How not to procrastinate

Procrastination can affect your future. Setting goals and proper planning will help overcome postponement I got 569/600 in SSC but 906/1000 in Intermediate because of I kept postponing studies and was a recklessness, I am in distress. Please help me! - Saisaketh, BheemuniPatnam. You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure

- ZigZiglar Sai, getting lesser marks can't be a mark of failure. You got 90 per cent. First be happy for that. You should strive for the excellence, not for perfection. Expectations always lead to distress and pain. It can drain your happiness. Marks are just an event in your life. Unfortunately, we all are obsessed with success and greater achievements. If a student gets less marks, we make him feel like it is the worst thing that could ever happen to a him or her. But there is always something we can learn from it. This feeling of yours can affect your future studies because your negative thinking and attitude impair your ability to manage the situations you face. You mentioned that you didn't concentrate and work hard on studies due to recklessness and postponement. The occasional instance of wanting to sleep in late on a particular day, or wanting to postpone studies to the next day after an exhausting day's work, is perfectly normal, and nothing to be alarmed by. But if an attitude of laziness and procrastination starts creeping into every single aspect of your personal or professional life, then that certainly becomes a matter of concern. Postponement or procrastination is a complex psychological behavior that affects everyone to some degree or another. With some it can be a minor problem; with others it is a source of considerable stress and anxiety. Although the problem may not appear that serious, it does have devastating effects on the life of the procrastinator. There is a feeling of weakness and helplessness accompanied by the frustration of not being able to take control of one's life. The strategies to overcome procrastination can help you attain a peace of mind, a feeling of being in control and sense of personal freedom. With few minor adjustments procrastination can be tackled.

Steps to over come 1. Realise that you are delaying tasks unnecessarily. 2. Discover the real reasons for your delay. List them. 3. Dispute those real reasons and overcome them. 4. Begin the task. Here are a few simple ways to overcome procrastination. 1. Setting Goals and Priorities Goal setting and prioritising things is an important step in overcoming laziness. Often it happens that we are lazy or indifferent about doing some particular task or activity simply because we are not clear in our minds about its priority, importance, value or significance. So set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound (SMART) goals. This can help in overcoming any postponement associated with studying.

2. Plan the day Most important micro skill required to avoid procrastination is proper planning. It is important that you plan your day and allocate a specific time and duration for your studies. To help you better understand, if you have three subjects to cover every day, better plan your day accordingly. 3. Motivation Lack of motivation coupled with insufficient inspiration, is another major reason for postponement of studies. If you are not motivated enough about doing a particular task, then naturally, you will have difficulty accomplishing or completing that task in time, and with sincerity or genuineness. Motivation is directly related to positivity and an internal driving force to do or achieve something.

4. Mental Discipline Strong mental discipline is as important as being motivated is. You may have the motivation or the inner drive to take up a particularly long and complex task, but it is a strong mind and good mental discipline that will ensure that you do not quit halfway through the job, and that you complete what you have begun. 5. Break down into shorter tasks: The size of a pending task is enough to depress a person. However, rather than dwelling on its daunting size and effort, break up the task into smaller manageable tasks. This makes it easier to create an action plan. Start off with the smaller, quicker tasks which will give you a sense of achievement and motivation to help you work further. 6. Beat the stress: The feeling of constant stress and pressure makes it hard for you to study. While it is good to stick to a schedule, overdoing things can add to the stress. Instead, give yourself a break and do things which are not that overwhelming. This allows you to de-stress and clear off the mind clutter before you can proceed with the studies 7. Treat yourself: Being stuck to one task and developing the negative feelings of being trapped can leave you frustrated and overworked. Giving yourself time off from the hectic schedule and treating yourself small rewards allows you enjoy the task at hand. 8. Remove distractions: Distractions are often the source for procrastination and the sole reason for laziness. We often get attracted by the distractions (TV, internet, etc.) as my primary task studying seemed boring. Whatever it is that distracts you (and I�m sure you know exactly what is distracting you when you have to study, work or need to get things done) remove it!

9. Perfectionism: If you keep unrealistically high expectations or standards, it creates a high degree of dissatisfaction and frustration because seldom is anything accomplished absolutely. Such attitudes may mask problems of self- esteem and self -confidence. How to resolve:

• Strive for excellence not perfection.
• Try self-reassurance that this effort or version will be good enough
• Make an effort to praise what you have done.