Procrastination is a notoriously inefficient use of your time and you quickly find yourself wasting away your life. And if you truly wish to achieve anything, it would be prudent to rid yourself of this hindrance. Technological advancements have drastically changed how we as a society function and how we approach our work.
This is not to say that previous generations did not procrastinate when it was time to complete their work; when previous generations needed to complete an assignment, they certainly were not always on the ball. However, since most work required actual research and materials were not so easily accessible, their levels of procrastination were nowhere near ours.
As a generation that has been the direct beneficiary of the age of the computer, we have been spoiled and have become accustomed to an ease of access in our search for information that left us more prone to procrastinate. Think about your work habits for a brief moment, and those of your peers. Are you more prone to be “on the ball”, or are you a “last minute Larry?” More likely than not—if you are one of our readers from the 18-24 demographic—you tend to procrastinate.
How did these habits form? Our acclimation to a world based on instant gratification. Consider this: If you had to do all of your research for an assignment through actual textbooks, do you believe you would still procrastinate as much? Some of you definitely still would, but many of us would feel compelled to get a jump start on our work without the assured instant information access provided by the internet.
But even with the comfort of knowing that the world is literally at your fingertips, it would be prudent to consider ridding yourself of the burden of procrastination. It is time for you to focus on your objectives. There is only so much time you have during your life; do not waste it on Facebook.
Did you know that there is a very easy to avoid adopting poor work habits? Simply don’t let yourself procrastinate. It is a lot simpler than you would imagine. The only thing you have to do to stop procrastinating is, well, stop procrastinating. Having a strong work ethic means having the phrase “do it now” as a constant mantra. Time for leisure is fine, but if you are trying to work make sure the only thing you are doing is work. Do not let yourself procrastinate when you still have an unfinished to-do list.
But of course going from “Last Minute Larry” to your A-game might be quite difficult after at least a decade of poor habit forming. If you are to truly cease procrastinating, you have to adopt a “do it now” mindset. Set a goal to force yourself to be proactive with your work for thirty days to rid yourself of the burden of procrastination. Whenever you feel the urge to procrastinate, remind yourself of the “do it now” phrase and get working. The simplest way to do this is to schedule in time to focus on work.
Many of us never complete our work in a timely fashion because we do not set actual deadlines for ourselves. Sure, the deadline your supervisor or professor gave you does count, but considering you are reading this article, I don’t believe abiding by that deadline has been working well for you. If you truly desire to stop procrastinating, you need to set at least two additional deadlines prior to the final due date of your project.
The first deadline should be at least two to four days before your actual project due date. By doing this you provide yourself with enough time to rest after the completion of your work and return to it to ensure that your work is correct. As we all know, editing is much less efficient when you are doing so after having been awake for twenty hours writing a report. To circumvent errors due to fatigue, it is best to be proactive and provide yourself ample time to check over yourself.
Remember, if you are going to do an assignment, you should do it properly. Give yourself enough time to ensure that you can do it well. When you turn in hastily finished, low quality work, remember that your name is attached to what you have submitted.
Cutting corners with your work will certainly have repercussions as your boss tires of your inconsistency and low quality work. Is that how you wish your employer to view you? I would certainly hope not. Strive for perfection and aim to better yourself, do not succumb to the seduction of procrastination.
Elite.
