Are You a Procrastinator? Here are Some Hints on How You Can Change Your Habits

PROCRASTINATION: TEN WAYS TO "DO IT NOW"

Everybody procrastinates at one time or another. For some people it is a chronic problem, while other people only experience it once in a while. No matter which group you fall into, the results are usually the same: you waste your time and do not get everything done.

No one seems to have trouble getting the fun things in life done; it is only when we dislike what we have to do that we begin to let procrastination take over our lives. When the things staring us in the face are scary, hard, or inconvenient, we shift into procrastinator mode and invent "reasons" why we do not have to start working. Know anyone who uses any of the following "reasons" for delaying his or her work:
 I have to be in the mood to do it.
 I'll start my homework (diet, chores, etc.) tomorrow.
 I’ll just play one more videogame before I get to work.
 Why does the teacher give us so much to do? It's not fair.
 I work better under pressure.
 I don't need to do it right now.
Once exposed, these self-defeating statements do not sound so convincing. But, when we privately tell ourselves these excuses, they seem quite believable. Do not be fooled by how innocent they sound. They get us to postpone important tasks and duties.

Procrastination is a bad habit. Like other habits, procrastination has two general causes. The first is the "crooked thinking" we employ to justify our behavior. The second cause is our behavioral patterns.

Threre are two types of people who procrastinate: The Perfectionist, and the Worrywart. The Perfectionist thinks that he or she has to turn in the most dazzlingly wonderful assignment the teacher has ever seen. The stress of living up to such a tall order paralyzes him or her, keeping the Perfectionist from ever starting the assignment. Once the Perfectionist actually does get started, she obsesses over the small little details, and ends up running out of time. Then, when she gets less than an "A" on the work, it reenforces her idea that she will never be "good enough," which makes her obsess even more, and so on, and so on, and so on.

On the other hand, the Worrywart is certain that he or she will never get a passing grade anyway, so what's the point in starting in the first place? He delays and stalls and waits until the last minute. Since he does not leave enough time to do the work, he turns in a low-quality, incomplete project. When he gets a bad grade, the Worrywart just sighs and thinks "Yep, I'm a loser."

In the end, both of these students fall victim to the self-fulfilling prophecy: their own actions made their fears come true. The Perfectionist spends so much time on the little things that she does not leave enough time to do the whole project and has to turn in a last-minute rush job. The Worrywart spends so much time avoiding the work that he does not leave enough time to finish the whole project and has to turn in a last-minute rush job.

The second thing that makes us easy prey for procrastination is our general approach to life. It is very hard to instantly change our habits in life. In physics this concept is called "inertia": it takes a lot more energy to get something moving from a standstill than it does to keep something that is already moving in motion. (Think about it this way: if you have failed the first two six week periods of a class, it is incredibly hard to pass, whereas if you were getting "Ds" the whole time, you will find it relatively easy to move up to a "C".) It is hard to start new habits, but once they get going, it hardly takes any energy to keep them moving forward.

HOW TO BEAT PROCRASTINATION:

1. Write down all your excuses on one side of a piece of paper. Look at each excuse--how legitimate is it? Write down your thoughts on the opposite side of each excuse. You should quickly see just how weak those "reasons" are.

EXCUSE: I'm not in the mood right now. REALISTIC THOUGHT: If I wait for the right mood, I may never get it done.
EXCUSE: I'm just lazy. REALISTIC THOUGHT: Calling myself lazy only brings me down. My work is really separate from who I am as a person. Getting started is the key to finishing.

2. Remind yourself of the positive side of getting your work done:
 "The sooner I get done, the sooner I can play."
 "No one is perfect. Trying to be perfect is an illusion that keeps me from doing what I have to do right now."
 "It's easier and less stressful to do it now instead of wait until it gets worse."

3. Don't panic!. Telling yourself that you are going to fail before you even begin creates negative thoughts and stops you dead. Remind yourself that your negative predictions are not facts. Focus on the present and what positive steps you can take to reach your goals.

4. Set small, clear goals. Figure out a time table with realistic goals at each step. Keep your goals reasonable. Setting goals too big can scare you away from starting. For example, if you have a big report due in two weeks, plan out when you will go to the library, when you will write the rough draft, etc. Then, stick to your schedule.

5. Order your goals. Write your goals in order from most important to least important. Start at the top of the list and work your way down.

6. Break things down. Break big jobs down into the smallest parts you can. No one can write a quality five page report in one night, but anyone can write one quality page a night for five nights.

7. Get Organized. Have all your materials ready before you begin a task. Use a daily schedule and have it with you all the time. Check off the tasks when you have completed them.

8. Remind yourself what needs to be done. Write notes to yourself and put them on the TV, bathroom mirror, front door, and car dashboard. The more you remind yourself, the better.

9. Reward Yourself. Give yourself small rewards for finishing your goals. Each step you finish means that you are that much closer to finishing those things that need to be done. Go ahead, get started ... NOW!

This material was adapted from information found on the Virginia Tech web site: http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/procrast.html.

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