The Cause and Cure
1. Change your flawed thinking to positive, realistic thinking. There are old wise sayings for procrastination. Here are a few, "Time waits for no man." "Strike while the iron is hot." "He who hesitates is lost." "He who hesitates is last." These old sayings still hold meaning. You can't wait until you're in the mood to finish important tasks; you must use positive self-talk to get yourself motivated. 2. Set clear goals for yourself. Your goals must be attainable. With specific tasks, work backwards from the due date with a calendar in hand. Be realistic about how much time it will take to get the parts done. Most important in setting your goals is to avoid overloading yourself.
3. Divide and conquer. A big task can look too big to tackle at times, as it is so intimidating and overwhelming. This is why you have to break the task into smaller, more manageable ones, and go through them one by one, as if each one was an important task on its own.
4. Have a "to do" list. Prioritize and partialize your tasks. It's always better to write things down then to have it just sitting there in our mind, where it can get lost with all our other thoughts. Therefore, write down all the things that you are putting off, and keep this list in clear sight, so that you are reminded of it. Don’t expect to finish an academic project in one step. Put all your assignment due dates on a semester calendar along with test dates. Determine how many parts each assignment will take and work on one piece at a time. Then, as you do each task, cross them off, and go down the list. You will not believe the wonderful feeling of accomplishment as you cross all the items on your list!5. Clean environment = clearer mind. Organize your work area and tools before you begin. Being in order helps to cure procrastination, as you feel less overwhelmed by all the papers and stuff lying around your space, and cleaning creates a discipline that can help you when it's time to do a certain task. Resist the urge to clean your workspace at this time--that's just another procrastination tactic. But you'll waste precious time and lose your momentum if you have to stop for pen, pencils, paper or your books.
6. Use reminders to help you remember important tasks. Refer to your master calendar, but also use post-its, a memo book and other memory aids.
7. Don't waste any time. Sometimes, you may not do something because you feel like you don't have the time to finish it. Try looking at such a situation from another perspective. Tell yourself, 'how much can I get done, in the time I have left?' Do as much as you can in the time you have, and soon, you will notice that you're not lagging behind that much anymore.8. Use the reward system. To give you an incentive, or a boost in motivation to do a certain task, give yourself a small reward if you accomplish it on time. Whether it's a certain food you treat yourself to, or a gift you buy yourself, it doesn't matter, as long as it inspires you enough to get the job done. This will reinforce your positive self-esteem. Now you'll feel more positive about approaching the next task.
9. End of day preparations. At the end of each day, go over all that you have to do the next day, creating a schedule, and thus making you aware of what's to come tomorrow. This will mentally prepare you for what's ahead instead of being surprised and feeling in over your head.
Well, that ends our topic on “Procrastination”. I hope this has helped you to make up your mind to start heading your problem with “Procrastination” off where it starts… at the beginning. Go ahead! With these help tools, you can do it!