Procrastination

Let’s take a moment to be real with ourselves. No matter how productive you are, how focused you are, or how determined you are to get things done, we have all struggled with one problem, both in our professional and recreational lives. It’s a problem that causes stress and anxiety for everyone it affects;  a problem that has such a simple solution, yet feels so hard to overcome. So what is this issue plaguing millions of people around the globe on a daily basis? Procrastination, the silent career killer. 

The Oxford Dictionary defines procrastination as “​the act of delaying something that you should do, usually because you do not want to do it”. The most interesting part of this definition is the last little bit there, usually because you do not want to do it. To me, this really begs the question: why do we put our jobs, our education, and even our mental health at risk simply because we don't want to complete our responsibilities? This spawns from an even larger problem in modern society: a lack of motivation and willpower. We live in a world full of distractions, ranging from our smartphones which provide hours of unlimited procrastinative fun to the constant temptation to spend an evening out with friends or family instead of getting work done. While neither of these things are inherently bad, They often cause us to lose focus on our responsibilities, which leads to procrastination. I myself have struggled with this for most of my life. The idea of “I’ll do it tomorrow”, which by the next day you’re telling yourself the same thing for a different reason. Before you know it you have 3 hours to complete a project that you had a week to do originally. This often leads to you becoming a living ball of stress and anxiety. You end up trying to convince yourself you have enough time, instead of just getting things done.

Now you might be asking yourself, “Why did he call it the silent career killer?”. While procrastination is a problem no matter what stage in life you’re at, it's certainly not impossible to make it through highschool with this mindset. Lord knows I did. However, once we graduate from highschool and take our first steps into adult life, things change a little bit. In the real world, it’s not all about multiple choice questions on a test. That “I’ll do it tomorrow” attitude doesn’t quite cut it anymore. You step into a world where you have to meet deadlines on the dot, where you run on other people’s time as much as your own, and where your co-workers and boss are relying on you to be efficient. A procrastinative attitude can ruin relationships with clients and colleagues, not to mention get you fired. For these reasons and more, it’s important to kill these habits as early on in your professional life as you can. Before they kill you first, career wise that is. While I will fully admit that I still struggle with procrastination frequently, there’s a few tips I have that might help you start your journey to eliminating this habit in your own life.

Tip 1: Keep distractions far away.

One of the biggest things that keeps us from getting work done efficiently is distractions. Like i mentioned earlier, one of the biggest distractions we have these days are our phones.This issue has a quick fix: silence your notifications, keep your phone upside down, and place it out of reach. This way you’re not constantly being tempted to pick it up and respond to your buddies on snapchat, or scroll through instagram aimlessly looking at memes for hours on end. However, if someone has an emergency and needs to contact you. They can still call you to get ahold of you. This little trick can make a huge impact on your productivity, the distractions that surround us constantly are hard to ignore when they are within arms reach; but if you distance yourself from them, it will allow you to put your focus into your work and get in the zone.

Tip 2: Find the right workspace.

Another big issue people tend to have while trying to work is a bad workspace. Somewhere that keeps distracting you from the task at hand, maybe somewhere that puts you in a lazy mood or even depresses you. Places like this can cause you to lose focus, waste time, and eventually put your work off for “tomorrow”. Find a workspace that keeps you energetic and focused. For me I like to work both in my studio at home blasting music that keeps me focused on the task at hand, or a coffee shop where I can relax, enjoy a nice latte, and really crank out my work. Good workspaces differ for people depending on their work style and personality. Spend some time experimenting and find a workspace that works for you.

Tip 3: Take breaks.

No one has the mental capacity to sit down and work for 6 hours straight and still produce their best product. Breaks are necessary to keep our minds fresh and focused. There are a few different methods you can use to keep track of work time and break time. The most commonly used is the pomodoro method. Set a timer for 25 minutes, and work as hard as you can during this time. At the end of the times you take a quick 5 minute break. I can say from experience that this method definitely works. It can keep your mind fresh and focused while still maintaining a steady work flow. Personally, I used the pomodoro method for a while until switching over to my own version where I simply extend the time. I like to work for an hour straight, then allow myself a 15 minute break. Not only does this allow me to keep my train of thought running for a while longer, but it also allows me to have longer breaks. Whether you like the pomodoro method, or a different method, find a way to take frequent breaks while keeping a steady work flow.

Tip 4: Kill the “do it tomorrow” mindset.

This tip is by far the most challenging to follow. Like I said earlier, as human beings we tend to put off the things that we don’t want to do. It’s unfortunately just part of the lazy nature that society instills in us. This habit is extremely difficult to get out of, but certainly not impossible. Take the time to ask yourself a few questions. First ask “How urgent is this? Do I need to have this done immediately?”If the answer is no, find something more important to complete first. However, if the answer is yes, ask yourself, “Do I have time to complete this task today?” If the answer is yes again, force yourself to stop wasting time, and just get it done. However, if you're being honest with yourself, and the answer is no, ask yourself, “When is the earliest available time that I can complete this?” Maybe you had plans with a friend that evening that you can put off until another day. Or maybe you need to get up early the next day to complete your project. Whatever you need to do, get it done! The most important thing here is making sure you’re being truthful with yourself. Don’t tell yourself you don’t have time just because you don't want to do it. Benjamin Franklin had a good point when he said,  ”Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

Tip 5: “Eat the frog”

While it sounds weird, this is a pretty easy concept to understand. What this weird saying means, is that when you wake up in the morning, single out the hardest task you have to complete for the day. Once you have that figured out, complete that task first. Doing this will make the rest of the day seem much more relaxed, allowing you to keep a good attitude about your work, and get things done. As simple as this may sound, this tip is truly a lifesaver.

As we all know, procrastination is a very big problem in our modern world-- one that millions struggle with. However, you don't have to let this problem control you. Like any other struggle in life, if you put in time and effort, you can defeat the silent career killer.

Braden Schmidt 11/01/19