Procrastination is the tendency to put off work till the last minute. This leads to missed opportunities, resentment, frustration, stress and guilt. We all know the ways in which procrastination hurts our lives but we still go on with the same. Dr. Wayne Dyer, a psychologist, attributes this to our resistance to change. It is easier to live in the comfort of guilt than accepting responsibility of change. Also, procrastination is one of the ways we cope with emotional depression.

There are many ways in which people procrastinate. Most of them find it difficult to organize their thoughts and actions. Some of them find tasks so daunting and overwhelming that they find it futile even to try. Some of them rebel against routine. These four styles overlap with the four themes of procrastination. The people who fall in the category of self-doubt are the ones who fear failure. Hence they delay taking any action. The discomfort dodgers are the ones who want to avoid activities that cause them discomfort. The guilt-driven people are one’s who constantly feel guilty about the work they have not done, but do not do anything to correct the task. The habitual people are the ones who procrastinate as part of their nature. They have attuned themselves so well to it that procrastination is their natural response to any task.

In order to combat procrastination, we should first like to do what we have to do. Hence replacing “have to” with “want to” is a good psychological exercise. This will remove any mental blocks that we may have erected against any kind of work. Obsession with finishing an activity can hinder the beginning of that activity. Mentally replacing “finishing” with “beginning” could be a better way to look at an activity. One of the most debilitating causes of procrastination is the desire to be perfect. Being perfect is not being human. Mistakes and failures are part of being human and we should try to be as such even when we avoid making any mistake at all. After each task is successfully completed, rewarding one with some fun activity is a good morale booster. Doing any work is not deprivation. Timeboxing all work is a good way to avoid procrastination. You have to select small tasks that fit in 30 minutes time and finish them in as much time. Reward yourself to a treat after that. This will increase your sense of accomplishment and provide the appropriate motivation to do more and better in the future.

A few other time management ways to beat procrastination are :-

• Making lists of all the work that you want to accomplish in a particular time frame
• Prioritizing the tasks
• Placing them in a calendar; allowing enough time for delays and any emergencies that may arise
• Have a deadline for each of the task

Doing all this requires discipline. This does not mean lack of freedom; rather discipline gives you the freedom to do what you must do so that you have more time to do what you want to do. Discipline also helps you counter stress.

Having a group of friends who act as reminders and share in your rewards is wonderful way to lead a fulfilling life without depriving yourself of any fun.