By Matata Mercy
Procrastination is simply the habit of putting off tasks until the last minute.
Procrastination is a very bad habit that can affect our careers and personal lives in a negative way, we can lose opportunities, we can have frenzied working hours, we end up stressed and overworked.
When I was still at school, I suffered from procrastination and it really affected my performance.
We would be given an assignment that was supposed to be submitted in two weeks but we would wait for the last day to come.
Then we would start working on the assignment.
We would feel the panic, the stress levels would be high.
Sometimes we would submit incomplete assignments and that would affect our grades at the end of the day.
Today, I would share with you the causes of procrastination and also how to overcome procrastination.
Here are some of the causes of procrastion, basically the reasons why we put off tasks.
1.High stress levels.
When we are highly stressed, it becomes very difficult for us to do the tasks that used to be easy for us.
For example if you enjoyed writing previously and did it effortlessly, with stress in your body it will be difficult for you to just complete a sentence.
So stress can make us put off the tasks that we enjoy doing.
Personally, when iam stressed and I want to work on something, I usually lose the creative juice.
I cannot easily bring out my ideas especially when am writing an article for my blog.
To remove the stress out of my body I usually switch on music that I love and within a few minutes the stress levels are almost down to zero.
Sometimes, I just get off my butt and start moving around.
Exercise is a great solution to stress, procrastination and it will keep your body active.
By the time you sit down to perform the task at hand, you are fit and okay.
Setting aside some time for play, relaxation will make it easy for you to accomplish those tasks.
This will give your mind a fall back cushion knowing that after that task you are going to relax and have fun.
2.Being overwhelmed.
When we have a lot on our plate to do,we end up procrastinating inorder to make us feel good.
If we have very long to do lists,one solution would be to reduce them and only do the tasks that will add more value to you.
Another solution would be for you to delegate the other tasks that you cannot perform.
This will leave you with only a few tasks that you can easily do.
Peak performers in any field prioritise vacation time over work time.
They work less but they are very effective.
3.Lack of skill
If we lack the skills that are required to do the tasks ahead of us.
Procrastination will take over us as away of avoiding embarrassment and making us feel good.
The first solution is to accept your shortfall in the required skill then go ahead and educate yourself.
Another alternative solution to this problem is delegation.
In the modern world today, there are very many important skills that need to be acquired.
So it would be a good idea to delegate these tasks with unique skillsets to other people.
For example if you are good writing code for software product, you can delegate branding and marketing to other people.
As for me, as a growth oriented person i would prefer putting aside time to learn the required skills be it branding or marketing.
Take it slowly, it could be 30 minutes per day. You will be glad you did.
4.Lack of motivation.
Sometimes procrastination can be as a result of low motivation within us.
This low motivation will most likely cause a lack of interest in what you are supposed to do.
If you discover that you have extremely low motivation for the tasks that you are supposed to do.
Then it could be time for you to rethink your career.
According to Stevepavlina,a personal development blogger when he got bored and started putting off tasks while in the gaming industry, he knew the moment had come for him to take on a new career.
That is how he started blogging.
And so when you have low motivation, it's time for you to become an adult and discover your purpose.
When you discover your purpose, you will crush procrastination and it will not be an issue.
Good luck to our success.
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