Just recently, I’ve found myself putting off important tasks over and over again, but I think I’m not alone. In fact, many people procrastinate to some degree – but some are so chronically affected by procrastination that it stops them achieving things they're capable of and disrupts their careers. Why do we procrastinate?- we procrastinate when we put off things that we should be focusing on right now, usually in favor of doing something that is more enjoyable or that we’re more comfortable doing.
But this is, strictly speaking, impossible. There are an infinite number of things we could be doing. No matter what we work on, we're not working on everything else. So the question is not how to avoid procrastination, but how to procrastinate well. Good procrastination is avoiding errands to do real work.
Of course, the main reason we find it difficult to work on a particular problem is that we don't enjoy it. When we're young, especially, we often find ourselves working on stuff we don't really like-- because it seems impressive, for example, or because we've been assigned to work on it. Most grad students are stuck working on big problems they don't really like, and grad school is thus synonymous with procrastination.
But even when we like what you're working on, it's easier to get ourselves to work on small problems than big ones. Why? Why is it so hard to work on big problems? One reason is that we may not get any reward in the foreseeable future. If we work on something we can finish in a day or two, we can expect to have a nice feeling of accomplishment fairly soon. If the reward is indefinitely far in the future, it seems less real.we always have the feeling of being overwhelmed by the task. You may not know where to begin. Or you may doubt that you have the skills or resources you think you need. So you seek comfort in doing tasks you know you're capable of completing. Another reason we don't work on big tasks is, ironically, fear of wasting time. What if it fails? Then all the time we spent on it will be wasted.
But whatever the reason behind our procrastinations, it must be recognized, dealt with and controlled before we miss opportunities and our career is derailed. So to have a good chance of conquering procrastination, we need to spot straight away that we're doing it. Then, we need to identify why we're procrastinating and take appropriate steps to overcome the block. Part of the solution is to develop good time management, organizational and personal effectiveness habits, such as those described in Make Time for Success! This helps us teens establish the right priorities, and manage our time in such a way that we make the most of the opportunities open to us.
