Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Procrastination Problem

Don't hate me when I say this:

I'm not a procrastinator.

I know, I know, annoying right? 

I've always done my work ahead of time, because I can't stand the pressure of a deadline looming over my head. 

My procrastination blog post is one of the most popular blogs and vlogs on my websites. Because a lot of people really do struggle with procrastination and want it to stop - my husband is one them.

He works well under pressure, he says, which works okay - until something goes wrong. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Printer is out of ink. You get sick. The paper takes longer than you thought it would. 

My husband is in graduate school right now, and he had a paper due at the end of Thanksgiving break. Tempting as it was, he decided to tackle the paper before Turkey Day (I like to think that is because even he takes my advice).

After he wrote down the outline of his paper he told me, "you know, I'm realizing that essays feel impossible before you start. Literally impossible and huge, which is why you put it off. But once you start, all of a sudden, it seems doable, and you realize it really isn't as much work as you built inside your head."

When you avoid your work, it grows.

And the thing is, the work really isn't as hard as you build it up to be. Once you start, especially ahead of time, the more you'll realize that you can do this. And as your confidence builds, your procrastination will wane.

So whenever you get a big project - especially an essay - start it that same day. It doesn't matter if you spend only five minutes thinking about it or jotting a few things down. Just put something down on paper to stop that ugly procrastination monster from growing.

Because as it turns out, The Procrastination Problem starts in your head. The good news about that? It's all under your control. 

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