Beating your problem with procrastination begins with determining the causes of procrastination. What are some of the reasons why you miss deadlines and are constantly rushing to complete tasks?
Your issues with putting things off are as unique as you are and very often your reasons for procrastinating will be specific to you.
However there are several causes of procrastination that are universal. Take some time to look through some of the most common reasons why you may be putting things off till the last minute.
A desire to be perfect
If you are overwhelmed with doing a particular task to perfection you may find yourself putting things on the back burner because you can’t live up to your standards of perfection.
Remember perfection doesn’t really exist.
Try your best and come to terms with the fact that perfection is not attainable. With this burden off your shoulders you will be more willing to get things done.
You don’t have a firm grasp on what your priorities are
This can be one of the causes of procrastination because you might be confused about what your responsibilities are; what tasks are obligations and which are options.
Once you straighten out your priorities and come to terms with their order of importance, you will start to tackle the things that really need to get done.
Underestimating of time
This is a big one because many people just don’t seem to know how long the average task takes to complete. If you allot half an hour to something and it actually takes an hour you can see how this will become problematic.
You should always account for the worst case scenario. Yes, it might only physically take you half an hour to finish a report but you should also consider, brain freezes, computer troubles or other interruptions that you can not control.
Be more realistic with your time and you’ll notice a big difference in your ability to complete jobs.
Not focusing enough is another cause of procrastination
You’re easily distracted and every time you sit down to complete a task something else comes up and you allow yourself to lose focus and drift away from the task at hand.
So to avoid this, try to remove all sources of distraction. Turn off the t.v, designate a particular time for you to check voice mail and email and work in a quiet area.
Removing distractions will help you focus more on that particular thing that you need to finish.
Low energy is another one of the reasons for procrastination.
Without sufficient energy you may not ‘feel’ like completing your project.
Without energy you may have a very lack luster approach to getting things done and then surprise surprise, they don’t get done. Make sure you have proper meals, especially breakfast. Get enough sleep and exercise and you will find that your energy levels will remain high.
We could go on and on about the causes of procrastination. The important thing is for you to identify exactly what it is that causes you to put things off.
If you are conscious of these reasons then you’ll be able to work at the root of the problem and not just scratch the surface.
It will also be helpful for you to read up on the effects of procrastination as well as exactly what is procrastination. The more you know the better.