One of the most destructive effects of procrastination is the fact that it makes you feel out of control. Procrastination is like an 'invisible force' that keeps you from doing the very things you know you must do. With the increasing demands on our time and attention there seems to be an increase in procrastination as a chronic problem, especially amongst those people that want to succeed the most. Procrastination usually sets in when you feel overwhelmed by all the 'have to's' in life and instead of making steady progress you take on too much without ever getting any of it done.
Feeling out of control takes away all your power to shape and direct your own life. It's true that there are many things over which you have no control, but you always have full control over what really happens to you - and what really happens to you is a mental process and independent of the circumstances and events of the outside world. Being empowered means that you realize that you already have the power and this realization also gives you the ability to take action. Here are five empowering procrastination tips that can help you to reach this realization and become empowered to effectively deal with procrastination and inaction.
It's All Inside:
Procrastination is an internal process and although it might feel like it's happening to you, you are in actual fact responsible for it. This procrastination tip can help to put you back in control almost immediately. Procrastination is not an external force, but an internal response and evaluation. The simple realization that it's 'you' that are doing it to 'you', gives you the power to do something about it.
It's All You:
When procrastination drags you down it's all to easy to think that 'it just is' and that you can't do anything about it. Although it feels like you have no control, you actually do. In fact this is why you feel out of control - because you believe that you can't do anything about it. There are two very important beliefs you need to develop to help you break free from procrastination. The first is that you CAN overcome procrastination and the second is that YOU can overcome procrastination. No one else can do it for you and because you created it, you can un-create it.
It's All In Your Head:
The reason why most people remain stuck in patterns of procrastination is because of fear. At the most fundamental level, all forms of procrastination comes down to fear. What you don't face controls you. To overcome the fear and the procrastination that comes with it, you need to confront and do the very things you don't want to do. The instant you do, you take charge and it no longer has any control over you. The ironic thing is that fear only exists in your imagination - it's always something that hasn't happened yet. Procrastination is not real - it's only the way you evaluate things in your mind.
It's All about conditioning:
Success at anything in life relies on consistency. The best of the best at anything are those who can repeat their greatness consistently. The way you get consistent is through conditioning. Your nervous system operates through conditioning. When you do something over and over again it becomes 'normal' and when it's normal you don't have to think about it - it becomes automatic. The challenge is that this principle works both ways. Whether your conditioned responses support you or whether it pulls you down, your nervous system does not make that distinction. If procrastination is your conditioned response you will always feel out of control, simply because that's what you've 'learned' to do automatically. You simply need to 'recondition' yourself to a new response; to teach yourself to respond in a different way..
It's All about awareness:
Procrastination does serve a purpose - and a very important one as such, but only is you are aware of the benefits. We only procrastinate about those things that have value to us. At some level, either directly or indirectly, you believe that taking action will benefit you. If it didn't it would not bother you, right? Be grateful for procrastination and use it as a guide to 'know' what you need to act upon. Being aware of this fact, and developing an awareness for what you do and fail to do can empower you to be in charge of yourself on a much higher level.
When you are empowered you are in charge, and even if things seem to go wrong on the surface, underneath you know that you have the power to deal with it effectively. Procrastination is disempowering and it takes away your ability to take immediate action and deal with any situation. Always remember that you are ultimately in charge of you. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. Don't delay. Act!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How to teach a 6 year old self control
By: Diana | 12-09-2008
How to teach a 6 year old self control
How to get a child to stop procrastinating
By: ConfusedinCT | 27-02-2008
I just asked a question about my son. I think maybe his big problem is procrastination. How can I get him to stop putting off chores, homework, etc?
Helping my son procrastinate less
By: fatherof5children | 03-02-2008
My 16 year old is a real procrastinator. What can I do to help him get over this? Or at least procrastinate less?
Which diet should I choose?
By: Jassygr | 17-12-2007
Has anyone tried the Jenny Craig diet? I want to know if it is worth the cost and if the food actually tastes good. I have also been considering other diets like the South Beach or Atkins Diet. I have heard that Weight Watchers works great but requires a lot of self motivation and control. Is this true? I need a diet that does not force me to deprive myself too much but do not know which one to choose. Any suggestions or stories of personal experience would be much appreciated.
PC distraction
By: drabsv | 12-12-2006
I am looking for a solution to help me focus on the task at hand while working on my PC.It often happens that I plan a task to do on the PC and only a minute after I sit in front of the screen I find myself doing something else. It would be either checking my email, downloading music, scanning the PC for viruses, looking for a new version of the software I am using to do the planned task, browsing Yedda :), you name it. Computers offer incredibly rich medium for procrastination. Once I thought the solution would be to have software which allows only a few, selected programs and disables the access to all other. While that is technically possible (there is software for that purpose) it is not possible to apply in reality. Not possible, because there is a very strong probability I will need some additional program enabled to do the planned task. (Let's say I've enabled MS Word only; I happen to need to look up a word in a dictionary and the best dictionary I know for that purpose is web based; I need to open a browser and then I have the infinite possibilities to browse sites other than the dictionary.)After giving up that approach I have not been able to come up with anything else. I would greatly appreciate all useful ideas.
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