How To Defeat Procrastination
	Stop Procrastinating Now <  Previous Contents Next  >

In all the previous chapters you learned about the causes of procrastination and why it happens. You were told that procrastination is a condition that can be cured once you know the condition, why it occurs, and how it happens. Knowing these facts will help you in your efforts to cure your procrastination. So what is there left to do? You need to learn about what you must do to stop procrastination in its tracks.

A lot of the information you read in previous chapters will help you learn how to deal with procrastination in addition to what follows.

In order to stop procrastinating, you must take certain steps and follow certain guidelines. Although you take the steps to stop procrastinating, remember that you have been procrastinating for a long time, so you aren’t going to stop overnight. It will take some time to quit. But if you work at a certain program every day, it will help lessen the effects of it, until you are rid of procrastination for good.

Taking small steps may be the best way to cure procrastination. But you must start slowly. Don’t expect perfection, nor expect a change overnight. If you perform certain steps right, you’ll make it. Here are the most recommended steps to take:

• Start Small: Any time you do anything at first, your best bet is to start small. Take things gradually. If you must, make a list to follow each day. This will help you get through the day, at least till you don’t have to be dependent on lists anymore.

• Changing Home Life: The hardest part for procrastinators is living by themselves at home. There is no one else around to say anything to them. They are basically on their own in their house. This can cause them to lack discipline. They will not want to try to change. And the hardest part of being alone is change. You have no one to encourage you or force you to keep going or make the necessary adjustments. This is why being at home is the hardest thing to do for a procrastinator.

• The Control Factor: The biggest problem for some procrastinators is they like to take control of situations. Taking control has its good points and bad points. The good point is you see to it things get done. The bad point is that it can have negative connotations. You may develop the urge to go beyond the control you should have. Instead, monitor your control and only do what is necessary to get the work done that needs to be done. Don’t go beyond that. Have people around to help you so you won’t have to go it alone. Using control can help you, especially in an office situation, but if you go beyond this control, you are risking it. An example of this could be if there is a special meeting you have to go to by 1 p.m., but you also have reports that are due by 2 p.m. You don’t want to put off doing the reports. So you get out your trusty list, and you work on your reports till about 12:30 p.m. You notice your meeting is in a building next door and it usually takes 10 minutes to get there. So you work on the reports till 12:30 p.m. and then mark doing these reports off your list. Now you walk out the door. When you get back from the meeting, you check off the meeting from your list and take your reports to your manager for delivery. You have just completed your list for the day, if that is all you had listed. If you had more, you simply go back to your office and continue down the list. This is the best way to use the proper amount of control.

• Face Your Fears: The best way to face fears or resist the temptation to be a procrastinator is to think about what would happen to you if you procrastinated on the task you want to do. How would you feel about not doing it? What would happen if you didn’t do it? Usually asking questions about your own fear and doubt is a way to break it. Because when you realize the fear is not real, it helps you to overcome it. Or, if you feel a lot of pain, anger, or resentment around the fear and avoidance you may face now, then perhaps you should think twice about developing procrastination. Having this kind of attitude has worked numerous times for procrastinators in the past and can work for you now, if you let it work.

These are just some of the ways in which you can stop procrastination in its tracks. Just take the necessary steps to alleviate it and you will soon find that it is a thing of the past. Imagine a life without having to suffer from procrastination. This is possible if you follow through on all you have to do and stick to it. Remember what you read in this text. You can’t get rid of procrastination overnight.

It will take time, perhaps days, months, or even years, but you will eventually get rid of it. Get rid of those internal emotions that cause you to have procrastination like fear, avoidance, and perfectionism, and you’ll be on your way to a life free of those emotions and conditions that have held you back for so long.