The habit of putting off important things for later. Disease of tomorrow. The habit of putting off important things until later is dangerous. Some people work better under pressure

The habit of putting things off until the last minute can be a big problem both in your career and in your daily life. Missed opportunities, overtime, stress, overload, resentment, guilt are signs of such a habit. This article will help identify the main reasons for the habit of procrastination, and show how you can overcome it.

Replace "I need" with "I want"

Firstly, the understanding of the *need* to take certain actions is the main reason why we postpone them until later. When you tell yourself that you *should* do something, you become aware of the compulsive nature of that action, and you automatically feel a sense of inner resistance.

Postponing acts as a kind of defense mechanism to keep you from doing unwanted things.

If the task you are postponing has deadlines, then as these deadlines approach, the unpleasant sensations from the task itself are blocked by stronger sensations from the consequences that will come if you do not start the solution immediately.

The solution to this blockage lies in understanding and accepting the fact that you should not do anything that you do not want to do at all. Even if you face serious consequences, you are always free to choose. Nobody is forcing you to do this or that.

Decisions made by you life path brought you to the present situation. If you do not like the current state of affairs, you are free to make other decisions that will lead you to other results.

And note that you do not put off all your affairs for later. There are things you do on time. Perhaps you do not miss your favorite TV show, or you always find time to read an interesting forum on the Internet. In every situation, the choice is yours.

So, if you're putting off starting work on a new project and feeling compelled, realize that you're doing it of your own free will. Tasks that you decide on your own are much less likely to be put aside.

Replace "Finish" with "Start"

Secondly, considering the task as something big and indivisible will definitely lead you to put it aside. When you're focused on completing a task and at the same time don't have a clear idea of ​​the steps you need to take, you create a sense of overload for yourself. And in this case, you associate this unpleasant feeling with the task itself and put it off for as long as possible.

If you say to yourself - "I have to prepare the papers today" or "I have to complete the creation of this report" - most likely you are plunging yourself into a state of stress and postponing the task for later.

The solution is to think about starting work on a small section of the task, instead of imagining that you need to complete the entire task.

Change your approach. Instead of asking “How do I end all this?” Ask yourself, “What small piece of work can I do right now?” If you just start solving a problem many times, then you will eventually come to its completion.

If one of your tasks that needs to be solved is sorting out the trash in the garage, then the thought that you have to clean this pile of garbage at once plunges you into a sad mood and you put it off for later.

Ask yourself how you can start by solving at least a small part of this problem.

For example, go to the garage and jot down a few ideas on a piece of paper for small ten-minute garage cleaning activities. While you are doing this, you can take and take some of this big pile of garbage to the trash.

Don't think about doing something big. Just focus on what you can do right now. Applying this approach regularly, you will eventually get to the last small piece of work and eventually complete the solution of the entire task.

Let go of perfectionism and allow yourself to be imperfect.

The third type of erroneous thinking that leads to procrastination is perfectionism. The thought that you have to do the job right away and flawlessly puts you in a state of stress. And you associate stress with a task that needs to be solved, and thus create all the conditions for yourself to postpone it until later.

Stop procrastinating until the last minute so that you can finally find your way out of this trap.

Tell yourself - now there is not enough time to do the job perfectly.

But if your task doesn't have deadlines, perfectionism can lead you to procrastinate on that task indefinitely. If you've never even started a task that you've always wanted to do very well, perfectionism may be holding you back.

You can fight perfectionism by giving yourself the right to be an imperfect person.

Have you ever used computer program, which could be called perfect from all points of view? Hardly.

Realize that an imperfect work finished today is always better than a perfect work put off indefinitely.

Perfectionism is also associated with the awareness of the task as something big and indivisible.

Replace one big perfectly done job in your brain with a small and imperfect first step.

This first step can be very, very imperfect. But you can always come back to it again and again.

For example, if you want to write a five thousand word article, allow yourself to write only one hundred words to begin with.

Replace Loss with Guaranteed Joy

The fourth mental block is that the task is associated with a sense of loss. This means that you believe that completing the project will remove a significant amount of pleasure and joy from your life.

Does it take the rest of your life to complete a project? Do you tell yourself that you should retire, work late, never see your family, and never have fun? It doesn't seem to be very motivating, but many many people say this to themselves to force themselves to do something.

Imagining pictures of long, hard work alone, with no time for fun, is a guaranteed way to procrastinate.

You can fight this way of thinking by doing the opposite. Identify first guaranteed areas of joy in your life and plan your work "around" these areas.

It may sound unproductive, but this psychological technique works very well.

Determine in advance the time that you will spend with your family, time for entertainment, time for sports, time for community service and personal hobbies. Make time for your favorite activities. Then limit your working hours to what's left.

The most productive workers in any field tend to work less and rest more than workaholics.

If you are considering your work time as a valuable resource, and not as an unruly monster that can destroy other parts of your life, you will feel more balanced, and you will be more task-focused and efficient in using your work time.

This can be seen in the fact that the optimal duration working week for most people is 40-45 hours. Working longer has the opposite effect in terms of productivity and motivation. And in the long run, less real work gets done.

What if I came to you and said, “You can only work ten hours this week.” Your sense of loss will be reversed, won't it?

Instead of feeling the withdrawal of time for entertainment, you would begin to feel the withdrawal of time for work.

You would change your attitude.

“I want to have fun” would change to “I want to work”, your motivation to work would increase significantly, and all traces of procrastination would disappear.

Having a guaranteed day off will increase your motivation to work and reduce your tendency to procrastinate.

If you know that tomorrow is a day off, you will be less inclined to procrastinate, because you will not want to allow yourself such a “luxury” as a day off, busy with solving postponed cases.

And if for you every day is a work day, and despite this, the work seems endless, then you always say to yourself, “I need to work.” And your brain uses procrastination as a way to guarantee you at least some positive emotions in your life.

Share the time

For tasks that you put off, I recommend using the time-sharing method to get started. Here's how it works. First, choose a small part of the task that you can work on for at least half an hour. And come up with a reward that you will give yourself immediately after the end of these thirty minutes.

The reward is guaranteed after a set time (thirty minutes).

It does not depend on the significance of the results. For example, watching your favorite TV show, going to the movies, eating delicious food, meeting friends, going for a walk, or whatever you find enjoyable.

Since the time you spend on work is small, your attention will be drawn to the expected pleasure, and not to the complexity of the task being solved. And it doesn't matter how unpleasant the task at hand. There is nothing that cannot be endured for half an hour if a good reward awaits you.

If you divide your time in this way, you will find that interesting things happen. You will notice that you continue to work on the task for more than the scheduled thirty minutes.

You will sometimes be so engrossed in a task, even a difficult one, that you will want to keep working on it. And before you notice it will be one or more hours. Your reward has not gone anywhere. And you know you'll get it as soon as you're ready to stop.

Once you start working, your attention shifts from worrying about the complexity of the task to completing that piece of work.

Once you decide to stop, get your reward and enjoy it. And schedule another thirty-minute piece of work with an appropriate reward.

This will help you associate pleasant emotions with the task, because you are rewarded for your efforts.

Long-term work for unclear and long-term goals is not as motivating as immediate reward.

By rewarding yourself for spending time on a task, rather than for any specific results, you will look forward to returning to the task and eventually you will complete it.

The writing of this article serves good example application of the methods described above.

I could say to myself - I have to complete this article in 2000 words and it must be flawless.

First, I remember that I don't have to write anything. I freely choose to write articles.

Then I realize that I have plenty of time to do Good work. And I don't have to be perfect, because if I start early, I have plenty of time to edit it afterwards.

I also told myself that if I just started on a task, I would definitely complete it.

I haven't thought of a topic for the article yet. And I used time sharing to accomplish this task.

Dinner was my “reward”. I knew that at the end of the thirty-minute section of work, I would be able to eat.

Since I was hungry then, it was a good motivation.

It took me a few minutes to come up with a topic for this article, and I spent the remaining time writing down the idea and sketching out a rough outline for a future article. As soon as the time was up, I stopped work and had dinner. I felt that I "earned" this food.

The next morning I used the same method, making breakfast my “reward”. And I was so engrossed in the task that I kept writing for another hour and a half. I knew that I was free to stop at any time and receive the reward I deserved, but once I overcame the inertia and started, I felt a natural urge to keep working on the task. In essence, I turned the problem of procrastination into staying to work on the task, postponing the moment of receiving the reward. As a result, I finished writing the article and enjoyed breakfast.

I hope this article has helped you better understand the reasons for procrastination and how to overcome it.

Understand that procrastination is generated by the mental connection between the task and your negative emotions about it. The way to overcome it is to reduce the volume of negative emotions and increase the flow of positive emotions from the task. Thus stimulating yourself to overcome inertia and gain a positive driving force.

After all, if you start any task many times, then you will definitely finish it.

The habit of procrastinating. How to overcome procrastination.

Time ... It seems that there is so much of it, and that the whole life is ahead. So many people who do not want to rush to live think so - and it is completely in vain, because no one can know what will happen to us tomorrow. What awaits a person in the future is a riddle that a person solves only when this future comes and becomes real. However, by letting the situation take its course and not thinking at all about shaping a wonderful future, we often create an unenviable present for ourselves.

Hello dear readers. Today I invite you to consider a very serious problem of many potentially successful people, which never become one. Moreover, it is precisely because of this problem that a person loses all desire to achieve at least something worthwhile in his life, and this despite solid intellectual and physical capabilities. Alas, only some people who are faced with this problem see it as a problem - the rest simply believe that this is not a problem at all, but an ordinary habit that does not affect the results of their activities. So, we will talk about the habit of postponing everything for later - procrastination.

We very often put off important things for later, explaining this by the need to do “a lot of important things” at the same time. However, what then appears as the cases that we call important? As a rule, this is watching a TV program, checking e-mail, walking in the park, brewing another cup of tea, resting after rest, etc. Of course, some of these cases are vital, but not when a person has passed all the critical deadlines for completing a report, preparing for an exam, etc.

It is quite normal if a person is engaged in a business that is not important here and now, due to the presence of specific need, the satisfaction of which can improve a person's condition and give him the necessary vitality. For example, while performing a task that is most important to a person, a person may become distracted and:

Brew strong tea to compensate for the lack of caffeine in the body, leading to a sharp decrease in efficiency;

Free up 20-30 minutes of time (but not half a day, as procrastinators do!) in order to take a walk in the park and breathe fresh air, fill your body with vital oxygen, and also relax your soul from accumulated fatigue and everyday bustle;

Go online and check email, as a person is waiting for a very important message (and not just “sit” in the mail or social network to write the next “Hello. How are you?”);

Go to the store to purchase an important thing for yourself or receive an important service (and not just to pass an hour or two);

Lie down to rest in order to restore strength (and not because there is nothing else to do or laziness to do anything);

Watch an information program that tells important information for a person, or a football match of your favorite team, after which a person will be able to start an important business with renewed vigor (but not watching the next football match of teams that a person hears about for the first time).

A person who at least once decided to postpone an important matter until later begins to develop the habit of postponing important issues, which subsequently results in trouble at work, loss of trust of loved ones and colleagues, financial losses and missed opportunities, etc. Such a person, throughout the entire period of the task allotted to him, in every possible way delays time, spending it on absolutely unnecessary things, and when the person realizes that all possible deadlines have passed, he either refuses to complete the task, or tries to complete it in an unrealistically short time. It is no secret that both in the first and in the second case he will fail.

Procrastination can cause feelings of guilt and despair, an incredible loss of productivity and self-confidence. When a person spends his energy on secondary matters, his sense of anxiety constantly increases, he understands that such actions will not lead him to positive result but continues to waste his time. When there is very little time left, a person begins to carry out the task with all his strength, but it is already too late, and these desperate attempts only kill the remnants of faith in success in a person.

Let's take a look at the main causes of procrastination together:

1. Fear of failing. Fear of failure, of course, is the primary cause of procrastination, because if a person were not afraid of anything, he would simply take on an important task and calmly bring it to the end. But it’s not like that - unpleasant thoughts constantly revolve in the head of many people prone to procrastination - “what if I don’t succeed?”, “maybe I shouldn’t take on this business?”, “I don’t have enough qualities to achieving success in this matter”, etc. The fear of failure is especially dangerous for people who are accustomed to always do everything right and not upset anyone. When it comes to learning, these people always strive to get the highest mark, and are afraid of a different outcome for themselves. These people are called perfectionists, and more than anyone else, they are prone to procrastination. If a person is used to always doing everything right, but at the same time he is not 100% sure that he will achieve the desired result, he will make every effort to delay the completion of the task. And when only half an hour is left at his disposal, the person begins to understand that he has nowhere to retreat, and he tries to correct the situation, but all in vain. A perfectionist will not tolerate not only failure, but even the thought of it, and in vain, because he loses the opportunity to learn from his own mistakes, gaining important knowledge.

2. Human inability to prioritize and act on them. Such a person either has a lot of tasks that he tries to complete at the same time, without thinking about the degree of importance of each of the tasks, or he does not single out any tasks in his work and prefers, taking the position “what will be - that will be”, to go with the flow of life . A person simply does not have an understanding of which of the tasks is the most important and capable of providing the desired result, and therefore he performs, first of all, tasks of little significance, on which a person spends a large number of energy and when it comes through to complete a really important task, a person simply does not have enough strength to complete it.

3. Unwillingness to overcome obstacles. On the way to the goal of each person, obstacles await - and this is a fact. However, the procrastinator is well aware of how much effort he will have to spend, and decides to just let the situation take its course, and instead of moving towards the goal, he spends his time on empty activities - viewing mail, computer games, etc. Of course, giving up on a goal is much easier than being willing to sacrifice time and energy to achieve it. And for sure, living in a virtual, invented world is often more pleasant than in reality, but do you need such a life? The meaning of life is in constant development, and where there is no development, there is degradation. If, instead of learning important new information and mastering skills that will be a solid foundation for your future success, you waste your precious time doing nothing, you, thereby, consciously decide to take the path of degradation. Just don't be surprised after that why others succeed, and you have remained at your starting point. Make up your mind to overcome all the necessary obstacles, and start doing it right now, while you have the necessary time and energy to do so.

4. Emotional starvation. It is emotional starvation that is one of the main reasons for the habit of putting off important things. To achieve success, a person often has to perform monotonous monotonous work throughout the day. And, even if a person likes what he does, monotonous work can take a lot of vital energy from him, as it requires endurance and constant concentration of attention on the goal. Naturally, a person prone to procrastination quickly gets bored with monotonous work, he forgets about the goal and decides to “unwind” and rest, thereby delaying the deadline as much as possible. important work. And how most often does a person prefer to “disperse”? Of course - through the main time wasters - surfing the Internet, checking e-mail, playing computer games, talking about nothing on the phone, browsing the next TV show, another optional snack, etc. By these actions, a person “kills two birds with one stone” - gets rid of emotional hunger and effectively shirks work. However, in the future, a person begins to like this idleness more and more, which, in fact, is not surprising, because lying on the couch is much more pleasant than wasting energy and overcoming obstacles on the way to the desired result. All this leads to only one thing - during his stay in a passive state, a person misses many potential opportunities, and also begins to reproach himself for being inactive when he had a real opportunity to change his life for the better.

5. Desire to show your independence. Any movement towards the goal is connected with the need for a person to sacrifice his own freedom. A person becomes literally dependent on his goal, devoting his strength and time to achieve it. A purposeful person perfectly understands the need for such a “sacrifice”, and therefore does not allow himself to be distracted by extraneous things until the goal is achieved. However, most often, sooner or later, an inner voice begins to say to a person: “Just look at what you have become! You have become an absolutely dependent person who is not free to do what he wants. After all, you were born free - so enjoy your freedom! Finally leave this work and go and rest.” To which a person who wants to show his independence replies: “But it’s true! How much can you work hard for a result that will be achieved no one knows when? You have to think about yourself too." As a result, a person puts off all important things, and begins to show his independence - to live for his own pleasure. But at the same time, a person also forgets that the desire to prove one's independence and the desire to achieve a goal are two absolutely opposite things. In the end, a person who strives to seem independent spends all the opportunities for success and becomes truly dependent, because he does not manage to realize anything he has planned in life.

6. Fear of novelty. Often, in order to effectively overcome all the obstacles on the way to the goal, a person is required to change his actions, model and stereotypes of behavior, mode of work, etc., which is quite difficult for many, because any significant changes cause fear in a person. A person often does not want to change anything in himself at all, he is already satisfied with everything in himself. But at the same time, a person understands that without the changes that so terrify him, success cannot be achieved. That is why, not daring to change and, at the same time, being unable to abandon his goal, a person simply begins to switch to activities that are not related to achieving the goal, wasting his time in vain.

7. self-restraint. Very often a person puts off doing an important thing until later due to fear ... of success. Yes, paradoxically, but many of us are afraid to be successful, do not dare to do everything in our power to stand out from the crowd, fear criticism, envy and hatred from other people. In other words, a person is afraid to show himself better than other people. Nothing will help a person achieve success in any business until he copes with his internal limitations. He must realize his right to be the way he is - even if in fact he is better and smarter than all people on earth.

8. Unclear life goals. If a person has not decided what goal he is going to achieve in his life, he will not know the answer to one of the main questions: “Why am I doing this? What will I achieve as a result of my actions? A person living without a life goal begins to doubt the importance of any task, and therefore he does not strive to move on to its implementation. Moreover, a person without a goal quickly falls into depression and begins to feel tired from everything that happens in his life.

9. The need to do the job you hate. If a person does not like everything that he does, he will do everything in his power in order not to start unloved work for as long as possible.

Well, with the reasons that make people put off things that are important for achieving success for indefinite term, we figured it out. Now is the time to name the main ways to deal with procrastination:

1. If you are overcome by the desire to leave an important matter and move on to an activity that does not bring you benefit, or simply to the desire to put the matter on the back burner, you are better off take a little break and walk down the street in the fresh air. This walk will give you self-confidence and desire to succeed. Don't forget about good vacation and full sleep, excessive fatigue has not yet helped anyone on the way to the desired goal.

2. Learn to plan your time. Only with planning skills can you make your work productive and of high quality, as well as increase your own efficiency. Having a clear, realistic plan will prevent you from doing things that are not related to achievement. ultimate goal affairs, and, accordingly, you will not have a desire to postpone things for later.

3. Develop a strong character and willpower. It is willpower and a strong character that will allow a person to remain true to his goal even when the desire to give up and accept the current state of affairs reaches its maximum. The best way to develop your willpower is to exercise. Daily morning exercises are a must. Do it with discipline every day at the same time, which will allow you to also be disciplined in completing important tasks.

4. Change your attitude towards time-consuming and, at first glance, difficult tasks. Very often, a person tends to delay the completion of an important task from the point of view of achieving success solely because this task frightens him with its laboriousness. A person simply does not believe that he is able to complete the task, and does not understand at all where to start. In order for the task not to scare you with its impracticability, break the process of its implementation into certain stages, and after each of the stages take breaks in order to restore your vitality. Also, do not forget to reward yourself in some way after passing through each of the stages of the process, so that throughout the entire process of achieving what you want, you do not forget that after completing the task you will find a worthy reward, and it is worth spending effort and time to receive it.

5. Declare war on the true cause of procrastination - fear., which fetters your will and paralyzes the desire to take the initiative. The most common fear a procrastinator experiences is the fear of failure. He is frightened by everything unknown, he has not previously encountered such a task, and now he is afraid that one wrong action can nullify all his efforts. It also happens that a person, on the contrary, has repeatedly completed some important task, but at the same time constantly failed, and now, at the mere thought of repeating the task, these unsuccessful attempts to achieve success pop up in the person’s memory one after another, as a result of which the any desire to act in order to prevent repeated failure.

The fear of winning can sometimes be very difficult, but a person with a strong will and a burning desire to achieve success can do it. Consider briefly the main ways to overcome the fear of failure:

Take it as a rule: Each failure is not a loss, but quite the opposite - it is the acquisition of the necessary life experience. But if so, then it turns out that in any of the outcomes you win - either you will succeed and achieve your desired goal, or in the worst case, gain important experience and knowledge that can prevent you from making repeated mistakes. You need to take concrete steps to be successful, right? After all, you will be the winner anyway!

Always have a back up plan. In order to reduce the losses from the possible unsuccessful outcome of your attempts to achieve what you want, you should always stock up on a backup plan, according to which, in case of failure, you will act. This way, if your first attempt to reach your goal is not successful, you will know what steps you need to take in the future. If you have a backup plan, failure will not take you by surprise - you will be prepared for it, and therefore your further actions will not be panicky and chaotic, but calm and deliberate, which will significantly increase your chances of success;

Whatever happens - act! Never give up on action, even when it seems extremely difficult. The most important reason why a person begins to reproach himself in case of failure is inaction. It's much better to fail ten out of ten and know that you acted and tried to make a difference in the situation. better side than doing nothing to prevent a single mistake;

Use visualization actively. In the process of visualization, a person mentally imagines that success has already been achieved, and in bright colors he sees and feels everything that he would feel and see if success would actually be achieved. Best time for visualization - before going to bed. Sit comfortably, close your eyes and imagine how you are easily and confidently approaching your goal step by step. In bright colors, imagine that indescribable delight and sincere joy that you will experience after your goal is achieved. After that, in reality, your self-confidence will increase significantly, and with it, the chances of achieving the desired result will increase.

6. Do not hide from the problem, but honestly admit it. Whatever problem makes you do everything possible to delay its solution, you should honestly acknowledge its presence. If you just turn a blind eye to the problem and assume that everything is in order, in the end, this problem will become the main reason for your failure. When a problem is recognized by a person, he knows what to deal with and plans specific actions and methods to achieve victory in this struggle.

7. Take full responsibility for the result. I guess this is one of the most better ways fight the habit of putting off important things for later. When a person does not recognize his absolute responsibility for the result, he thinks: “Why should I do anything right now? Anyway, in case of failure, circumstances / bad luck / karma / neighbor Vasya will be to blame (underline as necessary). And here's the surprise - failure really happens to a person! As they say, who would doubt.

If you want to break the habit of procrastinating important things, you should understand that you and only you are responsible for the result of any business you organize. When you understand this, you will have something to lose, and you will do your best to complete the task on time and with exceptional quality.

8. If procrastination is due to the fact that you do not get any pleasure from your work, you should seriously consider change job.

9. Don't forget to take breaks. No matter how energetic a person you are, you should also rest between work in order to restore strength and again take up important tasks with enthusiasm. If you think that you are able to cope with a task of any complexity without any interruptions, sooner or later you run the risk of “burning out”, losing strength and the desire to move forward towards the intended goal. Ideally, in the process of work, you can allocate 5 minutes of time every hour in order to relax or get some fresh air. To do this, make it a rule - “5 minutes before the end of each hour of work, I set aside time for myself” - and strictly follow this rule.

10. Set tight deadlines for each task. If you have several tasks to complete in a day that can bring you closer to the final result, determine for yourself clear time periods for completing each of the tasks, and follow them. You don't need to plan that you will complete the "five tasks for today", because in this way you will definitely not complete them. It is better to plan like this: “From 9:00 to 10:30 - task 1; from 10:35 to 11:50 - task 2, etc.” In any case, each task must have its own deadline - the time after which the task has no right to be completed. Over time, by applying this advice, you will be able to perform a lot of tasks in a relatively short period of time.

And, whatever happens, remember that everything in this life depends on you, and therefore do not let procrastination take away your precious time, which you can use for the benefit of yourself and others.

People of the second type constantly put off important things until tomorrow, and as a result, many tasks remain unfinished. This is sometimes explained by laziness, but in psychology there is a special term for this state - “procrastination”.

Learn how to overcome procrastination clinical psychologist Elena Kharitontseva.

The word "procrastination" (from the Latin pro - "instead of", "ahead" and crastinus - "tomorrow") means a tendency to constantly put off important or unpleasant things for later. Because of it, students begin to study the subject the night before the exam, and start writing the thesis a week before the defense. Procrastination prevents employees from doing work, submitting projects and reports on time. This condition negatively affects the ability to make important decisions. Procrastination damages customer relationships and ruins companies.

Or maybe it's just laziness?

The problem of procrastination is much more serious than it seems at first glance. The habit of putting off important things for later is quite dangerous. It starts with one-time delays, but over time it turns into a pattern of behavior. The burden of unfinished business causes a persistent feeling of guilt in the procrastinator. This state is often called laziness, but there are a number of differences between a lazy person and a procrastinator.

First difference. Lazy people do not want to do anything at all and are bleak about new tasks. Procrastinators enthusiastically take on new projects, take on a mountain of tasks, but they cannot cope with them effectively or on time. Most often due to the fact that they are distracted by some other business.

Second difference. If the task is not completed on time, lazy people take it easy: if you don’t do it, it’s okay. For procrastinators, self-flagellation and self-deprecation begin.

Third difference. A task completed on time causes great elation in procrastinators, they are very proud of the result and are pleased with themselves. Lazy people in this case react more calmly, even indifferently.

Fourth difference. An important feature of procrastinators is imaginary optimism, especially when assessing the risk of not completing a certain task.

Who is a procrastinator

Procrastinators are usually people with low self-esteem. Most often they were raised by domineering parents. If adults force children to do everything strictly according to the schedule and control their every step, then by the beginning of adult life, the child does not develop the skill of independent planning of his affairs and fulfilling the plans without a clear external incentive (for example, rigidly set deadlines or given promises). In this case, a person always transfers his affairs to tomorrow, to the day after tomorrow. He tells himself that he will do this when he gets more sleep, when he has more time, etc. Soon, the lack of results begins to interfere with work, and a person develops a lack of confidence in his abilities and his professionalism.

Procrastinators are not just playing for time - they replace the completion of the task with other things. For example, they watch news on the Internet or videos on YouTube. Another one important feature procrastinators - low disease resistance. In psychology, there is a term “care for the disease”, when, from the unwillingness to do an important thing, a person has real symptoms of the disease: pressure jumps, his head and stomach hurt.

Systematics of cases

To solve the problem of procrastination, a very interesting model was invented by a Canadian system development specialist. Brian Tracy. He proposes to divide all postponed cases into three large groups.

The first group: deeds-"elephants"

These are big things or large-scale projects that require a lot of time and effort to complete. Such cases cause subconscious fear in people: it is not clear where to start and how to start such a big deal. Indeed, you cannot "eat" an elephant in one sitting. It is necessary to divide it into separate pieces and start with the most “tasty” (interesting). Then the person is gradually drawn into the work, and soon the other parts of the “elephant” also turn out to be “eaten”.

Russian psychologists propose to use personal motivation to accomplish great things. For the procrastinator strong incentive there can be a good financial reward for work or a promise made to someone that you don’t want to break.

The second group: deeds - "frogs"

In the Tracy system, these are not very big, but unpleasant things that weigh heavily on the soul and cause remorse. Such a “frog” is a strong irritant: it constantly croaks (reminds of itself). In reality, it can be non-urgent unpleasant phone calls, letters, or a meeting that you don’t want to go to. It is better to do such things without delay (“swallow” this nasty “frog”, so that later you can forget about it forever).

However, if a person begins to successfully perform unpleasant “frog” deeds, a problem may appear. When the need arises at work to perform such tasks (for example, an impartial conversation with a person or an uninteresting task that no one wants to do), they can be constantly assigned to the person who knows how to do them: “You are good at this.” But in psychological and moral terms, doing unpleasant things for a person is a very costly task, so you need to build your own line of behavior so that such tasks do not become the main part of the work.

The third group: cases - "oranges"

This is how Tracy calls small relatively simple cases of equal importance and volume. So that they do not accumulate and are not a reproach to the procrastinator, “oranges” should be done regularly. It is better to make it a rule to do, for example, two such cases daily, so that they do not accumulate.

We solve the problem

The following rules will help you learn how to complete all the planned tasks on time and without haste.

1st rule: immediately make a list of accumulated cases (current and future).

2nd rule: prioritize and break big things into parts. Make a list of tasks in this order - first the most important, then less urgent, and at the very end those tasks that have already lost their relevance or were not important or mandatory from the very beginning. Large-scale projects and “elephant” cases need to be divided into separate stages and a specific deadline for their implementation should be determined.

3rd rule: start the mechanism of rationalization, i.e. create elementary conditions for the fulfillment of the tasks set. If you are at work, block yourself from accessing email or social media(it is better to turn off the Internet altogether for a while). If you work from home, turn off the TV and warn your loved ones not to be disturbed for a certain amount of time (for example, three hours).

4th rule: organize a replacement mechanism. To take a break from work, you need to switch to another type of activity. If you work at a computer, then switching to chatting on the Internet, reading books or watching TV does not count as a change in activity. For relaxation, you can do exercises, go to the store.

The change of activity should be cardinal, while any semi-useful work will be better than pseudo-useful.

Rule 5: Be positive. Things not done on time cause a feeling of guilt, and to overcome it, great mental and emotional costs are required. Therefore, you can’t call yourself a loser: you need to step by step build your actions that will help change the situation, and begin to act immediately - at least by compiling a to-do list.

Rule 6: Optimize the order in which things are done. The most unpleasant thing on the list is best done right away (swallowing these "frogs" so that they no longer croak). Then you can proceed to the most pleasant and interesting things, and only then switch to the less interesting ones.

7th rule: set time limits. For example, if you have two tasks scheduled for the day, you need to take 2-3 hours to complete them, and then please yourself with something pleasant. But you need to do these things every day. With this approach, you can decompose a huge "elephant" into small things - "oranges" - and the work will successfully move forward.

Hidden Barriers

Sometimes a person has some personal reasons for procrastination that prevent them from starting work. For example, he lacks some knowledge or needs someone's advice. Among the reasons for procrastination may be the fear of failure or the fear of getting into trouble. Even the fear of success can become a brake - the fear that they will begin to entrust more complex and responsible tasks.

All of the above applies to normal and psychologically healthy people who have serious motivation, but lack organization, self-discipline or the ability to plan and distribute their affairs. But failing to pull yourself together and procrastinate can be a sign of an anxiety disorder or severe depression. In this case, the person needs the help of a psychotherapist or psychiatrist.

MOSCOW, September 11 - RIA Novosti. The desire to put things off until later is a sure sign that they can not be done at all. About what else lies behind the habit of delaying the performance of duties until the last moment and why to-do lists for the day can significantly reduce performance, psychologists and psychoanalysts told RIA Novosti.

Procrastination (from Latin pro - instead of ahead and crastinus - tomorrow) is a concept in psychology that denotes a tendency to constantly put things off and responsibilities for later. Psychologists note that its cause is not laziness, which only accompanies it, but other phenomena that sometimes require specialist advice.

The first reason is the lack of personal interest

“We have a very serious problem of including motivation. Besides, I would not say that activity is an absolute value for our domestic mentality. Why do something? a big problem. You need to want something, be inspired by something, something must take place in the soul in order for an inspiring and captivating goal to appear, ”explained Associate Professor of the Faculty of Consultative and clinical psychology Moscow City Psychological and Pedagogical University Andrey Kopyev.

If you don’t want to do something, psychologists advise you to answer the question for yourself: “Do I need this?” If not, and at the same time, the case can be transferred to someone or even abandoned, then it is better to do so, so as not to feel remorse later for poor-quality or untimely work done.

The second reason is the fear of failure.

Psychologists note that behind the desire to delay the execution of some business until the last moment, there may be a fear of one's own failure. Children do not want to study and do homework when they do not understand the material, adults are afraid of their duties when they lack qualifications.

The solution to this problem is quite simple: in the case of a child, parents should work with him or hire a tutor for this, working people should find a way to improve their skills to the desired level.

The third reason is internal conflict

The most serious reason for procrastination is associated with a person’s internal conflicts, various anomalies and disorders that he himself may not be aware of and therefore needs the help of a specialist.

"It is probable that in the unconscious there is some active process psychological protection, and for some reason what needs to be done causes anxiety, rejection. A person does not really understand why, but he cannot force himself. The third topic is almost endless, because there can be any number of these forms of resistance. It is rather a symptom of an internal conflict,” explained psychoanalyst Dmitry Sklizkov.

trait of success

"Over the past 20 years I have had to work with a large number of very successful people, and if we talk about the psychological trait that distinguishes successful people from not very successful people, this is the ability to think and immediately start doing it. Do not hesitate, do not think about whether I need it or not, whether I succeed or not," Sklizkov said.

No special effort is required to develop this quality in oneself. All you have to do is set a desirable and motivating goal for yourself. If it exists, and there are no psychological disorders, it will be easy to get rid of procrastination: you will need to rationally allocate your time and actions.

“For example, books and courses on time management are a very sensible and correct thing. But we must remember that it helps only a certain circle of people who do not have existential and motivational issues, a tendency to melancholy and depressiveness,” recommended Kopyev.

The daily to-do list trap

Psychologists remind that making to-do lists makes sense if a person keeps a clearly set goal in mind and remembers that all things work towards its fulfillment. For a list for one day, it is advisable to highlight the mandatory minimum, for example, two things, and then praise yourself if the third was completed in addition to this.

“A person must clearly understand what he wants and what his values ​​are. Then he will be able to single out stages for himself, and each step taken will be just learning. In all other cases, making a to-do list and any time management can become a way of self-rape and bringing yourself to psychosis," Sklizkov concluded.

The habit of postponing everything “for later” is a chronic desire not to do what needs to be done now. Avoidance of the actual and a pronounced desire to put them off until the very last moment, when the postponement will be impossible or they (things) will cease to be relevant. Harmful is inherent.

Prevention

• Free up the space around you from the superfluous: tidy up at the workplace, in the apartment, on the computer desktop, on furniture shelves, etc.
• Periodically ask yourself the question: “What am I doing now?”.
• Ask yourself how it moves me towards my goals (if any) and what costs it threatens (if there are no goals).
• One of the reasons bad habit postponing things "for later" - a tendency to confuse important things with urgent ones. Important things are rarely urgent and become so only because we delay in solving them. In other words, make it a rule to do more than just urgent things, regularly find time and do things that are important.
• Cultivate the habit of doing things on time

From the correspondence of N.I. Kozlov

N.I., could you recommend literature on (applied?) psychology for me to independently study the problem of “postponing for later”. I have gone through a lot of different trainings. personal development but my problem is still there. I feel like I need to work it out separately and thoroughly?

Dina, there is no special literature for independent study of the problem of “postponing for later”. Probably never will be, because, in my opinion, there is no such