Preventing Procrastination

The Dangers of Procrastination

It can be extremely difficult for an individual to find the time that is necessary to study for a particular exam or interview among all of the activities that an individual normally performs on a daily basis. As a result, it is essential for an individual to be able to use the time that he or she has available in as effective a manner as possible. There are a variety of time management techniques that an individual can use to manage his or her time and each of these techniques helps the individual make sure that the time that he or she has available is not wasted. However, even an individual that is attempting to manage his or her time wisely may find that he or she is wasting more time than he or she should because the individual is procrastinating. Procrastination simply refers to the process by which an individual attempts to avoid or delay his or her need to complete an assignment or task as long as possible. In other words, an individual that is procrastinating is an individual that is attempting to avoid studying, is attempting to avoid doing his or her homework, or is attempting to avoid any of a variety of other similar tasks.

It may seem like procrastination is not really a major concern because everyone puts off performing various activities to some degree. However, procrastination can often be a larger problem than an individual might realize at first. This is because an individual that procrastinates by performing other activities that are less important than the activity that the individual was originally supposed to perform is wasting time that could be used to complete other important tasks. As the individual wastes more and more of his or her time on trivial tasks, activities, and distractions while the individual should be completing the original task, the amount of time that the individual has to complete the original task will become less and less. In other words, procrastination is a problem that compounds as the individual wastes more time because every minute that the individual spends saying "I can do that later" is a minute that individual could have used to complete the original project. If an individual wastes too much time by procrastinating, it may not be possible for the individual to complete the original task or at least complete the task as effectively as the individual could if he or she had more time.

Understanding the Causes of Procrastination

Procrastination can be a major problem to any individual that is attempting to manage his or her time effectively, so it is essential for an individual to be able to find ways of preventing his or her tendency to procrastinate. However, for an individual to be able to prevent him- or herself from procrastinating, it is important for an individual to understand the various factors that cause an individual to procrastinate in the first place. These factors include confusion regarding the task, distractions surrounding the task, difficulty prioritizing, fear of failure, lack of motivation, and unrealistic expectations. All of these factors can cause an individual to procrastinate, but each factor influences the individual's decision to avoid the task at hand in a different way.

Individuals that are confused about how to complete a particular task or are not even sure how to approach a task will often procrastinate in order to avoid having to figure out material that they do not understand. Individuals that are surrounded by distractions while completing a particular task, will often procrastinate by taking advantage of the distractions because they are more interested in the distractions and less interested in the task that they need to complete. Individuals that are afraid that they may not be able to understand the material or that they may not be able to complete the task will often attempt to avoid the task altogether in order to avoid failing at that particular task. In other words an individual that procrastinates due to a fear of failure can usually be described as an individual that believes it is better to be believed a fool than to make a mistake and remove all doubt. Individuals that procrastinate due to a lack of motivation avoid performing tasks because they are not interested in the task, they do not understand the point of the task, or they do not like the task or the actions they would need to take to complete the task. Finally, individuals that procrastinate due to unrealistic expectations avoid performing tasks because they do not believe that they can meet the high standards that they have set for themselves or meet the high standards that they believe another individual expects from them. It is also important to note that the factors that are causing an individual to procrastinate in a particular situation may vary from situation to situation.

Procrastination - Identifying the Causes

Procrastination can be a major problem for any individual that is attempting to manage his or her time effectively, so it is important for an individual to be able to find ways of preventing his or her tendency to procrastinate. One of the best ways for an individual to prevent him- or herself from procrastinating is by identifying and overcoming the factors that cause the individual to procrastinate in the first place. However, an individual can procrastinate for a wide range of different reasons so it may be difficult for an individual to identify the exact reason that he or she is avoiding a particular task. As a result, it may be easier for an individual to identify all of the factors that usually play a role in his or her procrastination rather than just the factors that are affecting the particular task that the individual is attempting to perform. In other words, the individual should attempt to make a list of all of the reasons that usually cause the individual to procrastinate so the individual can prevent these reasons from getting in the way of his or her task, regardless of the specific task that the individual needs to perform.

The easiest way for an individual to identify which factors might have an effect on whether or not he or she procrastinates in a particular situation is for the individual to turn each factor into a question that the individual can then answer. For example, the individual might ask him or herself "When I am confused by a task, do I avoid that task?" in order to determine if confusion may cause the individual to procrastinate. Each question should be in a similar format to this example, or in other words, in the format "When this factor is involved, do I avoid the task" and the individual should construct a question for each of the main factors that often lead to procrastination. This will allow the individual to easily identify each factor that plays a role in his or her procrastination. Once the individual has constructed a list of all of the factors that commonly have an effect on his or her ability to complete a project in a timely fashion, the individual can then attempt to avoid these factors when attempting to complete a task.

Types of Procrastinators

One of the best ways for an individual to prevent him- or herself from procrastinating is by identifying and overcoming the factors that cause an individual to procrastinate in the first place. There are a variety of reasons that an individual can procrastinate, however, so it may sometimes be difficult for an individual to identify the exact reason that he or she is avoiding a particular task. In fact, even if an individual can identify the exact reason that he or she is procrastinating, it is likely that the individual may not understand why that particular factor is causing him or her to procrastinate. As a result, it can be important for an individual to understand how each cause contributes to the individual's desire to procrastinate so the individual can avoid each of these causes more effectively. In other words, if the individual finds a particular subject boring, why does he or she avoid tasks related to that subject even though he or she knows that those tasks have to be completed? This may seem rather complicated, but it is basically a question of separating the factors that cause procrastination into different groups depending on how those factors affect each individual. In fact, procrastinators can actually be divided into two groups based on the underlying feelings that an individual has or the underlying feelings that the individual is attempting to avoid when a particular factor causes the individual to procrastinate. These two groups are often referred to as relaxed procrastinators and tense-afraid procrastinators.

Types of Procrastinators - Relaxed Procrastinators

Procrastinators can actually be divided into two separate groups based on the underlying feelings that an individual has or the underlying feelings that the individual is attempting to avoid when a particular factor causes the individual to procrastinate. These two groups are often referred to as relaxed procrastinators and tense-afraid procrastinators. Relaxed procrastinators are individuals that avoid a particular task in order to avoid the stress that may result from attempting to complete that task. For example, an individual that has a 15-page paper due the next day that counts as half of his or her grade and he or she has not even started it yet may go out and party instead of actually trying to write the paper. Since the individual is attempting to avoid the stress associated with the task by substituting it with a distraction instead of actually completing the task, the individual is a relaxed procrastinator.

Relaxed procrastinators will often avoid a particular task for a variety of different reasons including that the task is too confusing, there are too many distractions present in the area, the individual is having difficulty identifying which tasks are most important, or the individual finds the task boring or unappealing. Individuals that procrastinate in order to avoid stressful tasks that they find confusing, unappealing, boring, or simply are unmotivated to complete will often substitute other more appealing distractions and tasks for the task that they should be completing. In other words, a relaxed procrastinator will usually choose the party over the paper. The most important thing to keep in mind is that relaxed procrastinators avoid tasks mainly because they are unmotivated, easily frustrated, or easily distracted. This is primarily because they have difficulty breaking large projects down into smaller parts and they only see one large project that they often do not know how to handle, so they attempt to avoid that project by any means necessary.

Types of Procrastinators - Tense-Afraid Procrastinators

Procrastinators can actually be divided into two separate groups based on the underlying feelings that an individual has or the underlying feelings that the individual is attempting to avoid when a particular factor causes the individual to procrastinate. These two groups are often referred to as relaxed procrastinators and tense-afraid procrastinators. Tense-afraid procrastinators are individuals that avoid a particular task because they cannot handle the stress of the situation. This does not necessarily mean that they avoid the task because they are attempting to avoid the stress, but rather that the individual is so concerned about the specific task that he or she needs to complete that the individual cannot complete the task. For example, if an individual has waited until the last minute to write a 15-page paper and the individual is so upset and worried that he or she will not be able to complete the paper in time that the individual is pacing around the room, making frequent trips to the bathroom, or taking frequent breaks to try to relax, the individual is a tense-afraid procrastinator.

Tense-afraid procrastinators will often avoid a particular task for a variety of reasons, including that the task is too confusing, the individual is having difficulty identifying which tasks are most important, the individual is afraid that he or she will fail to complete the task appropriately, or the individual is attempting to meet unrealistic expectations. Individuals that procrastinate because they are "stressed out" will usually try to find ways to relax and relieve stress only to realize that everything they do to relax is only adding to their stress. This is because the individual realizes that he or she is wasting time and as the individual runs out of time, he or she will feel guilty and ultimately more anxious about the entire task. The most important thing to keep in mind is that tense-afraid procrastinators avoid tasks because they are overwhelmed by the situation and become depressed or anxious from the excessive stress.

General Tips to Avoid Procrastination

Procrastination can be a major problem for any individual that is attempting to prepare for a particular exam, interview, or other similar situation. This is because, in most cases, individuals that procrastinate regularly perform more poorly than individuals that seldom procrastinate because they have less time available to complete each task that they need to complete. In fact, studies show that most individuals procrastinate more than they would like and most people often wish that they procrastinated less often so they would perform better on exams and assignments. Fortunately, there are some simple techniques that an individual can use to avoid the temptation to procrastinate.

First, it is essential for an individual that is having difficulty starting an assignment to simply jump into the assignment and get started. This is true even if the individual is not completely sure if he or she is completing the assignment correctly. For example, if an individual is having difficulty getting started on a paper, the individual should just start writing even if what he or she is writing seems to sound awful. Once the individual has actually started the assignment, the individual will usually realize that the assignment is not as bad as he or she first thought and can go back and fix mistakes that he or she made at the beginning of the assignment. This allows the individual to get moving on the assignment quickly rather than getting stuck before he or she even begins the assignment. Secondly, once the individual starts the task, he or she should continue working on the task until the entire task is complete or at least until the individual has completed the portion of the task that he or she originally set out to complete. It is alright for an individual to take breaks while he or she is working on a long task, but these breaks should be reasonably short and the individual should be careful to get right back to work when his or her break has ended. The main thing that an individual should keep in mind is that the best way to complete an assignment, which the individual is having trouble completing, is just to start the assignment and keep moving.

Tips to Avoid Procrastination - Relaxed Procrastinators

Procrastination can be a major problem for any individual that is attempting to prepare for a particular exam, interview, or other similar situation. However, there are certain techniques that an individual can use to avoid the temptation to procrastinate. In order for an individual to find the best techniques for his or her situation, however, it is important for an individual to identify the underlying cause that has led the individual to procrastinate in the first place. In other words, is the individual procrastinating to avoid the stress associated with the task or is the individual procrastinating because he or she cannot handle the excessive stress that he or she feels as a result of the task?

If the individual is procrastinating to avoid the stress associated with the task, then the individual is a relaxed procrastinator and the first thing that the individual should do is to establish a list of realistic priorities and stay with those priorities. This means that the individual should try to answer priority questions such as "is the party really more important than the paper?" In most cases, the paper should be more important than the party and the individual should make sure to complete the paper before he or she goes out to party. This does not necessarily mean that the individual should never party, but rather that the individual should use partying as a reward for completing a task rather than as a substitute activity for an important task. Secondly, the individual should plan out when he or she needs to complete each task that the individual has set as a priority and make sure that these tasks are completed at the time that he or she sets for each task. In other words, the individual should make a schedule and follow that schedule as closely as possible. This allows the individual to construct a realistic plan of how to accomplish the tasks that he or she needs to accomplish. Finally, the individual should try to find things about the task that he or she likes or at least can tolerate and the individual should try to think about those aspects while the individual is working on less pleasant parts of the assignment. Basically, the individual should try to find reasons that the assignment is not as bad as he or she believes, which will make even the most unpleasant task seem less offensive and help the individual complete it.

Tips to Avoid Procrastination - Tense-Afraid Procrastinators

If the individual is procrastinating because he or she is unable to handle the excessive stress that he or she feels due to the task, then the individual is a tense-afraid procrastinator and the first thing that the individual should try to do is to put the task in perspective. This means that the individual should try to answer perspective questions such as "if I fail this task, is it really going to affect me that much?" or "if I fail this task, will everyone really think less of me?" In virtually every situation, the answer to both of these questions should be "no" as most tense-afraid procrastinators are making the task seem much more difficult or much more important than it actually is. This does not in anyway mean that the task is not important, but rather that the individual may be blowing the difficulty or importance of the task out of proportion and, as a result, the individual is increasing his or her anxiety about the task. Secondly, the individual should try to set realistic goals and standards for the task. In other words, the individual may be adding undue stress if he or she is attempting to complete a task that the individual has made impossible. For example, it is certainly possible to write a 15-page paper, but it may not be possible to write that paper in an hour or to write it without a single mistake. Basically, the individual needs to separate realistic expectations from ridiculous expectations. Finally, the individual should focus on finishing the task at hand and try not to focus on events that might happen as a result of the task or on other tasks that the individual may need to complete after the task.

Tips to Avoid Procrastination - Homework Procrastination

Procrastination can be a major problem for any individual that is attempting to prepare for a particular exam, interview, or other similar situation. In fact, an individual may often find that procrastination can cause problems long before an individual even begins to study for an exam or other similar situation. This is because an individual that is having difficulty finding the motivation to finish his or her homework in a timely fashion will often have difficulty understanding the material that he or she needs to study. Many individuals put off homework assignments until the last possible moment, if they actually take the time to finish their homework at all, which can make it much more difficult for an individual to understand the material that the professor is going over in class. As a result, it is extremely important for an individual to complete his or her homework on time because each assignment is intended to help the individual understand the material. It can sometimes be difficult for an individual to find the motivation to complete his or her homework, as many individuals believe that homework is unimportant or uninteresting. There are certain techniques, however, that an individual can use to stay motivated and avoid the temptation to procrastinate.

First, the individual should make sure to begin his or her homework as soon as possible after receiving an assignment. If an individual receives an assignment that is due a week from the time the assignment was assigned, the individual should still try to get as much of the assignment completed as possible on the day that he or she receives the assignment. This is because the individual will be more likely to wait until the last minute if he or she keeps putting off the assignment since the individual realizes that the assignment is not due yet. This will also allow the individual to complete the assignment with the material still fresh in his or her mind. Secondly, if the individual is having difficulty staying motivated, the individual should try to consider each assignment as one step in the path to achieving a larger goal. For example, an individual that is taking an anatomy course because he or she wants to become a registered nurse will have to pass a series of difficult tests in order to receive her licensure. This individual could look at each homework assignment as a means of studying the material in order to pass each of these tests.