PROCRASTINATING

In a nutshell, you procrastinate when you put off things that you should be focusing on
right now, usually in favor of doing something that is more enjoyable or that youre
more comfortable doing.
Procrastination occurs when theres a temporal gap between intended behavior and
enacted behavior. That is, procrastination is occurring when theres a significant time
period between when people intend to do a job, and when they actually do it.
Everyone procrastinates sometimes, but 20 percent of people chronically avoid difficult
tasks and deliberately look for distractionswhich, unfortunately, are increasingly
available. Procrastination in large part reflects our recurrent struggle with self-control as
well as our inability to predict how we'll feel tomorrow, or the next day.

Even thought, procrastinators may say they perform better under pressure, but more
often than not that's their way of justifying putting things off. Maybe you tell yourself you
perform better under pressure. Or that the work you do when you're not feeling in the
mood to work isn't very good. Or you think that you can't do anything well unless you're
feeling at the top of your form.
If you do, you've got the symptoms of a procrastinator. Of course, you've got lots of
company. Twenty percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators.
These are people who don't pay their bills on time, who miss opportunities for buying
tickets to concerts, who leave Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve. Let's not even
talk about income taxes!
College seems to bring out the procrastination in people. In the college setting, up to 70
percent of students identify themselves as procrastinators. On the other hand, its
possible to overcome procrastinationwith effort. How to tackle procrastination? Its
recommended to follow these strategies for reducing procrastination:
1. Make a list of everything you have to do.
2. Write a statement of intention.
3. Set realistic goals.
4. Break it down into specific tasks.
5. Make your task meaningful.
6. Promise yourself a reward.
7. Eliminate tasks you never plan to do. Be honest!
8. Estimate the amount of time you think it will take you to complete a task. Then
increase the amount by 100%.