WHAT IS PROCRASTINATION?

By Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, procrastination is putting off intentionally and habitually the doing of something that should be done immediately.

You are well familiar with this, in fact, you may be doing it right now.

Procrastination in simple terms is putting off something that should be treated as urgent for later or tomorrow.

It is like a habit, unconsciously you procrastinate more tasking works for later and you go-ahead to do the less tasking work that is easier and enjoyable to do.

in your mind, you think you’ve done a lot of work already and then you push the rest for later and you know that that “later” will never come.

Well, this could create anxiety depression stress, and even regrets at a later time.

When you eventually realize that all those frogs have grown so big for you to eat them all at once,

with the deadline so close, you start stressing and putting pressure on yourself, and eventually, you regret not doing it in time.

These frogs are your big task that seems tough, while the tadpoles are the task you enjoy doing the most because it’s fun easy, and less stressful.

However, you must know that procrastinating is not just centered around students alone but it’s a life matter itself. Even the wealthy ones were able to get there because they overcame procrastination.

And trust me it’s not the devil’s work that you procrastinate. In fact, it’s your doing, your mindset, and your habit but that ends today!

If you are ready to start getting the most of your work done each day, eating the ugliest frogs along the way, then keep on reading!

BUT ARE YOU BEING LAZY BY PROCRASTINATING?

You may have guessed right, it’s no.

Laziness is the unwillingness to take any action at all while, procrastination as said earlier is simply the putting off of work to a later time intentionally.

So you’ve not been lazy by eating only the tadpoles first,

you’re just being a typical procrastinator. also don’t hate yourself because you’ve always been a procrastinator, it’s alright as long as you’re willing to make a change now.

1) CREATE A TO-DO LIST (THINK ON PAPER);

Yes, you read correctly think on paper! This act Alone can strategically change your entire life.

Do you remember when mum would write the list of foods to buy on a small note before going into the market?

Do you know why she did that?

In the markets like a school, there are many foodstuffs here and there in the market and

if she doesn’t write down the least she might end up buying things that are not necessary and the home and therefore waste money.

Similarly,

A school is a place with vast knowledge about different things. if you do not create a timetable you might end up whiling away time to gain knowledge that isn’t for you.

So, create a workable to-do list, you can write it on paper or an in-app on your phone it will be of great help to you.

Moreover, before you sleep or before you leave home for work or school write down the things you want to achieve that day irrespective of unexpected circumstances.

But you must choose to write only the cortex like read by 2 p.m., go to the market by 3 p.m. and so on. And not eat, bathe, drink water, and so on. Be specific and unambiguous too. Don’t fool yourself remember you are doing it for yourself.

2) SET DEADLINES;

         After You’ve Written Down Your Set out goals for the day, week, month, or year. set a closed deadline for each goal. You could even go ahead to set your alarm at those deadlines in order to not miss a day.

After you’ve written there goes talk about each goal in order of priority and deadline. When doing this it is important to have it at the back of your mind. “Label the ugliest frogs (biggest task) first before any other.”

You can never get enough of your 24 hours each day, but by eating the ugliest frogs first you’ll feel the joy that comes with finishing a huge task, you will feel like a burden has just been lifted off your shoulder.

3) GIVE YOURSELF A REWARD;

        This makes you excited to do work So that when next you have an ugly frog on your plate you will gladly eat it first before any tadpole.

It has also been proven that reward or other incentives given after work motivates one to do more because that person knows that there would be a reward attached.

       So what kind of reward could be so deserving for you to give yourself?

For instance, a takeout lunch, buy yourself a drink, surf the internet for a while, or even watch an episode from your favorite TV show.

But do not relent keep on learning by doing!

4) READ IN A CLEAN SURROUNDINGS;

      Reading in a clean tidy and conducive place helps the mind focus better.

Don’t sit around in your pile of clothes or nylon and say you want to read you won’t be able to focus with all that dirt and filth around you.

Firstly, drop your books and Pen, tidy up the room, arrange your appliances, then go back to your books and watch serenity work its way around you, helping you read and understand faster.

5) REMOVE ALL DISTRACTIONS;

       If you know that reading on your phone whether through Google classroom or zoom is not helping your case then look for the most suitable way to read.

Drop your phone, put it on airplane mode during reading sessions and concentrate. You can also print out your notes from the Google classroom and transfer them to your laptop for a better view.

Sometimes, even your thoughts could distract you but if you are focused enough you can always overcome it.

6) BE ACCOUNTABLE;

Accountability is the process of checking up on yourself or having a friend do it for you over a period.

After each day, go back to your to-do list, check off the ones you did and look through the ones you didn’t do that day.

Ask yourself “why did you miss this task?” If it’s genuine then you can always reschedule those tasks for the next day.

However, never allow a tax to stay on your list for too long. Be accountable, learn-by-doing.

7) MASTER THE ART OF CREATIVELY PROCRASTINATING;

       Creative procrastination is the act of procrastinating less important, time-consuming tasks purposely.

For instance,

I always listened to the radio every day consistently but after I learned about this I realized it was taking most of my time.

Sometimes I needed no noise, songs, or radio but just silence in other to concentrate, however, I still listened.

Now, I understand by creatively procrastinating the radio, I can only tune to it when I have a special show to listen to _this can also stand as a reward.

So,

If there are no huge benefits in certain tasks that are always eating up your time like,
watching soccer or playing video games then you can creatively procrastinate.

By only watching soccer when your fans are playing and playing the video game as a reward for achieving a certain task.

With this, I have come to the end of this article. However, do not be dismayed, the are many more ways to overcome procrastination. You can browse for more and even get yourself a copy of “Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy.”

Don’t forget!

There’s no special time to start implementing this,

begin now and start learning by doing, making NOT procrastinating a habit!