Sometimes I procrastinate starting a new project in fear of failure. To minimise such disappointment, I plan. Unfortunately, sometimes the planning itself takes forever. Meantime an opportunity is lost, time passes, and the desired outcome is still out of reach. Procrastination is a physiological state of freezing.
On the one hand, you are motivated to succeed. But, on the other hand, you are scared of failure or not succeeding; therefore, you are stuck in this transitional state, called procrastination or avoidance. If you recognise yourself in my story, read on to find some tips that may help you overcome procrastination.
#1 Recognise the roots of procrastination
One of the fundamental human needs is to be recognised and accepted for what you are worth. But our performance is not equal to our ability, and ability is not equivalent to our worth. So if you find yourself procrastinating, recognise your feelings and develop a strategy.
#2 Change your environment
You can remove distractions by changing your environment. For example, you aspire to commence exercising at home and start doing push-ups every day. You plan to use the room with that soft carpet where you usually watch TV. Unfortunately, there is a great chance that once you are in that room, you will be tempted to reach for a remote control instead. Do you see what I mean?
#3 The compounding effect
Make your project manageable by breaking it into smaller parts. For example, if you wish to commence exercising, ask yourself to start with just one set of your maximum push-ups every second day. Does it sound doable? Over time, you will see how you get stronger and stronger due to the compounding effect of resistance training.
#4 Reflection and analysis
It is ok to get discouraged. But do not stay discouraged. One of the best tools for nurturing motivation is tracking your progress. And the most straightforward way to do it is on a humble calendar. First, keep crossing out the days when you did something small or big towards achieving your goal or completing your project. Then, look for the emerging pattern and adjust your strategy.
No one is immune to procrastination. Mark Twain once said: "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade wind in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover."
