Procrastination is one of the biggest obstacles to productivity. This is especially true today with all the distractions we get from messages on portable devices to social media. Whether you are an employee working on your career, an entrepreneur starting your own business, or an individual trying to pursue a dream, you need to understand the psychological reasons behind procrastination so that you can avoid the pitfalls.
Fear
Fear is often described as an illogical emotion. But it is fear of failure that is often responsible for procrastination. It is the tendency to react to a challenging task by assuming that by not taking on the challenge we can avoid, or at least, postpone failure. To overcome the fear of failure you need to change your perspective. Remember most mistakes can be corrected and they often present new opportunities for learning.
Lack of Motivation
Low levels of motivation increase the frequency of procrastination. Low motivation is often caused by self-confidence in taking on the tasks and how you perceive the benefits. You are likely to experience fear of failure if you doubt your ability to perform the task. Also, if the task is uninteresting to you, you may opt to procrastinate. To overcome this, evaluate your fears and focus on aligning your career with your passion and purpose.
Don’t Know Where to Start
Procrastination may be as a result of taking on a complex undertaking and not knowing where to start. This is often a perception problem that comes as a result of trying to address the unknown. To overcome this, you need to make your plans less abstract and more deliberate and practical instead
Start by writing down the responsibilities that are critical to achieving your goals. Breakdown these goals and prioritize them and develop a schedule using a simple planner. Make a point of reviewing your goals as you finish the tasks one by one.