HOW TO AVOID PROCRASTINATION

If you go through any psychological journal, you will find how bad a disease procrastination is. But trust me it may be bad but certainly it is not a disease. Very easily you can tackle procrastination with a small exercise. Procrastination is usually a habit. People who are known as chronic procrastinators do not actually procrastinate everything. They have no problem when it comes to chores which are urgent and important and also which are urgent but not important. The problem comes only when they have to do something which is not urgent but important like exercise, quitting smoking, starting a business and continuing music classes etc. They spent days, months, and years procrastinating even though their life's meaning can be found only by doing things which are not urgent but very important.

All the other categories are important to survive but the important but not urgent things always falls in the category which defines your life.

The only way to tackle and deal with procrastination is to put the things from important but not urgent basket into important and urgent basket. Now how to do this...... write down all the important but not urgent things you wanted to do. Divide them into daily, monthly, yearly, and once in a lifetime groups. Then write down under each work why it is important to start doing it and now urgently.....think what happens if you continue to procrastination. Remember urgency is created by a thought process and copy the same thought process for the important but not urgent category. For example, take exercise and write down why it is urgent for you to start now. Think what happens if you do not do something which is urgent and important like going to work today. Is there some uneasiness a faint fear. Think why to want to see that movie now today. Is there a sense of joy in going to the theater with your family and friends. Develop this kind of fear or joy for the important but not urgent jobs.

Once the thought process is in place, body creates an uneasy sensation which can only be changed by taking action. Continue doing this until it becomes a habit. Take a pen and paper right now and start working on the things which are important but not urgent.....do not procrastinate. At fag end of your life when you look back, you will feel happy for living a meaningful life.

One of the best ways to avoid procrastination I have found is to go with the momentum which we have created by the initial enthusiasm.  Do a little everyday so that it becomes a habit.  Once it is a habit, you don't need motivation. 

God bless you.