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Procrastination is a method of avoiding depression or coping with emotions that lead to depression or stress. This brings only temporarily relief and the next day when you start, you see that no little Fairy has done the work for you- and the emotional stress of not completing your goal returns. So, what would anyone do? Procrastination often manifest itself in many forms and for many reasons. It is primarily the avoidance of a goal that needs to be finished usually within a certain timeframe. None of us have escaped the clutches of procrastination at one time or another in our life because it is so easy to succumb to its attractive ways. Procrastination has many disguises: television, internet, email, books, household chores, telephone, sleep and even the excuse of helping a friend. Procrastinators never do nothing, but what they do get done is hardly useful. We all procrastinate to some extent. There are mostly other tasks you could be doing instead that would be more fun or satisfying to complete. Some say there is no cure for procrastination so perhaps we need to seek not to prevent it but instead to just deny it in the best way possible. For many the underlying root cause of your procrastination is fear and anxiety. You feel anxious about a tasks so you choose to ignore it. This is a serious problem for students who have many deadlines to meet but it is also a growing problem for those in the home and workplace. Fear and anxiety over not completing a task or project leads to procrastination and this in turn causes more fear of failure. Failure fear is common but some fear success. It becomes a vicious cycle that gets harder and harder to break the habit of. They feel if they complete the task successfully it will set the bar too high for future projects. Students are overwhelmed with an activity and fear getting a failing grade. They substitute worry for studying but feel if they fail because of procrastination they will be judged as lacking in effort and this is more acceptable than lacking in ability. They fear looking stupid. An interesting side note: College students who procrastinate are normally more prone to drinking, smoking, insomnia and sickness such as influenza. Psychologists say the drinking and smoking are to help ease the pain of fear and anxiety caused by procrastination, which leads to health problems. So mostly we delay lodging a task because we fear criticism, disapproval and negative feedback. We would rather procrastinate than suffer the fear of shame and embarrassment of unreal expectations. This grows into fear and anxiety of possible rejection, being criticized and making mistakes. Some even fear losing freedom and put off committing to a project. Fears are sometimes unconscious and many people may deny they even suffer from them. There are many means to combat fear, anxiety and its resultant offspring, procrastination. Realize that you have a choice to succeed or not to succeed. Set realistic goals in manageable increments and grow a sense of self worth. Don’t focus on any weaknesses. Most fears are unfounded and irrational. Realize that you are working against yourself, and then analyze them and move on. Ask yourself the real reason for why you act afraid. Be totally honest with yourself. For some people, practicing simple exercise and deep breathing help to alleviate the anxiety and stress levels. Get organized. Now do NOT procrastinate on this also. Make your To Do lists but keep it simple and realistic. Include both small and the large things to do on this list. The completion of small things could lead to big achievements in the future. When a tasks is completed, mark it off your list. It is fun to watch your list grow shorter and shorter. And you will be surprised at how much this gives you a feeling of satisfaction and spurs you on to greater success. Classes in organization are offered in many places and may be just right for you. You can also download many self help books on getting organized too. Prioritize your lists. The most urgent task is not always the most pleasant. Should you pay bills that are due to reduce a late payment fee or you should you clean out a kitchen utility drawer? Meeting deadlines gives your morale a boost and sometimes your chequebook too. Take these self help lesson at one step at a time and slice the work pie into smaller slices. Before you know it the whole pie has been eaten. It has been said that the longest journey begins with the first step. It is the same with any overwhelming task. By the yard it may be hard, but by the inch it is a cinch. Have manageable expectations of yourself in this task. If you have a large task that is now causing anxiety, fist just do some of the smaller things related to the task as a whole. Thus the whole becomes manageable again in your mind, along with the satisfaction of seeing the first steps being already achieved by you. Get a calendar to list dates and appointments and to make sure you meet all deadlines for both short and long term goals. Look at your calendar frequently and do not overbook yourself to be in too many places or working on too many assignments at once. Leave plenty of white space on your pages, in between all the To Do notes and appointments, as that can also bring a feeling of space. Do not think you must do everything perfectly. You are human and humans make mistakes. Get started. Each day set time to work on the task at hand and eventually the task will be completed. Reward yourself and anticipate that reward as an incentive to work. Start back to work refreshed. Allow plenty time to achieve the choresand there is no need to panic if you fall behind. Be flexible. Extensions can usually behad but do not start with this in mind. Many projects never get done by feeling you are the only one who can do it properly. A good leader is one who delegates and has a Plan B, so use all the help and resources you can get your hands on to get the job done. ANYONE can help themselves feel better today! With decades of Personal & Professional Development training, Helene Malmsio has produced a powerful self-help super site at http://personal-enterprise-self-help-resources.com that helps you to help yourself. Come see their impressive list of resources - all designed to help you feel better and BE better today! There is no ideal time to begin. Mark Twain said, “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day AFTER tomorrow.” The important thing is to just start. Learn as much as you can about your tasks, and then take one step at a time, reward yourself often and soon you will realize that your fear and anxiety will disappear. And now further self help for your next step is just a click away.
Article Source: http://www.articlemetropolis.com
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