Procrastination, the deadly killer of grades, the giant waster oh hours, and causer of millions of hours of social media scrolling. Some people believe that procrastination is an unstoppable force; while others, on the other hand claim to have beaten procrastination all together. Not only do I believe the fabled stories of triumph, but I P. Redmond know the path to eliminate procrastination once and for all.
1. Set Goals
The path to success starts with a good goal. For a goal to be good it must fall under a few different categories. A goal must be obtainable; however this goal cannot be too easy as it is achieved without effort. You’re goal has to be something that you wish to aspire too. Without this there is no foundation for effort. Add a time frame to your goals. By adding a time frame to a goal there becomes a deadline, this tricks the brain into automatically prioritizing importance of the situation making you more likely to achieve. My final rule for setting a goal is that it must be specific. Your goal can’t be “I want to lose a few pounds”, or “I would like to learn some Spanish” but rather “I will lose 10 pounds in two months”, and “I will learn to speak Spanish vocationally within the year”. By setting these goals you have a clear and reasonable site on which you can achieve.
2. Make a System
This may seem confusing to many people; we just set up a goal why do we need a system? A system is to a goal, like a path to a destination. We all know where we want to be at the end of the journey, but we are here now. What we need to accomplish is getting there. This is where the system comes in. make weekly plans that you can follow through with. Be precise with your planning. Focus on what you are going to do each and every day. It is the small tasks that will get you to your goal. For me my goal was to develop skills as a computer programmer. My system started off simply, three days a week I would brick away at my JavaScript programming book, the other four days of the week I would spend reading and learning from online courses (CS50x). This is where an important part of systems comes into play. Be flexible and ready to change. After I finished my book, I had to figure out a new way to adjust my system to what I had available. Systems, need to be regular but not set in stone. If you can accomplish this then you are well on your way to achieving your goals.
3. Have social media on your side.
If you have spent too many countless hours on Facebook, twitter, or now even on Instagram, while you were supposed to be accomplishing another task. Chances are you’re human. Yes, I am sorry to say but that is my professional diagnosis. (That will be $99.99) Now how can you turn these monsters of procrastination, into a positive? There are two options. The first option is for the stronger willed people who can fight the urge to check a status, look at photos, or just scroll aimlessly for hours. Have social media hold you accountable. What I mean by this is, make a status, or tweet about what you plan to accomplish; tell someone you values opinion your goals. By doing this you are turning social media into an advantage. Warning, this can turn into a bigger distraction than avoiding social media in the first place. This leads me to the second option. For those who don’t have the will power to ignore their social media. This option is simple; disable it. Yes, I am serious. Disable it from every device you have. Uninstall it from your phone, sign out on your computer, and forget about having it on your tablet. Rid yourself of the distraction completely. If you can do this you should be on the road to procrastination recovery.
4. Concur your discomfort, and fears.
Overcoming fears may not have been what you expected to hear in an article about procrastination. But this is a vital part in its overcoming. When people experience anxiety or fear they shy away from tasks more easily. This fear if not overcome can be turned into false rationalizations. “I’m not smart enough.” “I’m not good enough.” “This is just too hard.” Fear and discomfort a two of the main reasons that people procrastinate. For me it helps if I acknowledge that I am procrastinating because of stress. I then take a deep breath, and maybe even a 15 minute break. A break is necessary every so often. It helps your brain not overload. So don’t be scared, don’t let the tasks you may have overwhelm you. You can do it.
5. Never Accept anything less than what you are capable
Winston Churchill said “Never, ever give up” at least I think it was Winston Churchill. Who knows what you can believe these days. Sometimes giving up is the smartest most beneficial decision. This doesn’t mean that you should become a quitter. A smart person does on the other hand know when to call it quits. Though I think this is important it is not what I came here to tell you. That is, as long as you are capable of accomplishing something, and that something fits all the qualities of a goal as previously described. You should not give up. Don’t call it quits. Make it happen.Procrastination, the deadly killer of grades, the giant waster oh hours, and causer of millions of hours of social media scrolling. Some people believe that procrastination is an unstoppable force; while others, on the other hand claim to have beaten procrastination all together. Not only do I believe the fabled stories of triumph, but I P. Redmond know the path to eliminate procrastination once and for all.
Procrastination is not something easy to overcome. Many have fallen victim to it's circumstances, but I truly believe that if you follow the steps that I have laid out for you. That you, can be one a conqueror.
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