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These articles under our Mind section have far more self-growth lessons to give as opposed to the Spirit Articles, but in a more subtle fashion. Don’t get me wrong, even if you don’t have depression, anger issues or shyness, each article focuses on a wide array of areas where the lessons extend far beyond the scope of the initial topic. This is also the area where you may reflect on my own lousy mistakes to help better prepare yourself for any similar situation.
In this article, you will learn the following...
1. An Overview of the Three Types of Procrastinators 2. Why Prostination Doesn't Always Boil Down To Laziness, How It Can Be a Perfectionist Trait 3. How Your Emotions Play a Role in Your Procrastination 4. Why Overcoming Procrastination Is All Mental - A Game of Mind Checkers 5. Some Mental Tricks To Give You A More Positive Outlook On Starting Something 6. A Quick and Effective List When Faced With a New Assignment 7. Advanced Tips to Overcoming Procrastination
"Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible." - Charles E Wilson
*whew* I’m going to keep this as the last part of the Mind segment in order to be funny. =D In all seriousness though, this is the last section of the "Mind" Articles I’m typing at the moment. We’ve come a long way, and, you should have a whole new outlook on life if you’ve taken these self-growth articles seriously. I really hope I haven’t bored you with my silly ramblings and absurd life stories, but, it was fun making this. So now, we come to the final chapter, overcoming procrastination. I wouldn’t consider the cause of procrastination laziness, that‘s just a blanket observation. So, to over-generalize things, there seem to be three types of procrastinators.
I was a huge A. back in High School, and I managed to get by with flying colors, but for the rest of you, I’m assuming the effects of your procrastination are starting to cost you. In dealing with this topic of beating procrastination, know that it is all a mind game. It’s a matter of convincing yourself to do something when you know it’s time to do it, which can be hard to do, especially when you have a computer in front of you, but, let’s get right to the so-called “procrastination tips“ shall we?
Assuming you’re a B. I can see a few reasons why people would fall into that category. I recall having a conversation with someone from High School about an assignment due soon. I asked if they were done, since they were pretty smart, and they said they didn’t even start it yet. I assumed they were just over-confident with their abilities, as I usually am ;), but it turns out the reason they hadn’t started it was because they were self-doubting themselves. Thinking further, they were so obsessed with making it amazing, that they were afraid that, once they started, it wouldn’t live up to their own high expectations. Yet, at the same time, by delaying to start it, for fear of it not being as perfect as they want it to be, they lose more time to work on it and they will eventually have to rush it, causing it to BE less than perfect. Perfectionist procrastination, in other words. Do you see how that in itself is a problem? Good.
DON’T LET YOUR SELF-DOUBT PREVENT YOU FROM STARTING YOUR ASSIGNMENT.
For everyone else though, when something needs to be done, there are only TWO possibilities that you MUST KEEP IN MIND. This is how I personally motivate myself, and it does seem to work. ;)
THAT’S IT. Remember how I said beating procrastination was a mind game, this is it. Once you’ve concluded that you’re going to eventually do it, just do it now. It’s going to get done right? There’s really no point in thinking about when you feel like doing it, since the more time you don’t do it, the less focused you’ll have on fun. Also, the feeling you get when completing something early completely swallows the feeling you get when completing it after you concluded you finally feel like doing it, which is usually at the last minute. I have a saying…
THE FUTURE BECOMES THE PRESENT
THE PRESENT BECOMES THE PAST THE PAST BECOMES A MEMORY Remember all those times where you didn’t want to do something, but you did? Where is that event now? It’s in the past, just as the thing coming up soon that you don't want to do will be. It’s hard to explain, but think about it, you might as well put it behind you as soon as possible, right? So there’s that, but, let’s just say what’s coming up is HUUUGE. Omgosh, you have a 30 page essay to write, and it’s due in 30 days!? My gosh, what was that jerk ball of a professor thinking? :D When he assigns you the task, you should be thinking about your options right then and THERE.
“As a procrastinator, I know I’ll end up waiting until the last day to begin it, when that day comes, I’m going to be so… ugh.”
Put the future into your head as soon as the option of, “Am I going to do it, or not.” becomes available. On day 29, you will have to write 30 pages of nonsense NOT ONLY THAT, but the thought of doing it those first 28 days will impact your fun thoughts. So, solution? We have a big project. DIVIDE the project up into smaller chunks.
“Okay, 30 pages due in 30 days. I’ll write one page a day.”
When you look at it from THAT angle, that project will go from a vicious sea monster, to a cute baby dragon. You should know how easy it is to write one page a day. It’ll probably take you about 20 mins, 10 mins if you already have something in mind.
WHEN FACED WITH HUGE TASKS, BREAK IT DOWN INTO SMALLER PIECES. SCATTER THOSE PIECES EVENLY ALONG THE DAYS BETWEEN THE START DATE AND THE DUE DATE
Between you and me, this is how I’m writing these self-growth articles. I currently have 34 pages. I didn’t sit to write it all down in one go, I broke it down into the sections you’ve already read. Made my life 1,000x easier, not that I HAVE a due date, but you get it. :D Bearing that in mind, schedule some fun time after each completed session. Even though you have more to do tomorrow, you won’t feel guilty at all because you know you will have accomplished what you have set out to do for that day. Sometimes, when I get done a section, I play some Super Smash Bros. Brawl (challenge me, I dare you), not only do I feel like I deserve it, but I’m more at ease when I‘m kicking butt and taking names. ^_^ But, enough about my empty boasting.
There’s not really a whole lot to say on this topic really. As I said, it’s all just a mind game so…
As long as you convince yourself it’s going to be done anyways, DO IT NOW! (It’s going to be done, right? Put it in the past as soon as you can, we both know that’s where it will eventually go)
When your objective is huge, BREAK IT DOWN! (Like a puzzle, focus on each different aspect separately. Your final product will be a whole lot better.)
When faced with many tasks, ORGANIZE THEM BY PRIORITY! (When everything is outlined in front of you, you feel better prepared and things seem less chaotic.)
When you’ve accomplished a section, REWARD YOURSELF! (Mentally, you’ll feel like you earned that reward when you’ve completed the task you set out to do for that day)
Bear these things in mind, and you should do fine.
Further Reading… 101 Tips For Avoiding Procrastination!
Who Else Wants To Stop Being A Slave To Procrastination? Within my 50 page guide, "101 Tips For Avoiding Procrastination," you'll learn all the tricks, methods, and strategies for beating down your bad habit. And you can start the battle in minutes from now by downloading my guide to your PC.
...here is just SOME of the information you will find inside:
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