Procrastinating is an emotional reaction to the tasks at hand.
This is the habit of keeping off or postponing difficult responsibilities at hand until they is little or no time left to execute it.
It is the tendency of the human to procrastinate as the brains like to be in a relaxed state.
This is a behavior that affects almost everyone, from students to the CEOs, yet it does not add any value to the daily activities.
As a matter of fact, it adds more stress and anxiety as we get into the rush of finishing the work at the last minute in order to beat the deadline.
This then implies that the work done at the last minute rush is not of quality, rather just done to get it off the table and the mind.
Mr Jeff Nthiwa a master life coach with Destiny Life Couching spoke to Business Today on creative ways one can slay the procrastinating habit from the day-to-day life activities.
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1.Think about the results
According to Mr Nthiwa, one way of killing procrastination is to think through the results one wants from the activity at hand.
He further advises that instead of jotting down a to-do-list, one should have the desired results down to push them accomplish whatever it is they do.
“Think in terms of results not activities and to do list. To do list kind of thinking is a major cause of procrastination. Instead think outcomes and the reason that outcome is needed to happen,” says Mr Ntiwa.
He urges that focusing on what it will take one to do a task, for instance, activities that focus on the benefits of having the outcome the end results.
2. Be spontaneous
Take action immediately and do what you have to do without premeditation.
Failure to execute is what hold people back from accomplishing their set goals. Instead of dreaming and thinking, take action immediately and discipline your mind to work steadily with utmost focus until the tasks are complete.
“Deal with the perfectionist mindset that only wants for the perfect moment. Perfectionist are the least of people who are affected by procrastination contrary to the myth that they are most affected,” explains Nthiwa.
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3. If you have to eat two frogs, start with the ugliest one first
Motivational public speaker and self-development author of over 70 books Brian Tracy explains that if one has two vital tasks at hand, it is for the best of the worker and the organization at large if the hardest and biggest responsibility is tackled first.
“Discipline yourself to start the job immediately and see it to the end before you do something else,” urges Mr Tracy.
4. Set a reward time for achieving the desired result and tell others about it
This will bring about the sense of feeling good about oneself and boosts confidence, competence and clarity.
It will then give birth to a new perspective of viewing daily tasks, leading to a positive addiction that drives one to be the best in what they have to accomplish in their line of duty.
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5. Have a pep talk
A self-pep talk is the first reason why people procrastinate. We tend to talk ourselves into why we should wait before doing certain things and when we should tackle them.
In order to strike the bad habit, change the vocabulary when talking to yourself before tackling a responsibility.
Instead of saying, ‘I must do this and that’ or ‘I should do so’ change to ‘I choose to do this because…’ or ‘I will do this before…’ this creates a positive attitude towards the responsibilities ahead.
