Overcoming Procrastination

Procrastination

 What is it?
 What is bad about it?
 Why do people procrastinate?
 What techniques are useful in
overcoming procrastination?
What is Procrastination?
 What is Procrastination?

 Websters defines
procrastination as "to put off
doing something until a
future time; postpone or
defere action."
 Procrastination

My definition of procrastination is
"doing anything other than your
highest priority task."
 What’s So Bad About 50

45
55
60
5
10

15

Procrastination?
40 20
35 30 25

 You may let others down

 It will eventually cost more
 You feel bad about yourself,
which affects your self esteem,
which affects your success,
which makes you feel bad.
 2. You make a definite 3. You needlessly delay
decision to do it. doing the task.

1. You wish to do something 4. You observe the advantages and

because you desire some
favorable result if you do the
task.
11. Not long afterward,
you procrastinate again.
10. You assure yourself you
will NOT procrastinate
again.
9. You feel uncomfortable
about your lateness and
berate yourself for the
delay. 8. You barely finish the
project on time – or you
finish it late – or you never
finish it.
disadvantages of the delay.
5. You still postpone doing
the thing you have decided to
do.
6. You berate yourself for
procrastinating, or you
rationalize the situation, or
you ignore the project.
7. You continue to
procrastinate.
From “Overcoming
Procrastination” by Ellis and
Knaus
 Procrastination Exercise

 Lists three tasks  Why have you

on which you been
have been procrastinating
procrastinating! on each task?
– 1. – 1.
– 2. – 2.
– 3. – 3.
 Overcoming Procrastination

 Identify the causes of your

procrastination
 Select a technique for
overcoming procrastination
Why do people procrastinate?
 Why do people procrastinate?

 Fear of Failure
 Fear of Failure

 Why didn’t I ask

Darlene
Yarborough to
go the Jr.-Sr.
Prom?
– Fear of failure
 Why do people procrastinate?

 The task is
unpleasant
or boring
 Why do people procrastinate?

 We are overcommitted
 Why do people procrastinate?

 It is not really a goal,

it could be a job
someone else may
have assigned you
 Why do people procrastinate?

 Physical Problems
 Why do people procrastinate?

 Confusion
 Why do people procrastinate?

 To get somebody
else to do it
 Why do people procrastinate?

 To gain sympathy
 Why do people procrastinate?

 Ignorance - sometimes we just

forget
 Why do people procrastinate?

 Overwhelmed
Techniques for Overcoming
Procrastination
 Techniques for Overcoming
Procrastination
 Five Minute Promise
– promise to work on
the task for five minutes
– after that you can
quit, people normally
continue
– Remember Newton’s
Law of Motion
 Techniques for Overcoming
Procrastination
 Salami technique (also called
Swiss Cheese)
– Break a big job down into small
manageable tasks
 Techniques for Overcoming
Procrastination
 Worst Case Scenario
– Ask the question,
“What is the worst
thing that could
happen to me if
I tried this and
failed?”
 Techniques for Overcoming
Procrastination
 Visualize Positive
Results
– Think of all the benefits
of going ahead and
doing the job
 Techniques for Overcoming
Procrastination
 Balance Sheet
– Divide a paper in half and list all the
reasons why you should continue to
procrastinate
and the reasons why
you shouldn’t. Seeing
all the reasons in black
and white tend to help.
 Techniques for Overcoming
Procrastination
 Leading Task
– Do a number of small task that
lead up to the big task
 Techniques for Overcoming
Procrastination
 Reward Yourself
– Treat yourself to something
special only after you complete
the job on which
you have been
procrastinating
 Techniques for Overcoming
Procrastination
 Self Expose
– Critically challenge
the excuses you have
been giving for procrastinating
• Do you really need that to find that
friend to start doing something
about your assignment?
exercising?
 Overcoming Procrastination
 Remember the three tasks you
listed earlier on which you were
procrastinating? Identify
techniques that could help you
accomplish these tasks.