By waiting too long to do tasks, the tension level upsurges and intrudes with delight and sometimes achievement. It creates uncertainty, lack of confidence and insecurity. It acts as a risk to personal health, contentment, and efficiency of individuals. People who procrastinate are branded as lethargic, sluggish and least interested in the job. Moreover, unfinished jobs leave a lot of mess around, which ultimately affects competence and proficiency. Procrastination keeps one immobilized and locked up in emotional and mental boundaries.
There are several explanations of procrastination; rather we must describe them as excuses. It is the trait of non- commitment to our own promises. The excuses are being busy, sluggishness, tiredness, lack of required caliber, inability to initiate, non- availability of resources, task outside the comfort-zone, inability to collect data, scarcity of time, pre-loaded with assignments, no direct and instant rewards foreseen, superior show on deadlines, desire to perform in a better manner, or simply unwilling to do it.
The soul reason behind procrastination is the fear of failure, or to bring perfectionism in efforts. It is a thought of not-giving half hearted efforts and waiting for the correct time to arrive. There are several practical tools to overcome procrastination.
•To stop procrastination the decision to stop delaying on a particular project is necessary.
•Depart the thought of searching for a flawless atmosphere or a productive environment to initiate a job.
•Throw out the reservation of being able to do a job in a particular place and time only.
•Tendency to do best in under pressure must be entirely removed from mind.
•Bring to a halt, the habit of waiting for a measurable un-interrupted hours to initiate and complete the task at one shot
•Dump the unnecessary tiredness and drowsiness and be agile and enthusiastic to perform an activity.
•A change in attitude is required to commence a new task. Positive attitude and healthy mind frame has magical powers to turn the work easier and bring constructive outcomes.
•The thought of bringing perfectionism must be replaced with the thought that human errors may happen in certain areas, as it restricts us to begin doing something.
•Use time management, by starting with a small piece of work and completing it on a fixed time frame. A whole lot of work seems difficult and monotonous too.
•Constant focus and concentration is required to get rid of distractions, detours, and absolute misuse of time.
•Take some recreational activities in schedule; it helps to come back into work with refreshed approach.
The most obvious effect of procrastination is the failure to reap the rewards that would come from taking action. The sense of pain associated with the task becomes overridden by the much greater sense of pain if we postpone the task and don’t start it on stipulated time. The method to overcome procrastination is only to diminish the burden and augment the enjoyment associated with beginning a task, thus allowing us to rise above idleness and build positive drive ahead. A slight development of good time management organized routine and personal effectiveness habits, help to establish the right priorities, and manage time in such a way that makes the most of the opportunities open, and lend a hand towards achievement of goals.
Ida Scott Taylor rightly quoted, “Procrastination usually results in sorrowful regret. Today's duties put off until tomorrow gives us a double burden to bear; the best way is to do them in their proper time.”