When you look at
most people’s list
of bad habits they
want to break,
procrastination is
typically one of
them.Procrastination is hardly a new
trend; it’s been around for centuries.

According to Dr. Timothy Pychyl, a master of
procrastination (I mean, a master scholar of
procrastination), the earliest documented
reference of procrastination is in a sermon
written in 1682.

What makes procrastination so robust? What
makes it so hard to wipe out even though we
know how much it affects not only our
productivity but our peace of mind? If you
struggle with procrastination and wonder why
you haven’t been able to break the habit,
consider these three things that keep
procrastination flowing in our bloodstream.

1. Things Get Done
Procrastination means not starting to do the
work until you are dangerously close to the
deadline. And then, pushed against the
deadline, you start working at a frenetic pace.
Fighting the deadline gives you a powerful
adrenaline rush. While you couldn’t be
bothered with the task before, now you are
full of energy. You focus your attention
entirely on your almost-late project and
ignore everything else. Your body can go for
hours without sleep or food—copious
amounts of coffee will do just fine.
Eventually, your last-minute frantic action
pays off: The work gets done!
This way of getting things done gives you a
false sense of confidence. It makes you
believe that you can get any job done,
regardless of how late you start. The thrill of
achieving something that seemed so
impossible—like creating an entire
presentation for an important meeting in just
one night—gives you an unforgettable high.
You feel proud, relieved (and probably
exhausted). But you did it! And maybe you
can do it again ... and when you think you are
able to get anything done, regardless of how
late you start, you have no motivation—no
reason—to stop procrastinating

2. Life Goals Have No Deadlines
Procrastination means waiting till the last
minute to get things done. But that only
works when you know when the "last minute"
is. Without a clearly defined and well-
established deadline, you risk never getting
the task done. Of course, not everything we
have to or want to do come with deadlines.
Consider life goals. Life goals have no
deadlines. Early in our lives, there are some
rough deadlines. People expect us to start
crawling by 10 months, and start talking by
about 24 months. We're supposed to start
primary school at about age 6 and finish high
school by around 18. And at least some of us
have to come to terms with the fact that our
parents won’t be supporting us financially
forever, so we know that at that point, we
need to get a job.
Later in life, the deadlines get even looser. No
one tells you exactly when you should start
dating, for example, or what age is too late to
marry. With more idiosyncratic goals, like
taking the next step in your career, starting
your own business, writing a book, learning
French, becoming a mentor, or helping a
charity,buying your dream itel smartphone,a car,house etc, the deadlines are non-existent. No
deadline means no pressure. No pressure
means no action. And no action means no
goal.

3. You Think Procrastination Is a Problem
We tend to think of procrastination as a
problem —as a bad habit or an irreversible
personality trait that will constantly drain our
potential and get in the way of our
achievements. But procrastination may not a
problem at all. It may actually be a solution—
a solution that your brain generates in
response to the need to take action.
Procrastination is the tendency to delay taking
action. It is the disconnect between intention
and implementation. To translate a plan into
action, your brain analyzes a vast amount of
information from your internal and external
environment, and makes decisions about
what to do next. When you have all the
information you need, you start working on a
plan. If you don’t, your brain stalls. And that’s
when you experience procrastination.
This could be a critical shift in your thinking:
Instead of considering procrastination as a big
problem, a habit you need to break, or a
hardwired part of your personality, think of it
as an alarm , or a red flag—a sign that
something is missing . Something is preventing
you from getting started and getting things
done.
Your job is to discover what that is. When you
discover it, the odds will be in your favor.

By Theo Tsaousides, Ph.D.

Hope this was helpful in understanding why you can't do-away with that habit?

Like and share.

True everything is on point

Esseson1:
When you look at
most people’s list
of bad habits they
want to break,
procrastination is
typically one of
them.Procrastination is hardly a new
trend; it’s been around for centuries.

According to Dr. Timothy Pychyl, a master of
procrastination (I mean, a master scholar of
procrastination), the earliest documented
reference of procrastination is in a sermon
written in 1682.

What makes procrastination so robust? What
makes it so hard to wipe out even though we
know how much it affects not only our
productivity but our peace of mind? If you
struggle with procrastination and wonder why
you haven’t been able to break the habit,
consider these three things that keep
procrastination flowing in our bloodstream.

1. Things Get Done
Procrastination means not starting to do the
work until you are dangerously close to the
deadline. And then, pushed against the
deadline, you start working at a frenetic pace.
Fighting the deadline gives you a powerful
adrenaline rush. While you couldn’t be
bothered with the task before, now you are
full of energy. You focus your attention
entirely on your almost-late project and
ignore everything else. Your body can go for
hours without sleep or food—copious
amounts of coffee will do just fine.
Eventually, your last-minute frantic action
pays off: The work gets done!
This way of getting things done gives you a
false sense of confidence. It makes you
believe that you can get any job done,
regardless of how late you start. The thrill of
achieving something that seemed so
impossible—like creating an entire
presentation for an important meeting in just
one night—gives you an unforgettable high.
You feel proud, relieved (and probably
exhausted). But you did it! And maybe you
can do it again ... and when you think you are
able to get anything done, regardless of how
late you start, you have no motivation—no
reason—to stop procrastinating

2. Life Goals Have No Deadlines
Procrastination means waiting till the last
minute to get things done. But that only
works when you know when the "last minute"
is. Without a clearly defined and well-
established deadline, you risk never getting
the task done. Of course, not everything we
have to or want to do come with deadlines.
Consider life goals. Life goals have no
deadlines. Early in our lives, there are some
rough deadlines. People expect us to start
crawling by 10 months, and start talking by
about 24 months. We're supposed to start
primary school at about age 6 and finish high
school by around 18. And at least some of us
have to come to terms with the fact that our
parents won’t be supporting us financially
forever, so we know that at that point, we
need to get a job.
Later in life, the deadlines get even looser. No
one tells you exactly when you should start
dating, for example, or what age is too late to
marry. With more idiosyncratic goals, like
taking the next step in your career, starting
your own business, writing a book, learning
French, becoming a mentor, or helping a
charity,buying your dream itel smartphone,a car,house etc, the deadlines are non-existent. No
deadline means no pressure. No pressure
means no action. And no action means no
goal.

3. You Think Procrastination Is a Problem
We tend to think of procrastination as a
problem —as a bad habit or an irreversible
personality trait that will constantly drain our
potential and get in the way of our
achievements. But procrastination may not a
problem at all. It may actually be a solution—
a solution that your brain generates in
response to the need to take action.
Procrastination is the tendency to delay taking
action. It is the disconnect between intention
and implementation. To translate a plan into
action, your brain analyzes a vast amount of
information from your internal and external
environment, and makes decisions about
what to do next. When you have all the
information you need, you start working on a
plan. If you don’t, your brain stalls. And that’s
when you experience procrastination.
This could be a critical shift in your thinking:
Instead of considering procrastination as a big
problem, a habit you need to break, or a
hardwired part of your personality, think of it
as an alarm , or a red flag—a sign that
something is missing . Something is preventing
you from getting started and getting things
done.
Your job is to discover what that is. When you
discover it, the odds will be in your favor.

By Theo Tsaousides, Ph.D.

Hope this was helpful in understanding why you can't do-away with that habit?

Like and share.

Checking through my it1507 nairaland account, glancing this article made me happy because I am a victim, really want to thank you for it for is so enlightening, procrastination is indeed thief of time, no doubt.