A Great Cure For Procrastination

Firstly, let me put a disclaimer here by saying that I do not claim to have a guaranteed cure for the chronic disease of procrastination for you (yes, it is a chronic disease and we might really die from it). This is because what might work for me and everybody else might not work for you due to our differing experiences in life. Our backgrounds and experiences ultimately shape our psyche. But one thing is true. Most of us have had at some points in our lives struggled with the habit of procrastination. We have tried many ways in order to get ourselves to overcome this huge stumbling block and yet, oftentimes we miserably failed.

We do agree that the cause of procrastination is all in the head. The moment when we realize that we were able to stay up all night finishing our assignment when the deadline was the following morning, we stopped and fumed at ourselves in disbelief. It is when things become 'a must' that they really get moving. But the problem is, if we really are honest with ourselves, not everything in life is a real must unless it gets to the point when it becomes one of those can't live without activities. Doing our homework which is due next week is certainly not as urgent as breathing. We, in our right minds, correctly set the priorities straight.

A powerful idea I came across recently is that of Parkinson's Law. It states that:

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion

At first glance this sentence is nothing but a mere description of the problem and read nothing like a prescription for it. But give it a deeper thought for a second. We will find that this is largely true and since it is an antithesis to a proactive living we might want to ask ourselves - can we actually defy this? Fortunately, yes!

So the next time we would like to get a work done and finding ourselves having a 'proc attack', remind ourselves that the disease has to be fought back. If we do nothing about it, the work will never get done unless it becomes a real necessity. And by being able to cure the problem, we will have a better sense of mastery over our lives and this in turn gives us a better sense of self-worth.

Good luck!