Hello Z fam! Happy Labor Day weekend. I hope you are enjoying this long weekend. I am excited to talk to you about this topic because I have struggled with this in the past, but I am getting better at it. Let's go ahead and tackle it 💪🏼
First, let me define procrastination for those who may not be clear on this term. "Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing a task or set of tasks." This means that you should be doing something that you are not doing. Instead, you are watching Netflix or just staring at someone's face on Instagram.
The million-dollar question is, why do we procrastinate?
Well, different sources will give you unique answers. There are many reasons behind a person procrastinating to get their shit done. I will discuss the ones I have discovered in myself. I will also discuss tips to avoid procrastination so you can complete that to-do list for once. Come back later and thank me by buying a cup of coffee 🌝
Why do we Procrastinate?
Often, people want to avoid the suffering in the now and want to put it off, thinking it won't be as terrible as it is now. The truth is, it will be worse. The longer you avoid a task, the more dreadful it becomes.
For example: Let's say you have an exam next month. It's a very stressful subject, and you have a lot of material to cover. While you are preparing for it, you will be stressed until you take the exam. Now let's say your exam gets delayed for another month. This will make you stressed for two months. Had you taken this exam a month early, you would've been free of that useless stress. The point I am trying to convey here is that try to tackle your most challenging tasks head-on. If you save it for tomorrow, it may become even a more complicated task. A couple of reasons why you are procrastinating are:
You are hungry or dehydrated
You are physically tired and sleep-deprived
You are distracted by things around you
The task is stressful, or you don't like it
You haven't created a priority list for your tasks
You are looking for an immediate gratifying task
Those are some reasons why I procrastinate 🤷🏻♀️.
I knew procrastination was a problem for me when I always had something to do, yet I wasn't crossing tasks off my list. I would start things off but then leave them midway. Some people suggest tackling the most challenging tasks at the peak of dawn or when you first wake up.
I suggest that you face your most challenging problem when you feel fully invested in it. If you don't feel fully invested in this problem, you may need to start by intentionally forcing yourself. For example: I hate interview prep but once I start it, I get into a flow.
Try these techniques to deal with your procrastination habits:
Eat and drink to make sure your physical needs are satisfied
Get enough sleep and maybe have a cup of coffee
Put your phone on do not disturb and put it away
Set your computer on do not disturb mode
If the task is stressful, remind yourself why you have to do it in the first place
Try to reward yourself after completing a task
Remove any physical distractions from your room
Putting my phone on do not disturb is my most significant way to deal with procrastination. I turned off all my notifications on my phone last year except the important ones to keep uninvited stress away. Another thing that helps me with my procrastination is to write my tasks down in my journal and cross them off as I complete them. A little adrenaline rush associated with crossing things off your list makes me want to keep doing it.
Another hack that I try is that if I don't feel like doing a specific task at that moment, I take a small nap or go for a walk. I make sure that I am fully present in my activity. By the time I return, I have regained my focus and can accomplish things with a different mindset.
Lastly, if you are a student, I get it. We procrastinate a lot of things in life. But remember, it's now or never. You can put a task off for later, but this will not help your mental health at all. So, be nice to yourself, and as Nike says, "Just Do It."
"Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration; the rest of us just go get up and go to work."
What's ironic is that I procrastinated writing this blog lol. I was supposed to publish this Friday. I guess some things never change 🌚
Oh and if you want to read a really good book on how to deal with procrastination, I suggest reading "Eat your frog". Bye now✌🏼
This week I am re-listening old albums. Street Gossip is one amazing underrated album.
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