PROCRASTINATION - A Subtle Cry For Help
Designed Using Canva
That moment when… You’re scrolling through Instagram reels and suddenly remember that you have a shit ton of work to do, and then you begin to make plans in your head, that soon enough you’re going to drop your phone, sit down, bust out a pen and paper and make a to do list including everything you need to do then work towards achieving them, but deep down you know that’s not going to happen anytime soon because it sounds like too much work and you’re high on the constant hit of dopamine you get from watching the satisfying videos.
Too specific? Yeah that was me a few minutes ago, right before I decided to switch off my phone, lock it up and face my chores; writing an article being one of them.
Source
This is not a guide on how to stop procrastinating, sorry to burst your bubble. And if that is actually what you’re looking for then, there’s no way this is the first article you have come across addressing the issue. Watching more videos or reading more articles on procrastination is just another form of procrastinating, ideally one should be enough. What is left for you to do now is ACT. Implement whatever it is that you have learnt and watch yourself get productive.
But of course you already knew that, getting ourselves to take action is the usually hardest part. It’s one of the reasons I'm writing this article. I want this to serve as a way to hold myself accountable. Like I earlier said, I have an enormous load of work to do, yet I lack the discipline to do them. I came up with this brilliant idea out of sheer desperation, hopefully this will be my ticket to the land of increased productivity.
Due to the upcoming national and gubernatorial elections in my country, all universities were required to go on a three week break. This means I have three weeks to myself to either laze around or actually accomplish some shit. I choose the latter. The break started yesterday.
Now what exactly do I have to do;
- Read up on topics taught from the beginning of the semester.
- Start my research project; chapter 1-3 and prepare the questionnaire.
- Go on early morning jogs at least three times a week.
- Upload at least two articles on Hive per week.
- Leave at least 20 comments on Hive posts per day.
- Pray daily.
Source
These are the most important goals that I need to accomplish before the 14th of March; when the break ends. Now it doesn’t mean that after the 14th I’m going to abandon these goals. As you can see, some of them are continuous and would eventually help make my life better. I’m giving myself this deadline so that I can develop a sense of urgency that will hopefully motivate me to accomplish them.
HELPFUL STEPS
- Break them down into smaller bits: Looking at the list of goals is quite scary for me and Fear equals Procrastination equals No Productivity. We want the opposite of that. So it will be necessary for me break them down. For example; Instead of leaving 20 comments on posts at a stretch, I can do five in the morning, five in the afternoon and evening and night. That will definitely help.
Source
- Plan each day the night before: Knowing the kind of person I am, I might have problems with this and there may be inconsistencies but wherever I fall short, I’m sure the progress made at the time will be better than not trying at all.
Source
- Avoid my phone from 8pm to 8am: I saw this in one of the Youtube videos I watched while procrastinating😙; it was a Ted Talk. The speaker said that it worked wonders for him, it made him more focused and in control of his life. Hopefully it will work for me too. One thing I noticed is that when we get off our phones and let our minds wander, we become so creative and ideas start trooping from every angle.
Source
That’s all I’ve got guys, if you are also struggling with procrastination, you can let me know and maybe we could keep each other motivated through this. I honestly hope I stick with it till the end.
If you have any tips that could help me out please share in the comments section below. I am grateful.
At some point everyone needs to grow up and be responsible adult. If you know what you want, you work hard for it. Otherwise you're going to work for others, making them money by watching their videos on whatever platform is in vogue now. Sorry, may sound harsh, but it's reality. You focus on shit, shit grows, you focus on yourself, you grow.
Also, tags should be related to the topic of your post, so you should be using ocd in case you're writing about the project, which you're not.
Thanks for your contribution. I agree with you.
My apologies for misusing the ocd tag, I genuinely thought that it was free to use as far as you post in the community that your post relates to. I remember reading that in one of the rules. I guess I misunderstood?
Yes you did misunderstand. There's no point in using it, unless your post is related to the project.
Hiiii, that was an interesting read and I would love to add some useful tips. I am currently working on this very issue as well
You have created the list of things you want to achieve before next month. I’m sure you have broken them down into daily goals. So that you won’t be putting too much pressure on yourself. Also, when you make daily goals, start by doing the most tedious one, that one that deep down, you feel like you might not be able to achieve. Then also, as you finish a task, tick it off the list, this will give you a sense of accomplishment and can even boost your energy towards the remaining tasks.
I wish you all the best in all you want to achieve🤗🤍
Thank you very much dear.
Your tip is very useful, I will definitely try it out.
Thank you for reading it all to the end and commenting. It is much appreciated!
Have a lovely week.
It’s my pleasure
Have an amazing week too 🤗
Procrastination is a serious problem and one that I fall victim to myself in both life and work which isn’t good. I’m hopefully getting on the right track with my work but it’s stressful for sure lol. Some good tips especially putting our phones away.