Overcome procrastination
If we are completely honest about it, everyone, at some point or other, falls prey to procrastination. Whether it’s scrolling social media, constantly checking your mails or perhaps taking more coffee breaks than is strictly healthy. Procrastination is normal and can even help to fuel creativity.
The problem comes in when procrastination prevents us from achieving our goals, hinders productivity, fuels self-sabotage and plays into poor self-esteem. In these instances, it’s important to get honest about your tendencies to procrastinate and take action to take control.
In this article on How to Overcome Procrastination, the author cites a study that found that “80% of people have experienced the negative effects of procrastination. You need to embrace all life opportunities with open arms as soon they are presented to you. Overthinking and procrastinating will result in you getting left behind”.
But, like most things in life, the remedy to this particular ailment lies in self-knowledge. It helps to understand the root cause of your procrastination. Could it be boredom, fear of failure or self-sabotage? Whatever the reason, a positive mindset can help you to focus on what you find fulfilling and to place less emphasis on overthinking and avoiding what you don’t.
The article also offers suggestions on how to get around procrastination. These include:
- Practice time management: The Pomodoro technique is a popular and effective tool for managing time and aiding self-regulation by breaking tasks into sprints allowing you to remain focussed.
- Change your perspective: By shifting our language around tasks from ‘have to’ to ‘I choose to’, we can empower ourselves and take control of how we feel about the work we do.
- Commit to assignments: Write down your tasks and commit to a timeline for completing each task.
- Work in productive environments: Tackle your tasks immediately and don’t let today’s work spill over into tomorrow’s to do list
- Set realistic goals: By setting superhuman goals you will only set yourself up for failure. Likewise, vague goals will only fuel the procrastination habit. Make sure your goals are achievable and commit to them.
As we move towards March, some of us may find ourselves procrastinating on certain tasks we set for the start of 2022. Tackle them now and set a positive tone for the rest of the year.
The Kyocera Philosophy says, “Pursue Unlimited Human Potential” and it goes on to say, Human potential expands limitlessly as we continue to strive. We must always believe in our unlimited potential and maintain and attitude that bravely meets all challenges.
Michelle Frenzel - HR Manager - KYOCERA Document Solutions South Africa
