Procrastinate at home, at work, and in relationships is quite observed between all of us. Have you ever contemplated on this habit of procrastination? Is it your own mind playing games with you? If you don’t win over your mind then procrastination will not only damage your self-image on a day-to-day basis but also lead to time loss, lowered performance and efficiency of co-workers.
Getting stuck with procrastination-run might buy you more time in a short spell but in the long-term, it is always a loss in terms of achieving “goals.” The habit procrastination puts you in a loop of non-doing and non-achieving goals which leads to failure even on the smallest tasks and that give rise to deferment, delay, stalling, postponement and brings a lot of dissatisfaction for you and for your work environment. In Psychology, researchers suggest that the symptoms of procrastination could be fear, lack of self-control, and some degree of self-deception. It can lead to stress, missed deadlines, misunderstanding and missed opportunities.
There are big costs associated with procrastination; It leads to problems like insomnia, the immune system plus gastrointestinal disturbances, also it erodes personal relationships and teamwork in the workplace. It is often seen that people who procrastinate are plagued with guilt. What to do? Let’s discuss the two ways to overcome procrastination—
- Time Management – First, identifying the specific goals where you are procrastinating — say networking, meeting project deadlines, delegation, decision-making and prioritizing duties to name a few. Second, chalking out the steps required to achieve your goals can be a lucrative breakthrough. Professor Marc Mancini – success speaker and writer explains, breaking down the larger projects into small accomplishable jobs can lead to huge success. For example, Henry Ford, credited with designing the first production line, mentioned, ‘Nothing is hard if you divide it into small jobs.” Ford examines the huge task of assembling automobiles and broke it down into logical, sequential steps. Similarly, any complex task is open to such an approach to segmenting difficult tasks into simplified tasks. Third, making a list of action items for each goal can bind your awareness to complete immediate and long-term goals to measurable returns. Just do it and cheer up!!
- Meditation – Science has proved that practicing meditation and certain breathing techniques nurtures both alertness and a relaxed state of mind. A relaxed state of mind helps in planning better and fragmenting the tasks into achievable goals. A growing number of studies show how breathing techniques (Pranayama) are effective for clarity of mind, anxiety, and insomnia. These techniques influence: Physiological (by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system) and; Psychological factors (by deflecting attention from thoughts).
Speed and haste might get more work done, but it might be at the expense of our health. By contrast, a peaceful and calm mind can achieve more as it has elements of both peacefulness of mind and excellence in action. Practicing techniques for a relaxed and peaceful mind helps us achieve mental focus, clarity and heightened awareness.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the creator of the Happiness Program, says, “The secret lies in our own breath. Through breathing exercises, certain breathing techniques and some practice of meditation, we can rekindle positive vibrations within and around us.”