If you can relate to even one of these memes then you, my friend, are a procrastinator.

Many of you won’t even know what procrastination means. So let us begin with that. It is the act of delaying or postponing something. Perhaps an example would help you better.

It is Sunday night. Or Monday morning, whichever way you want to classify 2 a.m. at night. You have to get up at 6 in the morning for a presentation for which you started working just two hours ago. The clock is ticking and you’re working furiously all the while cursing yourself for not starting sooner.

How did this happen? Where did all the time go? What were you doing earlier?

Now you remember that you were not motivated enough to do the task at hand. The hours you were busy scrolling through your various social media accounts are slowly starting to haunt you. The time you spent on all the coffee breaks is coming back to you in flashes. You regret doing small and comparatively less useful tasks that could safely be left for a later time.

Procrastination is a common trap that many of us fall into without even realizing it. It is often confused with laziness but they are not the same. Laziness is an unwillingness to act. Procrastination, on the other hand, is ignoring an important task in favor of one that is easier simply because you find it more interesting. So, how do you deal with this everyday evil in your lives?

Dealing with Procrastination

• Realize: To overcome procrastinating, the first step is to realize and accept the fact that you are procrastinating. Some signs include your day being filled with low priority tasks, or you wait for the right time to start a task, or you switch focus when you want to avoid doing something.
• Work out the why: The next step is working out the why of the problem. Sometimes the task could be boring or it could be your poor organization skills and decision-making skills. More often than not, perfectionists avoid doing a task completely assuming that they don’t have the required skills for it rather than doing something imperfectly. Many people also fear success as much as they fear failure.

• Strategies: The final step is adopting some of the anti-procrastination strategies to make your life better. Commit yourself to a task and promise yourself an immediate reward. Tackle the tasks as soon as they arise and avoid a buildup. More importantly, know that peer pressure works. Ask your friends and family to check up on you. Minimize the distractions in your day. These include surfing on the web, watching television while doing your work, or killing time in other creative ways. The most important thing is to do the task that you find unpleasant the first thing in the morning. This will clear up your day to concentrate on things you find enjoyable and will leave you in a better mood throughout the day.

Act bravely daily. Starting today. Take a first step, then another, and then another. After all, life rewards action.

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