Procrastination is a multiplier for Stress
Procrastination is one of the larger contributors to stress at work, school, and at home. So many times in my daily relationships I see my family and friends wasting time that could be used more productively. Later the same friends and family will complain they have to stay up all night to reach a suspense they have known about for months prior.
All of us need to relax, but procrastination can also affect your coworker's, friend's, and family's management of time.
I found myself getting stressed by others who assumme waiting until the last minute to finalize staff coordinations is a productive method.
They assume that the receiving staff organization wants 100% information, and that it is best to wait until 100% information is achieved rather then provide partial information earlier.
Sadly this methodology does not take into consideration others who recieve the information and have to process the data to meet a their own suspense. They also have less time to do final coordination themselves because of the procrastination.
Liz,
We have all experienced this bad habit at one time or another but when you discover how to avoid it you will reap the benefits.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Mr. Joyce,
I have been both guilty and a victim of procrastination for many years of my life. Sometimes I think I was born with this "gift" (LOL). We carry these bad habits from school into our professional work lives. It is a tough habit to break but I have realized that it is indeed one of the greatest and most common contributors to stress. I often find myself getting engaged in other responsibilities rather than the more pressing one I'm trying to avoid. I have learned over the years that it is better to "eat a frog for breakfast" and get the most stressful task out of the way and all will be easer after. It is something I remind myself of continuously and I'm slowly learning to combat this bad habit. It is also true that sometimes the procrastination comes from wanting to obtain as much information as possible to complete the job "perfectly". This not only causes more stress and self-inflicted pressure but it also delays the tasks of others who depend on us for information in order to meet their deadlines. Procrastination is definitely a horrible stress inducer because we are avoiding the inevitable and duplicating the amount of stress and uncertainty.
Sharon ,
Good for you this is a great practice. Self talk can work for us.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I tend to procrastinate when I am tired and feeling overwhelmed by the number of things that I need to do. This has a snowball effect because I am only adding to my load. I try to overcome this by having a pep talk with myself and telling myself to set my priorities and just do one thing. Very often I become energized by this one accomplishment and I am then able to tackle more of the things on my "to do" list.
Elena,
Procrastinating is an accepted habit when we continue to practice it. When we decide to not fall for this bad habit and change we have just given ourselves a healthy pill that makes us feel better. We change by our own change in habits. Athletes make it to practice and plan the game plan long before the game.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Thomas,.
Procrastination starts with accepting the habit. We have defense mechanisms for substantiating why we do this over and over. It is a fact is that we as humans perform better when we practice and study our goals and pathways to success. Athletes practice and study their opponents for hours long before they actually play the game.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I am a habitual procrastinator. This undesired practice has caused me to add enormous amounts of stress to my plate and not complete certain tasks to the standard that I expect.
I have in my professional career become better at prioritizing, however it sometimes is very difficult.
