Procrastination

                                        -BY S SANJAYRAM

 About

Willpower is often perceived to be the leading cause of procrastination, but it is mainly our intrinsic motivation that helps us to overcome the habit of putting things off on daily basis. We must overcome the habit of postponing things to the last minute.

Let’s Have a look at what is Intrinsic motion: -

Intrinsic motivation

Meaning and vision provide long-lasting and satisfying motivation. When people see the purpose in their actions, particularly when they want to perform these actions, one of the strongest forms of motivation arises, it is called the intrinsic journey-based motivation. This type of motivation is based on the concept of having a personal vision. Unlike chasing goals, a personal vision is an expression of something lasting. It answers the question of how you would most like to spend your time in life. It focuses on actions, not results. It focuses on the journey, not the destination.

 

The number of opportunities that today's world offers is staggering.

because with more freedom to make our own decisions and to perform our actions, we have become easily confused about what is a priority, what is essential and what is not, and with what is right and wrong, and therefore we have become demotivated to do anything at all. Due to the technology innovation, after smartphones and laptops have made our life easier, we tend to waste more time by getting distracted by the amount of time we spend on social media. In the future the number of distractions will keep on increasing in the palm of our hands, we have to decide what should we do.

The time we spend on Earth is both limited and finite. Considering these facts, time is the most valuable commodity you have. It’s not money; unlike time, you can borrow money, save, or earn more. You can’t do that with time. Every single second you waste is gone forever; you can only save time by utilizing it to complete your activities.

The mere realization that life is finite leads people to begin managing their time more carefully. Let’s have a look at what procrastination is not.

1. Procrastination is not laziness

Procrastinators often put off doing things, leave them to the very last moment or sometimes even spend their time staring at the wall, wasting their crucial time on non-productive things and regret afterwards. However, procrastination is not a synonym for laziness.

Lazy people simply don’t do anything and are just fine with it. Procrastinators, on the other hand, have the desire to do something but can’t force themselves to start. So the biggest task in front of them is to start.

It's a good idea to start using the word procrastination instead of using the terms laziness or putting things off. It provides a much more accurate description of your situation. Only by giving the right name to your problem can you begin working on it.

Relaxation is not procrastination

Don’t confuse procrastination with relaxation either. Relaxing recharges you with energy. In stark contrast, procrastination drains it from you. The less energy you have, the more stressed or even depressed you might have become and the higher the chances of you putting off your responsibilities are.

So, the opposite of procrastination is getting things done, and being able to relax, deal with your workload well and be happy in the long term. We should relax after completing the tasks it should not be the other way around. Taking breaks in the middle is fine, we should take constant breaks to rest our bodies so that we can concentrate again.

Myth: We Work Better under Pressure

A lot of the time we hear the excuse that people often love leaving things to the last minute. They justify their actions by claiming that they are most productive under pressure. This might apply to small tasks or ones which we are familiar with and capable to do but not in those big tasks which we have no idea about.

However, scientific studies show that putting things till the last moment has the opposite effect, putting things off until the very last moment creates fertile ground for stress, guilt, and ineffectiveness. Then we tend to play the blame game and think of the mistakes we did which leads to more time losing.

The word "routine" has always sent a shudder down my spine. It makes us think of a strict day with no room for fun, free time, or spontaneity. And yet, we must realize there are so many benefits of a solid daily routine. These are listed below: -

1. We will finish more tasks on our to-do list

When you wake up with so many things to do it honestly feels like nothing will ever get accomplished that’s where your routine plays a big role. When you have a daily routine, you're much more likely to check things off your to-do list, because having a schedule means blocking out chunks of your day for specific tasks, such as work, errands, which makes you realize that we don’t have time for other things. When you set up specific times for things, it's far less likely you'll push them off for later — especially once they become a habit.

Sure, sometimes emergencies crop up, and you might occasionally run out of hours in the day. But having a schedule, and thus some structure makes productivity that much more likely. In times of emergency just calling off the schedule is acceptable as work-life balance is important.

2. Mental Health will be fine

The anxiety and stress levels go through the roof during chaotic, disorganized days, how could they not when you're running around and not getting anything done? A daily routine takes this type of stress away by eliminating the guesswork, and therefore all the stress, from even the busiest of days. You'll feel much more at peace knowing where you need to be, as you are satisfied by the tasks you have completed and

A solid daily routine is so good for mental health it has been used to help treat people with bipolar disorder. According to Salynn Boyles on WebMD.com, "Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine report that bipolar patients fared better when their treatment stressed the importance of establishing daily routines for things like sleeping and eating. Social rhythm therapy, as it has been dubbed by the researchers, is based on the idea that irregular sleeping habits and those associated with other daily activities can trigger manic episodes by disturbing the body's sleep-wake (circadian system) clock." Bipolar or not, that sounds like something worth avoiding by sticking to a routine. Also, a routine has not to be hectic, you can put as minimal tasks that you are capable of and try to put important things in your routine.

3. There Will Be More Time to Relax

Not only does a routine mean getting more done and then having the freedom to truly relax on your highly accomplished laurels, but it also means you can make free time a priority. Relaxing after completing the task should be a moto. Relaxing makes you feel fresh, and you are eager to do your work for the next day it helps you prepare more for a productive day.

It's all about setting aside blocks of time for doing whatever you please, whether that means hanging out with friends or partaking in a hobby. If you want to exercise, for example, Put the blocks of time on your schedule and make these blocks the most important appointments of your week. Schedule the rest of your life around these blocks.

4. It'll Help You Break Bad Habits

One of the things that are intriguing about a daily routine is that it could help break bad habits. Think about it - if you get yourself into a bunch of good habits, and they become your "thing," then it doesn't leave much room for your old, bad habits.

It may sound too good to be true, but it's as easy as deciding what matters to you and then making a schedule that revolves around those things. Once you stick with it for a few weeks, the new routine will become your habit, and your old ways will become a thing of the past.

Stick to your new schedule, and bad habits will be naturally eradicated from your life.

5. You Get to Choose How the Day Goes

When you don't have a routine, life just sort of happens to you. The day either gets wasted as you try to decide what to do, or you find yourself tangled up in the wants and needs of everybody else. Having a schedule means having control over your day from the moment you get up until the moment you go to bed. It means doing exactly what you want, focusing on yourself, and accomplishing all those goals.

6. Procrastination Will Be a Thing of The Past

Procrastination can happen when you have no idea what is going on. We often feel this when working on a project, but don't have any clear direction. We often stare at work for hours, dumbfounded, and then frustratedly throw in the towel, which means giving up.

A day without a plan can sort of go in the same direction. But a day with a plan will, you get the idea. Sticking to your schedule means getting things done because it means knowing what's expected of you. It's an outline for the day, and all you need to do is follow it.

7. You'll Get Good Sleep

Much like your day will go smoother with a schedule, so will your night-time hours. That's because a bedtime ritual means getting the body into a rhythm that can only mean better sleep.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, going to bed at the same time every night, and waking up at the same time each morning (yes, even on weekends) can help regulate the body's internal clock. Once you've fallen into the groove, you'll have a much easier time falling asleep, and then staying asleep.

It can feel so much easier to just let your days happen as they may - wake up, do whatever, go to the gym if you feel like it, etc. But if you want an easier life, and if you want to get things done, then a structured daily routine is where it's at. Set your day up to take you where you need to go, and then bask in your long list of accomplishments.

CONCLUSION

 

Time management is very necessary to make us more productive, doing the tasks efficiently and completing within the given amount of time. By having a to-do list, we get an idea of doing the tasks in an orderly manner by keeping the important tasks at first. Having a routine makes this easy as we include more good habits, it not only helps us to finish the tasks quickly but also makes us do more tasks persistently which means we can increase the number of tasks thus making us more productive. Procrastination becomes the biggest enemy while doing these tasks, we tend to do everything in a list minute thus leading to doing everything in a hurry which makes us less productive and the pressure, anxiety, and amount of regret which it comes with it are immense. But by having a to-do list, a good routine counters procrastination. Certain factors like distraction become an obstacle while performing tasks which makes questioning our willpower which controls this distraction. Taking small breaks in between is completely fine which make us concentrate more on our tasks. In the end, we should relax after completing the tasks and should appreciate ourselves on the achievements which give happiness and prepare ourselves for the next day. Remember to relax after finishing the job it should not be the other way around!