Writing for Forbes.com, American expert on emotional intelligence Travis Bradberry looked at some of the most common causes of procrastination and suggests ways of dealing with them.
1. “Where to start?”
When faced with a daunting assignment, many people tend to freeze when, in fact, they should be responding as quickly as possible. The best way forward is to break what seems like a mammoth task into smaller units to be completed within a shorter time frame. You will be encouraged once you see progress gradually being made. Just don’t remain passive.
2. “Too much going on.”
Rather than getting started on a major task, we often prefer to find other, less demanding things to occupy our time. However, being busy and being productive are too different things. In such situations it is worth doing a reality check and reminding yourself of the potential consequences of procrastination; various distractions will then seem less appealing.
3. “Child’s play.”
Putting off seemingly simple things is not to be recommended since dealing with them subsequently may take rather longer than you anticipated. Bear in mind also the potential knock-on effect of not completing even minor tasks or performing them badly. In other words, always consider the bigger picture.
4. “Not keen on that.”
Sometimes the level of difficulty is less of a problem than a straightforward lack of enthusiasm or – and this is worse – an aversion towards the task in hand. Here some self-discipline is required: force yourself to deal with the bugbear before moving to more pleasant things. You might also consider trying new approaches to mundane tasks in an effort to make them more fun.
5. “Could be a problem.”
Fear of falling short can result in an unwillingness to get started at all; however, such procrastination is really a form of failure in itself. If you lack self-belief from the beginning you won’t have much chance of success. Try instead to focus on all the potential positive outcomes if and when things go well.
Bradberry concludes that by battling against procrastination you will be more committed in your work; this in turn will lead to greater creativity and better results.
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