It’s time to quit procrastinating. As a habitual procrastinator, you’re definitely aware of the stress and frustration that comes with delaying tasks to the last minute. Even if you desire to perform or complete a task, you’re likely to have problems getting started. Indeed this habit can change today! See our practical steps on how to quit procrastinating and read some other interesting information concerning procrastination.
Additionally, 20% of adults in the United States are chronic procrastinators, according to Joseph Ferrari. A psychology professor at DePaul University in Chicago and the author of “Still Procrastinating: The No Regret Guide to Getting It Done.”
It is critical to quit procrastinating because it can hurt your quality of life. For example, adults who keep procrastinating starting a diet or exercising, are more likely to grow unhealthy. While employees who keep procrastinating work deadlines are unlikely to receive promotions.
Types of Procrastinators
Some psychologists have propounded two types of procrastinators: active and passive procrastinators. Active procrastinators purposely postpone projects because working under pressure makes them “feel challenged and motivated.” While passive procrastinators postpone doing projects because they have difficulty making decisions and acting on them. This could be due to a personality trait.
Causes of Procrastination
According to psychologists, some major cognitive distortions contribute to academic procrastination. These include
- overestimating the amount of time students have to complete things.
- overestimating their motivation in the future.
- underestimating how long it will take to perform tasks.
- falsely believing that they must be in the right frame of mind to work on a task.
Apart from these causes, procrastination may also be symptomatic of an underlying mental health condition such as depression, or ADHD. See a specialist.
Strategies to Quit Procrastinating
Just like any other bad habit, procrastination can be equally learned and unlearned. Try these strategies
- Divide larger projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. Some projects may appear complex and intimidating at first, but if you break them down, they may be easier to complete.
- Take one step at a time. Don’t try to combine many smaller tasks at the same time. Because you can easily burn out and procrastinate the rest of the tasks.
- Get rid of distractions by finding out what takes your attention off important tasks and getting rid of them.
- Listen to instrumental music. I found this hack a few weeks ago and it has boosted my productivity significantly. Try it!
- Write a To-Do List. This might seem too common but it does magic. Writing a To-Do helps you to track your activities for the day and motivates you to get things done. I love the serotonin boost whenever I cross off an item from my To-Do List.
Finally, I hope you found this let us know in the comments if these strategies helped you quit procrastinating.
Check out our posts on e-learning, web development, and many more. Sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss out!
