Group #3 Activities by ISSAEL ALEXANDER GARCIA CANO

What is Procrastination?

Chambers English Dictionary defines procrastination quite simply as “to put off till some future time, to defer”.

Its root is from two Latin words, pro, meaning onward, and crastinus, meaning ‘of tomorrow’.

Procrastination is, therefore, nothing to do with the relative pleasantness of the task, but simply the physical deferral to a later stage.

Why do People Procrastinate?

There are many reasons why people procrastinate:

Sometimes it’s because the task is unpleasant and they’d rather be doing something else.
Sometimes, they don’t really know how to do a task and so are avoiding it.
Perfectionists often procrastinate, because they’re not sure they have the time or capacity to do a task perfectly.
Other people may struggle because they are not sure exactly what task to do.

Procrastination may be the thief of time, but sometimes, your wish to do it may be your subconscious at work.

If you notice that you’re continually putting off a particular task, stop for a moment and ask yourself why. Be honest about the reply. You may find that you’re worried about the consequences, or you don’t think it’s the right thing to do, or even that you don’t have a clue how to do it.

If so, talk it over with someone and see if you can find an alternative that you’re happier to do.

Avoiding Procrastination

Once you’ve decided that you really do need to do something, there are plenty of things that you can do to help you avoid procrastinating.

Minimising distractions is a really good start, but here are some more ideas that you may find useful:

Do it first, then reward yourself with something you’d rather do. It can also be helpful to do unpleasant things first thing in the morning, when you’re a bit more resilient, and also when you can’t think of a really good excuse.

Do it more often, not less. If you find yourself struggling with a task that you feel you ought to do once a week, or twice a week, try doing it every day, instead. That way, it will be harder to put off, and you will feel worse if you don’t get it done that day.

Write it down. It sounds odd, but it’s much harder to ignore a task once you have written it on your to-do list, especially if it’s a list of things to do today. A more extreme version of this is to tell someone else what you plan to do. You can even ask them to call and check whether you’ve done it.

Arrange to do it with someone else. If you struggle to motivate yourself to go to the gym, or to take exercise, or even to take your child out somewhere, arrange to go with a friend. This has two benefits. First of all, you’ve arranged to meet at a particular time, and you will feel bad if you let your friend down. Secondly, we all enjoy things more if we do them with someone else.

Finding your Own Way

Everyone has to develop their own strategies for avoiding procrastination.

The ideas on this text should give you a starting point for developing your own systems and taking control of your tendency to procrastinate, helping you to just get on and do it.

]]>