The avoidance of doing a task which needs to be done - postponing until tomorrow what can be done today. Procrastination not only affects a person's work, but also commonly involves feelings such as guilt, inadequacy, self-disgust, stress and depression. Often we try to disguise our avoidance by being very busy doing things that may be interesting, and even useful, but don't contribute towards the main goal - even doing something we normally hate - rather than writing, for example, just before an essay deadline!
So what is procrastination? Basically, procrastination is the act of putting off essential task until a later time, most of the time non essential tasks are done in lieu of the more critical ones. Although this procrastination definition seems pretty simple the effects of procrastination are not. Procrastination may be one of the biggest challenges you will have to overcome.
" When you begin to think about today's society, there is less and less time in the day, so it is very important that we manage our time efficiently and limit procrastination as much as possible. For some reason, we have an emotional reaction when we have to do something we don't want to do, don't enjoy doing, or are convinced we simply cannot do. Learning to acknowledge this reaction will not only make us aware that we may be procrastinating, but will also help us on our quest to stop procrastinating. " - Quote from Stop Procrastination Info
http://www.stopprocrastinatinginfo.com - This website has given me the basic understanding on procrastination and what effects it has on the brain and body. It shows a video of what it specifically is and gives detailed descriptions and examples of how people can overcome it. I also discovered some findings that were helpful to understand procrastination.
Why do people procrastinate?
http://www.counselling.cam.ac.uk/selfhelp/leaflets/procrastination - From this website i found the main reasons why people procrastinate. The most common reasons were linked to anxiety or disorders, I will use some of these points in my documentary.
- poor time management, often associated with a distorted sense of the time available
- an inability to prioritise
- overload of tasks at a specific time
- anxiety about the task, so time is spent worrying rather than doing
- difficulty concentrating
- not knowing what is required
- feeling overwhelmed by the task(s)
- concern about failing or not meeting your own standards
- fear of success and its possible consequences
- perfectionism, often associated with unrealistic standards
- negative feelings - e.g. "I'm stupid", "nothing ever goes right for me"
- all-or-nothing thinking, where one setback is seen as a total catastrophe
- being bored by the task
- never having learned how to work or sort out problems while at school or living at home
- avoidance of things which are disliked or difficult.
Is procrastination linked to any disorders or anxiety?
Procrastination can be persistent and tremendously disruptive to everyday life. For these individuals, procrastination may be symptomatic of a psychological disorder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrastination - This website has helped me significantly whilst discovering what procrastination is related too. Due to the findings, I can link my topic with different people including behavioural therapists and support groups based on how procrastination is linked and can influence anxiety and disorders like OCD, ADD and ADHD.
With a distant deadline, procrastinators report significantly less stress and physical illness than do non-procrastinators. However, as the deadline approaches, this relationship is reversed; procrastinators report more stress, more symptoms of physical illness, and more medical visits. to the extent that, overall, procrastinators had suffered more stress and health problems.
How can procrastination effect a person?
It is very unhealthy to continue to put your body through this type of stress, not only is it unhealthy for you, it puts unnecessary strain on your relationships.
There have been studies that suggest that anxiety may compromise our immune systems, and therefore render it susceptible to infections diseases. When we are feeling anxious about things we tend to lose our ability to focus, therefore increasing the chances of use being involved in accidents.
How can procrastination effect a person?
It is very unhealthy to continue to put your body through this type of stress, not only is it unhealthy for you, it puts unnecessary strain on your relationships.
There have been studies that suggest that anxiety may compromise our immune systems, and therefore render it susceptible to infections diseases. When we are feeling anxious about things we tend to lose our ability to focus, therefore increasing the chances of use being involved in accidents.
http://www.stopprocrastinatinginfo.com/effects-of-procrastination.htm - This website has provided me with the information based on my question.
Procrastination can negatively effect our personal lives. When a person decides not to deal with things and put them off, all they are doing is making more work for themselves in the long run. And the more work they have, the more stressed they will feel because of all the backlogged work they still have to do. This will lead to stress which can lead to health problems in the long run like:
- Pain of any kind
- Heart disease
- Digestive problems
- Sleep problems
- Depression
- Weight problems
- Autoimmune diseases
- Skin conditions, such as eczema
It can also negatively affect your job.
The effects of procrastination can also be noticed at work. At our place of employment we have to work toward deadlines, these deadlines can help organize workload and help stay on task.
Putting off undesirable task can have serious implications. For example, you may be viewed as unreliable, incompetent, or just plain lazy. It is important that when we have a responsibility at work that we execute it to the best of our ability for the sake of our integrity and relationship with colleagues and co-workers.
How can we overcome procrastination?
Overcoming procrastination usually involves both better organisational and time-management skills as well as a clearer understanding of its personal or emotional meaning.
http://www.counselling.cam.ac.uk/selfhelp/leaflets/procrastination - I find that this website provides great information and guidance on how to stop procrastination.
Below is a picture from the internet giving out 9 steps on how to overcome procrastination. I believe by making step by step guidance or table, people suffering from procrastination will get the motivation to do what they need to do.
" However, most times we know exactly what we are doing when we put off certain things. Whether you want to face it or not, you know when you are procrastinating and the fact you do it mostly on your own clock means you can justify doing it. If you think this isn’t you, just think about the time you just had to check your e-mail ten times before finishing that paper. If you have established that you may have a problem with procrastination take heed to the information that follows. " - Quote from Stop Procrastinating Info
There are also some quotes based on procrastination that are proven to motivate the sufferer. They have been put on the website above to inspire people and they are permitted to enter their own quote to make themselves seem inspiring for others.
2. "Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday." ~Don Marquis
3. "Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday." ~Author Unknown
4. "Every duty which is bidden to wait returns with seven fresh duties at its back." ~Charles Kingsley
5. "Until you value yourself, you will not value your time.
Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it." ~ M. Scott Peck
6."Be wise today; 'tis madness to defer. Next day the fatal precedent will plead; thus on, til wisdom is pushed our of life." ~Edward Young
7. "If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it." ~Olin Miller
8. "There are a million ways to lose a work day, but not even a single way to get one back." ~Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
9. "It is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it in." ~Earl of Chesterfield
10. "The two rules of procrastination: 1) Do it today. 2) Tomorrow will be today tomorrow." ~Author Unknown
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