Procrastination is a bad habit that hinders personal and professional growth; in fact, it is commonly known to be a thief of time. If you are like me, then cultivating good habit is important to you.
In this article, let us deal with a habit that has kept many people stuck in a life of mediocrity – procrastination – which means to keep delaying or postponing something that must be done because it is either boring or because you just haven’t found the motivation to do it.
I will not deny the fact that sometimes we are too busy to attend to certain things and sometimes, our priorities aid procrastinating of some activities we want ‘to do’.
However, beating the habit of procrastination is as important as achieving one’s goal. An important tip to dealing with procrastination is to understand the reason for doing so and addressing it at the core.
So, What Causes Procrastination?
1. Negative Perfectionism:
This is a way of thinking that is based on unrealistic expectations of oneself. A lot of people are guilty of this because they often set perfect standards for themselves; forgetting that there is nothing called perfect with humans. We all just have to try our best at all times to reach our goals.
How to beat it:
In this case, it helps to understand your ‘perfectionism’ approach to life and set small realistic goals that are easy to achieve. You will be surprised in the end how much you can get done.
2. Fear of the Unknown:
You probably already know this faceless devil called fear of the unknown – we have all met with it at some point in life. We experience fear of the unknown because we do not want to fail (but who has become great in life without a fair share of failure?). Certainly, it is okay to have fears but you must not let them keep you from moving because growth begins when we act, regardless of the inconvenience.
How to beat it:
This is more of a mindset, and it can be beaten only with a counter mindset. Here, keep in mind that fear of the unknown comes with unknown territories. So, if you want to do something you haven’t done before, brace up and wear your ‘warrior-suit’ – because courage is all you need to beat this. Believing that you can do all things will come handy too.
3. Distractions:
Oh, distractions. These are everywhere. Home, office, you name it and there are things competing for your attention everywhere. Your phones, the TV, internet or even your kids. It is becoming more difficult to ignore distractions in the world today which is the more reason to stand up to it if growth matters to you.
How to beat it:
There is no other way to beat distractions than to be disciplined. Discipline, discipline and more discipline is the most reliable way to beat it. Be strong-willed about the things you want to do and ensuring that nothing comes in the way of accomplishing it.
4. Lack of motivation:
Another cause of procrastination that we often think is beyond our control is lack of motivation to start. I have heard over a thousand times that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. To take that step, however, sometimes we need a push and so do every other person in the world. It is therefore not smart to fold our hands in wait for that little spark of motivation before we start doing what we need to do – especially from others.
How to beat it:
Self-motivation is the keyword here. Never wait for people or life to motivate you before you start, instead get out there and find the things that motivate you. For me, I study the biography of great people and listen to their speeches. I read the bible and learn from mentors too (they are a source of external motivation you can rely on), however, you must learn to inspire yourself to start and you will be surprised how much momentum you can gather from taking the first the step.
That’s it, the four main causes of procrastination and how to beat it so that you will stop hindering your growth in life.
I hope you find this helpful enough to start taking to it now because good habits aid personal development and there is really nothing worth living for if we are not growing.
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