Stopping Procrastination.

Last night, 9 pm, I am in my room staring as the clock passes, minute by minute, hour by hour.  I know I have a homework assignment due the next day and I know that it will take me at least three hours-So why, at 9 pm am I sitting at home, watching YouTube videos?

Procrastination is something that affects almost every person. However, procrastination can keep us away from success because it makes it impossible to effectively manage time.  Yet, when I see the successful people around me, I see people who never put things off until the last minute. I see people who complete tasks well and efficiently.  These are the types of people that I consider amazing.  

To stop procrastinating, we must understand why we do it.  According to prominent neuroscience theories, the need to procrastinate lies in the prefrontal cortex.  This part of our brain wants immediate pleasure, so we tend to waste time doing whatever we can to fulfill that need.  This can be anything from cleaning to watching television-just something that gives us immediate gratification.   This part of our brain battles with the part of our brain that knows doing something now will help us in the long run.

Of course, the need for immediate pleasure is only one factor in procrastinate.  Humans tend to misjudge how long tasks will actually take.  This makes sense. How many times have you told yourself that “This will only take 30 minutes, I will do it during my lunch break” only to find yourself up all night trying to finish that time consuming work?

Although it does not apply to me personally, some people claim they get a rush when putting things off to the last minute.  I once read a tip that, if this applies to you, set your own personal deadline.  If you procrastinate to the personal deadline rather than the actual one, it is not as detrimental to your grade or life style.

When I start working, I start thinking of all of the other chores I should also do.  This is a form of procrastinating. One way I have found to prevent this is my five rock list.  I only allow myself to do those rocks in a day and then, if I remember another chore that I need to complete, I add it to a master list and then choose it as a rock the very next day.

Or maybe you are a perfectionist.  Sometimes, I have this problem too.  I start a task and try to make it so perfect that I forget to move onto another one.    My five rock list has helped me here as well.  Lately, I finish my project to what is considered bare minimum effort.  Then, I finish my rock list for the day.  When my rock list is completed, I can go back.  To be honest, often times I don’t and no matter what, my work is quality.

I think procrastination is a habit.  It is something we do, but it is also something we can break.  But, like all habits that need to be broken, it takes patience and hard work.  Knowing why we procrastinate and how to stop is a step towards becoming amazing.