Procrastination is a frequent condition, and it is easy for sufferers to put off seeking a solution. Author James Clear provides a scientific explanation for why people procrastinate. He offers four practical techniques to assist you to put an end to procrastination right now, as well as two larger strategies to help ensure that your procrastination problem does not reappear.
Procrastination is harmful to your long-term goals and is typical “more painful” than the activity you’re avoiding. Despite these disadvantages, many people continue to procrastinate. Why? The root of procrastination, according to behavioural research, is “temporal inconsistency”: When you think as your “future self,” you prioritise behaviours that help you achieve long-term goals, but your “present self” prioritises current desires. For example, your future self may value saving for retirement, but because retirement is decades away, your present self decides to buy those expensive designer shoes. The conflict between your present and future interests stops only when the consequences affect you in the now. There are four options to stop procrastination:
Four Options to stop procrastination
“Temptation bundling” – Combine behaviours that support long-term aims with short-term satisfaction. Tell yourself, for example, that you only get to eat at a favourite restaurant when you have a meeting with a difficult coworker.
Set up procedures that assure that if you don’t act on the long-term goal, something unpleasant will happen to you in the present. If you commit to exercising with a friend, you know your friend will be disappointed if you don’t show up.
“Commitment tools” – Choose to restrict websites and remove programs that encourage procrastination. Stop buying unhealthy foods in large quantities. Place your television in a closet and use it just when you want to watch anything specific.
“Making goals more achievable” – Limit new actions to two minutes or divide large tasks into smaller parts. These tactics help you feel like you’re making faster progress, which reduces the barriers to launching larger projects.
Similar Book: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Conclusion
You must find tools to help you retain consistency if you want to ensure that new productivity habits persist and old behaviours don’t reappear. Create a daily routine, for example, that forces you to prioritise chores. Limit your attention and start each day with the most vital things. Completing the first task will allow you to go on to the next. Also, try using “visual cues,” such as a calendar that shows what you’ve done and what you still need to accomplish, to remind you of new productive acts. Creating “proof of your progress” will assist you in staying on track and achieving your goals.