Procrastination Across the Nation

In any given moment, one in every four American is procrastinating. Whether it is on a job, on school, or on tackling that mountain of dishes; procrastination’s negatives far outweigh its temporary-at-best “benefits”. In case you are one of those one-in-four Americans, we have seven awesome tips for you!

1.     Bite off what you can chew: Too often people will take their problems or what they need to do and make a mountain out of a mole hill. Or a series of mole hills at least. If you can convince yourself that whatever it is your putting off is just a bunch of simple and small tasks, you will be far better off and on your way to freedom from procrastination.

2.     Hardest first: If you complete your hardest tasks first, you will spend the rest of the time finishing off your lesser tasks with ease. This will also give you a lot of relief and free your mind from constantly worrying about that “last big thing” that needs doing.

3.     Fuel up: If you are fully fed, hydrated, and rested, it will be easier to take your actions on. This doesn’t mean go off and sleep when you should be doing your tasks! What you should instead do is prepare before hand when you know you have a big day ahead and need to be rest and well-prepared for the vigorous, or not-so-vigorous, tasks soon to be upon you.

4.     Take the first step: If you have to do a series off steps to complete a specific task, take the first step. Humans tend to want to finish things they start; we see it in arguments and politics all the time right? So if you take the initiative to start your big task, you will be more motivated and the momentum will gradually build for you to finish it off and finally be able to relax without worry!

5.     Positive thinking: This may sound all too cliché, but positive thinking can really set the mood and get your body rolling. If you can make yourself believe you can accomplish a task, even if it’s extremely difficult, you can be surprised at what you can accomplish. Just keep telling yourself “I can do this!”

6.     Music: If you are going to do something where music is an option, play it! Nothing can motivate someone to move about and do something more than music. If you are cleaning, listen to some up-beat dance, or pop, and clean in beat to the music. Before you know it you will find yourself racing songs to finish a task before the song ends!

7.     Deadlines: Set yourself realistic and early deadlines. If you can convince yourself that something needs to be done by a certain time you can be more motivated to do it. Although this may not work for everyone, it works well with the more-organized people in America. Deadlines are an effective way of forcing oneself to complete a job.
Bonus tip: Love what you do, if you can find enjoyment and think about the rewards of what you are doing you will be more motivated to complete it. Think about that sweet wad of cash you’ll get in your next paycheck, or think about how your parents will adore you for cleaning up the house! Rewards are always the biggest motivators, especially to us Americans!

Tim Frisch battles procrastination on a daily basis, and ALWAYS comes out on top!  He contributes articles on a wide variety of health topics to ProbioticSmart.com and PSCLife.com - leading health and nutrition websites.  Tim is also a student at the University of Wisconsin - Stout.