Tips to Stop Procrastinating

Lot of people have a habit of procrastinating and they are not aware that this is the root cause behind their lives becoming unmanageable. The reason most of them suffer is because they just don't know that they are shirking their responsibilities and adding to their worries when they procrastinate. It is you who will have to take some steps to get out of this habit, no one else can help. For example, if you have a physical ailment you go to a doctor but if you have a character defect the onus to get rid of it lies on you. There is no set formula to stop someone from procrastinating but there are some measures that each individual can take to combat this habit.

One of the reasons people procrastinate is because they think that the work at hand isn't important and it can be done another time. Another reason for delaying to do the task at hand is that there is ample time to do this and it can be done at the last-minute. If the aforementioned justifications pop in your mind every time you start working, your alarm bells should start ringing.

Prioritize your Work
If you are wondering how to stop procrastinating, well the answer is simple, prioritize your work. Start by assigning a mental note of importance to your tasks. For example, your boss asks you to arrange an appointment with a client, make coffee and pass on a message to canteen chef, you assign importance to arranging the appointment. If you are home and are faced with the choice of watching television or doing the laundry, remind yourself that doing the laundry is important, you can record the television program or watch the re-runs.

Planning is Important
Most important micro skill required to avoid procrastination is proper planning. It is important that you plan your day and allocate a specific time and duration for your tasks. To help you better understand, if you have three tasks and each needs to be done at a specific time better plan your day. For example, you have to go to the bank at 3pm, pick up the kids from school at 4pm and meet a potential client at 5pm. You will have to ensure that you reach the bank before 3 pm to complete your work and pick up the kids on time only then will you be able to make the 5pm appointment with the client. If you reach the bank late it will start a chain reaction of delays and you will probably procrastinate meeting the client.

Action is Magic
One of the most important procrastination quotes is that 'thoughts have no value and only action yields results'. Sitting at the desk and thinking that you will do the task when the time is right has no value. There is no right time but right now. Even if you have something assigned for the evening make sure that you start acting on the chores that you have in the morning, this will set you in the mood of doing things on time. One more thing to remember is that action is in your hands and not the results. Most people who procrastinate don't even start the work because they think that the result is going to be unfavorable.

Other steps that can help you in avoiding procrastination are:

• Maintain an Organizer
• Set Alarms and Reminders
• Start with the Toughest Task
• Do not Keep Work Pending
• Avoid Multitasking
• Avoid Indecision
• Goal Setting
• Get a Calendar for Planning
• Start your Day with a 'To-Do-List'.
• Keep a Positive Attitude

It doesn't matter if you are habituated or do it once in a while, there are no degrees to separate the chronic from the acute procrastinator. Think of FEAR as Face Everything And Realize and do not get paralyzed by it and succumb to the evil of procrastination.