FREE online courses on the Art Of Effective Time Management - TIME WASTERS -
PROCRASTINATION
“Procrastination is the thief of time” goes the old adage. Few people can resist the urge
to put off doing something till later – thus leaving it undone. Kabir exhorted
us to do today what we would do tomorrow, and then go and do it now. NIKE sports
shoes tell this Generation Next to JUST DO IT. The important thing is to make a
start, overcome inertia. Set yourself deadlines, and then reward yourself after
a job is done… the ‘feel-good' factor at work. It becomes a habit, a good one.
May be we can banish procrastination if we dissect it, and analyze why many
people procrastinate:
1.
Useful activity but dislike it
2.
Having fun now, will do it later
3.
Afraid of failure (too scared to start climbing the
mountain)
4.
Fear of success (complacency; fear additional burdens of
success i.e. promotion, responsibilities, loss of friendships/relationships)
5.
Confrontation (“I'll do it when I want, not when others
want me to do it”--- paranoid reaction)
6.
Perfectionism (“It has to be 100%”) – linked to © above
7.
Assertiveness (“If I act now, I shall reveal my
weakness/dependence” – inferiority complex).
8.
Control (“immediate compliance will undermine my
importance, people will start taking me for granted”)
9.
Inertia (too lazy to attempt it)
10.
Insecurity (“I need more data, more consultations”)
11.
Inflexibility (“I lose my option to act differently later
on”)
Applying the above factors objectively to ourselves will
help us to reconcile ourselves to our own shortcomings, and kindle awareness to
avoiding these pitfalls in future – saving time in the process.
