Top 5 tips on how to combat procrastination
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is making a decision to delay or not complete a task or goal you’ve committed to, and instead doing something of lesser importance, despite negative consequences. Procrastination comes from the Latin pro, meaning “forward” and crastinate, meaning “tomorrow”.
Who Procrastinates?
Everyone. Let’s face it – we all procrastinate. It doesn’t matter what age, stage in life or occupation. We all find opportunities to delay chores we don’t want to do. Research shows that:
- 90 per cent of the population reports at least one area where they feel stumped by procrastination.
- 60 per cent of college students report that procrastination causes serious delays in academic work.
- 20 per cent of people experience invasive, handicapping and chronic procrastination.
Top 5 tips on how to combat procrastination
1. Make a To Do list and keep it visible. You'll begin to feel the rewards as you cross off your completed tasks.
2. Break down larger projects into more manageable tasks. Assign a time limit to each task (e.g., 20-30 minutes). Doing a little bit of work each day is better than having to cram it all into one afternoon.
3. Make use of rewards. Combine difficult tasks with something you enjoy or plan a fun activity right after you’ve finished a task. A tough task often seems less tough when there is a reward in sight.
4. Practice putting off procrastination. Set a rule that you can only engage in procrastination activities after a 5-minute delay. This can give you time to reconsider and to remember the longer-term benefits of getting what you need to done.
5. Challenge your procrastination excuses. Do you ever think “I’m too tired or anxious right now. I’ll do a better job tomorrow”? But will you really feel less tired or anxious tomorrow? In fact, many people report feeling more tired or anxious about a task the longer they put it off.
Want to learn more?
Procrastination - The dog ate my homework: Better Solutions to Dealing with Procrastination
For these tips and other helpful information join us on Thursday, February 2nd at 7 p.m. at the Westdale Library, Hamilton.
Chronic Pain - Taking Control of Pain: Strategies for Managing and Coping with Chronic Pain
Join us on Saturday, February 4th for at the Central Library, Hamilton.
Mind Matters Speaker Series
Hamilton Public Library has partnered with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton to create a speaker series dedicated to mental health and wellness. The series will run throughout the month of February across HPL branches and is free for the general public. There are a wide range of topics for all ages ranging from memory and aging, managing big emotions and coping with anxiety. Visit www.stjoes.ca/psychologymonth for full details.