In a hectic world, permeated with tasks at hand every second, sometimes we can feel overwhelmed, stressed or tired, and many other things, which leads us to procrastinating - the action of delaying or postponing something to a later date. Despite this typically being entirely unnecessary and done with the knowledge in mind that there are negative consequences, it is now seen as a more habitual phenomenon in the present day.


Procrastination is much more common and widespread than perceived, namely in workplaces and colleges. Studies show that more than 88% of college students say that they procrastinate on assignments, and that the majority of the surveyed students said they procrastinate by watching TV or using social media on their smartphones.


Addictions to instant gratification activities such as indulging in social media or watching Netflix are undoubtedly one of the top drivers for procrastination. The rapid hits of dopamine they provide is enough to distract almost everyone, largely because it appears the more effortless option and supplies considerably higher levels of enjoyment and entertainment. Falling victim to this so-called “trap” will not only prove to be detrimental to your productivity, but the benefits merely last a few minutes or an hour, and negative consequences come back to bite you in the end.

 

One other common reason for procrastination is fear of failure. This is heavily linked to the sheer absence of motivation. Whilst the general consensus is that a lack of discipline is the general root cause for procrastination, perfectionism and fear are the epitome of emotional disincentives, making people become unwilling to fulfil the task at hand so that they can instead eradicate these negative feelings through turning to instant gratification activities once again. This is another reason why anxiety is one of the leading origins for procrastination.

There are many tips out there on how we can avoid procrastination. We don’t want to waste time, but we all still have a propensity to do so. One way we can avoid this is by organising ourselves appropriately. Most of the time, we just “jump straight into it” without any tangible plan. Very quickly one can become overwhelmed, but by breaking tasks into manageable, smaller chunks, it’s surprising how effortless daily assignments can become.

Another conspicuous method to avoid procrastinating is to simply eliminate all distractions. If your smartphone is with you on your desk, you are most likely going to end up opening Youtube 5 minutes into your study session. But by simply switching off your smartphone and placing it out of reach, you are much less likely to be enticed by other distractions given they are out of sight.
We can also do things like set rewards at the end of tasks and make them more enjoyable. One of the main reasons we procrastinate is that our modern world obligations appear daunting to so many of us, with there being no apparent purpose of completing the task. But by rewarding ourselves for our work, the accomplishment of the task at hand seems much more attainable and enjoyable, and we are much more likely to stay committed, determined to reach the end goal.

 


We all have goals in life. We have potential, and we create but throw away invaluable opportunities for ourselves, all because of procrastination. Procrastination is the easy choice. One minute you’re in paradise, but soon after you’re found rushing your art project just minutes before the deadline. Your stress levels go up, your quality of life plummets. You could be starting a business, learning a new skill, building your career, but instead you chose the more intriguing path - binge-watch TV shows and deduct countless hours off your life. We’re all prone to it, yet we wonder why we struggle to progress in our lives. If you want to achieve anything in life, it starts here. Embrace delayed gratification, follow the right, simple steps, and establish a foundation for a successful life by tackling procrastination first. It only goes up from there...