Deadlines slipping? Never enough hours in the day to do that urgent and important job? This is procrastinating! Let me be honest…we all do it. It is an awful habit which we need to break.
What is procrastinating?
Are you putting off tasks you need to do but doing everything else instead, things that are not moving you forward in other words? I am sure you remember when you should have done the critical work but instead surfed the internet. Mostly we procrastinate because we are afraid of failing, or it really does not excite us. Fear of failure is a big promoter of procrastination as it makes you feel incapable of dealing with the task. I am sure you have been in a severe procrastination mood. You know you have to finish a job, but everything seems to be more important than completing the job you have to do.
Bodily symptoms of procrastination
If you procrastinate, you can develop anxiety or stress, giving you physical symptoms such as headaches, an upset stomach, high blood pressure or chest pain.
Top tips to help you end your procrastination habit:
• Change your thoughts and change your life. Is your inner voice stopping you from getting on with the job ahead? Is the fear of failure putting your body in a state of anxiety?
If this is you, then start with this mantra; STOP, DO IT NOW!
Say it aloud so that your subconscious mind can hear it. If you say it with a natural feeling of “let’s do it”, you will get yourself motivated.
• Visualise, Visualise is my favourite tip! See yourself clearly already finishing the job. Imagine how you feel, what you will do after it and how proud you will be to finish the job on time.
• Plan your time and divide the task into small steps; work for 30 minutes and be consistent. You will need a bit of discipline to finish jobs so start small and build up over time.
• Set a daily or weekly goal or to-do list for yourself. Make it your plan to complete these items by the end of the day or week. Tick them off so you see progress.
• If you complete a job early, treat yourself to something you love. Make a list of things that bring you happiness and call it a love list, like calling your friend, going out for a walk, tucking yourself up in bed with a brilliant book or whatever you like. Celebrate your achievement; this will help you to develop a sense of worth and self-respect.
• Stressed? You cannot think straight if you are stressed. If stressed, use your breath to calm you down or shake; Shake your whole body vigorously for a minute. Imagine you are releasing all the stress and emotion. I promise you; you cannot shake and be stressed.
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
