I think that in some way, everybody is familiar with procrastination – postponing important things, mindlessly scrolling through news feeds on social networks, and watching dozens of episodes of mindless sitcoms, as well as many other irrelevant and useless affairs that somehow become wedged into our more important and rational plans.

I was planning to write this article a few months ago. But, of course, I had a lot of other important things to do – repaint my nails, sort socks, download a new game to my cell phone and try it out, read on Wikipedia about the Edwardian Age, and so on. Of course, some days were quite productive, but I’m still quite used to living with a sense of a Damocles sword, engraved with “Hey, you! Of course you can have fun today. But your deadline is soon, and you will get to work in a panic.”

In all fairness, I want to clarify that these things I postpone eventually turn out to be not so terrible. However, convincing myrself to start everything on time doesn’t work. At some point, the thought that of relaxing for 15 minutes creeps into my consciousness. I usually start working right after I have this thought. Honestly.

This is how procrastination differs from laziness or leisure. Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and powerlessness do not allow for true relaxation during this “rest period” but take up even more energy. In the end, we want to start working even less, and this is followed with further procrastination and even more guilt.

In terms of discipline, you can divide procrastinators into three types:

  1. In a situational procrastinator’s life, this condition usually does not affect the quality of their work, but degrades the quality of their rest very seriously. For example, I have one day to write an article, and it takes about six hours to finish. I’ll first spend about five hours watching unimportant things, increasing my stress, and deliberating. Then, with periodic breaks for watching Youtube videos, I’ll be complete the job in ten hours, and I will have only about an hour of real rest in the evening. This is not enough, given the previous 15 hours spent working and stressing out about work.
  2. System procrastinators, begin to work only in a state of panic about the upcoming deadline. For example, my friend (let’s call him Alex) recently had a lot homework from his training course. To do his homework well, he needed a few days. One day before the due date, he realized that he has not even started anything. That feeling of fear, guilt, and shame turns into panic, and Alex does all the work on the last night. An hour before the presentation he makes last minute changes on the fly. Mission accomplished, but Alex realizes that he could have done better. This only adds to the feeling of guilt and continues to drain his energy.
  3. My other friend Kate is a real fatal procrastinator. When we studied at university, often after long periods of idleness and distracting herself, Kate was so tired that she gave up and in the end did not commit to She ended up having to being unable to retake her exams, and getting unsatisfactory grads. The horror of this situation is that in addition to the obvious social problems associated with these behavior patterns, Kate was internally plagued with a sense of guilt and shame and a sense of inferiority and resentment. That is why starting something new seemed even more complicated and scary for her.

When we were kids, my mother sometimes called me and my brother lazy. During the summer holidays, we could spend all day in bed with a book, and we failed to iron the huge pile of laundry before she came home. I think that it would be better for Kate just to be lazy as me and my brother, because at least then she would have been rested, so she’d be full of energy when she did try to work.Personal development

How to fight procrastination?

In my time, I have read many articles and books about time management and task-tracking. I knew all the information on how to divide things into categories by importance and urgency, delete accounts on social networks, and recap my actions every few minutes. But you know what? This did not help. I read the books, but I still felt distracted. I had the depressing thought that I was doing something wrong. I thought that I had to start implementing the knowledge into practice ASAP. I felt guilty and tired over and over again.

It was like this until I realized that I didn’t have to fight with procrastination. Fighting is an energy-intensive activity, especially when we are trying to cope with chronic fatigue and a sense of guilt.

But here’s the good news – the fight is not necessary, but changing your life of and dealing with procrastination is possible. I think everyone has their own way, but here are some of my tips:

– Give yourself a real break.

– Realize that rest has its own important functions.

– Find others who will support you on this path.

– Understand you won’t change your lifestyle in a second, but it will become easier every day.

– Celebrate victories. Praise yourself for deadlines you meet on time.

– Stop comparing yourself to others – they have different circumstances and conditions.

– Stop snoozing your alarm for ten minutes, three times every morning. It’s better to set it for half an hour later. You will get up at the same time, but it will allow you to sleep better.

– When it seems necessary, use time management strategies, but don’t feel tied down by them.

– Consider which activities you like, and try to do enjoyable things more often.

– Do not blame yourself for setbacks and failures. Remember that the feeling of guilt is the worst enemy of the procrastinator. Don’t get carried away, because then you will start to blame yourself for feeling guilty, and the process repeats itself.

I believe that you will succeed, and you will gradually transform from stressed-out and guilty person to a free-spirited and self-confident person. Just love yourself.