Is Procrastination just a slogan? Or has Procrastination benefits?
Is Procrastination a problem for you?
Procrastination plagues many people in our society. There are many reasons for Procrastination. The reason may be that the task is difficult, not enjoyable, or causes you anxiety. It can often happen that you are unsure and don’t know what to do or how to begin.
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is a term for avoiding an action despite knowing the consequences it may have. The word comes from Latin and means “to postpone.” It is a tendency that impacts lives and leads to guilt, fear, and the feeling of being not enough.
Usually, it comes from distractions, perfectionism, lack of motivation, fear of failure, and low self-esteem.
Chronic Procrastination can lead to stress, anxiety, and dissatisfaction, which is not only bad for our mental health but also for our physical health.
Ways to Overcome Procrastination
1. Be clear about your goals. We often lose sight of our goals and no longer know what we are doing and why.
2. Begin with small steps. Break large tasks into smaller steps. Even many small steps lead to the goal.
3. Become aware that you procrastinate. You must become aware of it to do something about it and actively counteract it.
4. Plan your day. If your day is well-planned, you have a clear roadmap.
5. Get started, and don’t get lost in negative thoughts. It is essential to be open and confident to begin.
6. Seek support and accept help. Find someone who has already done the task and ask about their experiences.
7. Eliminate the alternatives and distractions. Please turn off your cell phone entirely and, even better, take it to another room.
8. Overcome your fear. The greater the fears you overcome, the easier your other tasks will be. What you imagine is often not as bad. The reality is often different.
9. Forgive yourself. Procrastination can happen, so don’t get stuck in the victim role. It helps you move forward if you can forgive yourself for your mistakes.
10. Keep a success journal to award yourself. Take a few minutes daily, write down what you did well today, and reward yourself for it.
The Surprising Benefits of Procrastination
Procrastination is a word we often hear in a negative context. We learned that if we are not consistently productive, we can’t have success. Anyone who puts things off and does them tomorrow rather than today will be quickly labeled lazy. However, does Procrastination have to put you under pressure?
Let’s see if it also has benefits we need to realize. So, has the slogan procrastination hidden advantages?
Do you generally put things off until they are so urgent that you can no longer ignore them? Then there may be good news for you.
I had not heard of this word before I came to America. Like many other words or slogans in people’s minds, they are not natural to me. Does anything in nature procrastinate? As a kid, I learned Goethe’s quote: What is not started today is never finished tomorrow., which is true.
Yes, for us, there are things that we have to do even if we do not like them. But these are usually little things, and we can do what Mark Twain calls “eat the frog.”
“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”
Use it skillfully
Procrastination and beliefs about it come from cultural attitudes about the value of work and work ethic, and it can sometimes be difficult to ignore the negative associations. However, when used skillfully, Procrastination can be an excellent tool for clarifying immediate problems and life circumstances.
Procrastinate strategically… Procrastination may be the enemy of productivity but it can be a valuable resource for creativity.- Adam Grant
Let it motivate you.
Have you ever noticed that you become more focused and motivated when there’s a deadline approaching? Procrastination can improve your ability to concentrate. You naturally prioritize tasks better and work more efficiently. Deadlines can give you a sense of urgency.
Know yourself better.
I often procrastinate on purpose because it helps, especially with abstract or uncertain problems. I always follow my intuition.
It often helped me avoid doing things that later became unnecessary or something I would regret. In our time, everything demands fast action, usually because of outside pressure. So delaying is not always bad. I do not wait until the last minute but for the right time.
Putting things off allows the mind to work without being distracted by ego. It can also be a way to identify what you do or do not want to do and feel it deep in your heart.
If your head says yes, but you are still not motivated, it’s always worth listening to your gut feeling.
Procrastination brings an opportunity to get to know yourself better. Sometimes, Procrastination lets you find your true desires and priorities. Because if you postpone a task, it may not align with your values or passions. It can make you self-reflect, overthink your goals, and make more informed choices.
When you procrastinate, you’re more likely to let your mind wander. That gives you a better chance of stumbling onto the unusual and spotting unexpected patterns.- Adam Grant
Watch > The surprising habits of original thinkers
Focus on something else.
Many people get good ideas in the shower, when they wake up, while jogging, after meditation, or after a cat nap.
If you take a break from a task and focus on something else, it allows your subconscious mind to work on the problem in the background; it can lead to creativity and innovative solutions.
When you put off a task, you buy yourself time to engage in divergent thinking rather than foreclosing on one particular idea.- Adam Grant
Removing a problem from your direct attention and thoughts allows your mind to look at it from different perspectives. It makes you more creative. You may find better solutions if the problem is in the back of your mind.
Give things time to process and ideas time to mature. Giving things enough time works. Be patient. Everything comes to you at the right time.
“Along with providing time to generate novel ideas, Procrastination has another benefit: it keeps us open to improvisation. When we plan well in advance, we often stick to the structure we’ve created, closing the door to creative possibilities that might spring into our fields of vision. Years.”— Adam M. Grant
You do not need to be perfect.
Perfectionism often goes hand in hand with Procrastination. You may delay starting a task because you fear failure. However, you can grow and learn from imperfection and allow yourself to make mistakes. Procrastination can teach you resilience and self-compassion.
There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time. – Ecclesiastes 3:1-7
The slogan procrastination does not just mean laziness. It can have unexpected benefits that contribute to your personal and professional development. It is the same as with slogan time management. Everything has its right time. So, the next time you find yourself procrastinating, embrace it with mindfulness and harness its benefits.
Procrastination gives you time to consider divergent ideas, to think in nonlinear ways, to make unexpected leaps.- Adam Grant
What is interesting for me is that when I wanted to write about the Slogan, “Don’t Procrastinate,” the way I think about and experience that it can be beneficial, the only one who had quotes about it was Adam Grant. I searched and found out about his book. It seems it fits Yoda’s quote: “You must unlearn what you have learned.”
Featured Image by Drazen Zigic on Freepik
See also > Why You Better Ditch These New Year Resolutions
Did you make a New Year’s Resolution?
Wishing everybody a Happy and Healthy Year 2024
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