t interest you but then you have to begin it first.
• Get rid of the distractions: Distractions could be a major hurdle in achieving any goal. Checking the social media aimlessly or gossiping with friends online can be so much engaging that we just easily put off the tasks on priority. Therefore, we can consciously keep ourselves away from these distractions while doing the job we are supposed to do. This way, we will be able to focus on the completion of the task.

Here, we have seen few techniques to deal with procrastination. These are general tips, but you can work to avoid procrastination specifically by understanding the root cause behind your habit. Also, we need to understand that the urge to procrastinate can be strong as there are so many engaging things ready to distract us and this habit is really difficult to break. But by keeping a tab on our daily schedule, working consistently on our to-do lists and by rewarding ourselves for small efforts, we can definitely keep the spirit up!! Please comment to share your thoughts.

I would conclude by quoting,

” Every accomplishment starts with decision to try!!”