Procrastinating into a hole? Take advantage of your mind, defeat procrastination, and get back on track!
Broadus Palmer
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Procrastination is the black hole where all productivity and momentum go to die.
It is a difficult fact of life that hits every professional and can be truly perplexing.
Everyone knows that they need to begin work on a task, but procrastinating can stop even the most disciplined professional from getting there.
When not reigned in, procrastination can lead to:
It can be tough breaking out of a bad spell of procrastination. Unlike an actual black hole, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
All it takes to tame the wild beast of putting things off is to be mindful and intentional.
Time to dive deep with some strategies to defeat procrastination!
Stop multitasking!
Multitasking can distract one from their current tasks and reduce productivity.
Believe it or not, the brain is inherently terrible at multitasking.
Studies have been done to demonstrate this:
"[...] multitasking with electronic media caused a greater decrease in IQ than smoking pot or losing a night's sleep."
Institute of Psychiatry - University of London
Why fight against the natural programming of the brain?
Compartmentalizing tasks, and removing oneself from distractions can aid in focused productivity.
Cut out the multitasking and increase results and focus!
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Just Start!
The toughest battle for people is beginning a task.
Many folks are preoccupied with only thoughts about the task, how to do it, how long it takes, where it fits with other responsibilities, etc.
This highlights the issue, as thoughts and mental energy are being spent and wasted on the task, but no actual work is being done.
Try not to kid oneself, there is time. There just needs to be some made.
Luckily, the battle is easier once the job has begun.
Somehow, folks tend to not view task avoidance as a time-waster, but if a task is started and abandoned then time is considered wasted.
People are wired to be more likely to follow through on tasks once started; this is referred to as the "Zeigarnik Effect".
Just starting, even putting 5 minutes into a task will dramatically increase the chances of it being completed!
Work S.M.A.R.T., not hard!
A lot of the negative feelings associated with procrastination involve being overwhelmed or having vague goals.
In personal development, the S.M.A.R.T. mnemonic was created to set concrete criteria for working towards an objective.
Structured goals can relieve some of the pressure of a goal having unknowns, as well as provide a foundation to work with!
Beating procrastination is not impossible, but requires mindfulness, initiative, and breaking bad habits to truly win!
written by Christian Talavera
Cloud Engineering, Individual Contributor
3 年All it takes is a few baby steps to get you back in the game. Start with a few exam practice questions or just read over a lab exercise from a new technology you've always been curious about. You can do it!
Executive Function Coach. Analytical Creative. I help you trim the fat from your processes and systems through intentional prioritization. Asking powerful questions is my superpower.
3 年All true! May I add: For those who need to think in "pictures" - Procrastination is not lack of motivation. It is lack of CLARITY. I have known the "whats" for a long time. It took me a long time to find the right "hows" for me. I hope this will help some who are in the right stage of their learning journey. Let's rise up together! #secondchances
AWS Community Builder, multi cloud certified professional
3 年This is 100% true . Start changing the course of action procrastination to active leaner, changing habits takes consistent practice of 21 days then you should be good to go!