How many times have you realized that even though you have a task to complete, you just couldn’t help bring yourself to do it and this somehow started to affect your sleep pattern as well as the quality of the task? We often find ourselves trapped in the habit of procrastination, which negatively affects your work along with your overall health by increasing stress related problems such as headaches and digestive issues. Researchers interviewed over 10,000 people for a survey and found that procrastination actually takes away some of their happiness.
But, why do we engage in procrastination? A common explanation could be our lack of interest and our fears of failure, fear of the unknown, and/or even the fear of being judged for a task. Another possible explanation involves a person’s need for perfection, they are found stuck on a task, mulling over how it is not good enough due to the high standards which they set for themselves own self and sometimes they think that if they start a task they can’t stop until it’s all done; so if they can’t do it all, they won’t do any of it. An all-or-nothing thinking pattern.
How to deal with procrastination? A simple hack is a five-minute approach. To do this:
1. Commit five minutes of your day to begin doing this task.
2. Then you may commit five more minutes or if it feels too much too soon then maybe take a 2 minutes break.
The idea is to keep using this approach until your task is finished. This can be a surprisingly effective way to start intermediate and longer-term projects because it’s often easier to maintain momentum after you’ve initiated a preliminary action.
Furthermore, you can continue deciding at five-minute intervals or even choose another interval that works for you until you complete your tasks. Try to use different time intervals as per your need and write which one works best for you in the comments section.
Another hack to push yourself to start the goal or task is to build your accountability in front of others. You can do this by telling some of your friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and family about your projects. Now whenever you see them, they are bound to ask you about your status on those projects.
Remember to leave a healthy amount of time for emergencies and rest periods but don’t give yourself a week when you really need a day or two for that work.
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
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