Why to Avoid Procrastination
We must avoid procrastination, because it can cause for us to a severe loss of productivity, energy, and happiness.
We all know this situation: we must do something, and at the same time we really do not want to do that. As a result, we delay it to the last minute, until a huge amount of pressure builds up. At that time, we push everything else aside, and try to focus exclusively on the unloved task.
But in reality, we are now blocking ourselves. As we try to force our focus exclusively on the thing what we hate. In this setting nobody can be productive. We will perform a little bit of the unloved task. But we disconnect ourselves at the same time from the things we love to do, which provide us the energy we need to live and where we have to potential to excel. Poor boys, we are.
Ways to Avoid Procrastination
Now, what can we do about it? If we face a situation where we have a task looming, which we hate and would rather bury under a pile of trash, the best thing is to slice it up and do everything a bit of it. Then, can do every day a bit of it, and then refill our batteries and grow by doing what we love to do.
But this tactic is only a band aid. The real improvement comes as if and when we manage to avoid settings that lead into procrastinations in the first place.
Avoiding Commitments to Perform Tasks we Hate
A better way is to decline in the first place, if someone asks us to do what we do not want to do. This does not only protect our energy; it also helps the people around us the develop the right expectations about us.
Now, sometimes occurs a situation, where people can project power against us and force us to do things we hate. This might be the government forcing us to file a tax return. Or it might be a boss, forcing us to perform a task he wants to avoid for himself.
Obviously, we should not allow other people to rule our life, or to project power to force us doing what helps them and diminishes us. But it is a fact of life, that at least the government has the means to put pressure on us. in these situations, we should have a plan B:
Delegating Unwanted Tasks
Why is delegation an option? Firstly, not all people are the same. I am quite sure, that there are enough people who love to do, what I hate to do.
One example is communicating with the government. Me, I hate it even talking to the government. But good luck, there is a whole bunch of lawyers who have chosen a carrier, where talking to and squabbling with government officials is their daily bread.
Let them do so. They will do it happily; it will stimulate their energy and creativity. And they will find a better solution for any quarrel with the government or adversary than me. The lawyer will not explode already when someone tries to force attention with an implicit threat of force. And it will be much easier for the other side to listen to him.
The Solution
Therefore, when it comes to combating procrastination, we have a three-step process at hand:
- Avoiding unwanted tasks
- Delegating unwanted tasks, we cannot avoid
- Slicing up unwanted tasks we can neither avoid nor delegate
Meme Templates Library
This blogpost is based on a quote included in Chavavo Publishing’s Meme Templates Library. Feel free to download a sample.
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