Putting things off. Disease of Tomorrow

Why do we so want to put things off until later, what is procrastination and what to do.

Most of us do something as simple as being lazy. Laziness is very pleasant, lounging longer in bed, watching TV with beer or TV series while eating sunflower seeds and just lazing around - there is nothing wrong with that, sometimes our body itself requires this in order to rest both soul and body.

But it’s not uncommon for this to go too far and take on an uncontrolled form. One of the manifestations of laziness is postponing things “for later” - procrastination.

Procrastination viscously interferes in our lives in different ways - it forces us to postpone important things until the very last moment, forces us to perceive feasible tasks as beyond our capabilities, leads to conflicts and panic; keeps you anxious and does not allow you to relax and rest; deprives you of confidence and causes feelings of guilt and failure.

Almost no one wants to leave a comfortable environment for the sake of business and do something, albeit useful and necessary, but unpleasant, tedious and tiring, requiring patience, and sometimes a person simply does not want to leave the comfort zone.

And ask yourself, how often have you, realizing the importance of something and the fact that it can change your life, for some reason put off what you had planned? And did they do anything at all afterwards?

Why does a person put it off until “later”, knowing that this will in no way advance him to the desired result? One of the main reasons is not the desire to lose this comfortable state in which he arrives at that moment, simply laziness.

Often this has its own subtext - in this way he shows his disagreement, becomes the main thing for him prove one’s rightness and justify one’s refusal to act, thereby losing responsibility.

Because of this approach, everything is done halfway, sluggishly, and perhaps even stopped altogether, and this is in no way characteristic of the concept of achieving success. By postponing until “later,” people indirectly express their reluctance to achieve a goal.

This form of laziness is included into a habit. By putting off unpleasant, necessary things, a person eventually puts off the most important things; they begin to seem and be unpleasant for him.

There is another pitfall here, like an unjustified, deceptive hope - “I will definitely do it tomorrow (then).”

But by and large this is self-deception and nothing more. And again everything remains undone.

A person needs to do something, something important, but is too lazy to do it now. Or he wants to achieve something or, for example, change something in himself, his habits. He decides where to start and says to himself, “That’s it, from Monday or tomorrow.” Every day I’ll be different and start taking care of myself or doing something.

Consciously, he understands that this is important for him, but he puts it off again with the hope that he will do it later, but now he really doesn’t want to leave this comfort zone.

And as a rule, everything ends there, because by this time the thought process changes somewhat, other thoughts come forward, and this, from a sincere, strong desire, turns into a kind of struggle with oneself, and often with little hope.

And the clear vision, emotional strength and motivation of what was planned subsides, and less energy remains to overcome the difficult beginning, where the main struggle awaits.

And the more such unsuccessful attempts, the less faith, strength and energy there is to achieve what you want.

This is how necessary things are not completed, dreams stop, goals are forgotten and a person does not achieve what he wanted.

That’s why it’s so important to start without delay and finish your started or planned to end. And all the subsequent 2, 3, 5 and 10 goals and deeds, internally for you, will be achieved more and more easily. Your self-confidence will already become strong, you will simply believe and be firmly know what you can do, and Faith is stronger than even Knowledge. First comes Faith, and then Knowledge.

Always approach with the thought - " If I don’t do something now (today) then I will never do it ". This will help you tune in to action.

Believe me, friends, procrastination is an unnecessary and very bad thing, although at first glance it seems quite harmless. And you would never have found this stupid site now if I had put it off until later.

Human behavior in which thirst put off until later filled with other hidden reasons - dissatisfaction and disappointment with the results, awareness of one’s wrong actions, fear of error or lack of preparation.

If you are afraid of making a mistake or are not confident in your preparedness, then I would like to point out in the words of one person who has achieved his goal.

Even if our correct actions even slightly cover the mistakes made 51% - 49%, we will still achieve success. And you need to do everything immediately, because for real success you will never be sufficiently prepared, and besides, if you put it off, you are unlikely to do anything at all, - the words of a very famous, successful person Bodo Schaefer.

In addition, such behavior leads a person to a state where willpower weakens, work productivity and the desire to do this work decrease. Gradually, this can lead to constant (chronic) stress, a decrease in... Remember this.

You also need to start gradually thinking more rationally, try to plan your working time and break big things down into small plans. And divide them into important and less important (so as not to tear yourself apart and get maximum benefit). Having determined this most important thing, without delay, just take it and do it, or at least start doing it.

Procrastination is a rather complex word, but in fact, for one in five people, it refers to their lifestyle. As many as 20% are wondering how to stop procrastinating and procrastinating. This is a very insidious problem that can be difficult to deal with. According to psychologists, every person at least once in his life has delayed the solution of some task or shirked obligations. But this does not make him a procrastinator. It's another matter if all this is permanent. In this article we will tell you how to deal with this problem and why people put things off until later.

“Tomorrow, tomorrow, not today!” - that’s what lazy people say

This famous proverb fits very well with the concept of procrastination. It was during the period when it was most common that this term appeared (approximately the 19th century). In fact, procrastination is an English word (procrastination), which translates as “delay.” And since tracing paper is not entirely clear and easy to pronounce, modern psychologists use more local concepts:

• postponing,
• portability,
• delay,
• "breakfast"
• "offspring"
• tightening

This concept should not be confused with laziness. Procrastination is the awareness of the importance and urgency of a task, but inaction for imaginary reasons. But a lazy person, doing nothing, doesn’t care much about it.

Main types

It turns out that not all procrastinators are the same. Everyone has their own motives for procrastinating. Psychologists distinguish three main types:

1. Irresponsible. Such procrastinators delay completing tasks to avoid unpleasant consequences. They are afraid to take responsibility. For them, this is a great way to not be responsible for anything in this life and always come out clean.
2. Boyaguz. The second type is simply afraid of everything. Such a person avoids the fear of failure in every possible way. It is easier for him to remain in the shadows than to be a loser.
3. Extreme lovers. For some, being a procrastinator is a kind of fun. A person puts things off until the last moment to feel euphoria. Subconsciously, he likes to understand that he may not have time to complete the task, while a portion of adrenaline enters the blood.

If you are thinking about how to stop procrastinating, then first decide why you do this and what type you are.

What's bad about it

Procrastinators who have not yet realized that they are such do not see anything unnatural in their behavior. Moreover, at first they even like it. A peculiar feeling of freedom of action arises (I do what I want, but I don’t want to). But in reality, there are a lot of disadvantages to procrastination. This interferes with a person’s life and negatively affects his nervous system. The consequences may be:

• constant stress,
• loss of productivity
• guilt.

Procrastination affects all areas of a person's life. How?

Life's troubles

Problems with self-discipline in a person have a huge impact on his entire life. Firstly, he cannot fully realize himself. For example, procrastination at work leads to bosses being dissatisfied with their subordinates. The attitude towards such a person changes. He is assigned fewer important tasks and, of course, promotion is out of the question. Such people are considered lazy, irresponsible, and as a result, the person spends his entire life in a low position with a low salary.

Procrastination also interferes with relationships with friends, relatives and loved ones. Putting off tasks for later that a loved one has asked for is perceived as disrespect and is accompanied by resentment. For example, a woman asked her husband to buy washing powder. The husband put this matter off until later and arrived at the store at the very last moment, but everything was already closed. He didn't buy what he was asked for, and his wife couldn't wash her work outfit. Of course, she will be offended by him for this. If he continues to put off important things until later, most likely the woman will decide that she is not important to him at all and will leave him.

Procrastination often manifests itself in relation to parents and children. Even close people do not always understand this behavior and are offended. Relationships deteriorate, and then it will be much more difficult to restore them.

Painful psychological effects

A person who procrastinates experiences many unpleasant feelings. In cases of failure, he is often ashamed and offended for himself. Every time he promises himself that he will do everything on time, but everything repeats again. It is interesting that a person who cannot bring himself to do something, sometimes, on the contrary, cannot stop.

Such situations, for example, happen with alcohol. The man knows that he has to get up early for work tomorrow. But in the evening, friends invite you to a bar for a glass of beer. He agrees and promises himself that he will drink just a little. But with each glass he allows himself one more and another. He knows and remembers for sure that he will have to get up early tomorrow, but he cannot stop. A lot of time has passed, but he is still confident that he will have time to sleep. The result is a difficult morning, a hangover, but, in addition, self-flagellation for the fact that he still went to this bar and could not stop in time.

The tendency to constantly put things off leads to failures and losses. A person constantly criticizes himself and makes the situation even worse. The result of this behavior can be a nervous breakdown, depression, or getting caught up in negative habits.

Fighting techniques

We have already found out what a person who puts things off until later is called, and now we just need to find out how to stop being a procrastinator. If you are hoping to find a magic recipe that will change your whole life in a matter of days, your efforts are in vain. Working on yourself is hard work, on the other hand, it is the path to success. The discipline of time management studies the issue of time management. Within the framework of this science, there are many different techniques that teach how not to put things off until later.

Transformation into a superhero

Procrastinators are always admired by people who do everything on time and efficiently. They succeed everywhere, and still have enough time to attend various sections, relax with friends, build a family life and succeed in their careers. How do they do it all?

There is good news. Procrastinators are not born, they are made. This means that it is quite possible to get rid of this tendency. You need to start transforming into a superhero right now, right this minute. This will be your first task that you will successfully complete. It will be easier later. The main thing is to start.

Time management

First of all, you should learn to plan. And for this it is important to set your priorities correctly. Write down all the important tasks that need to be completed this week. Now decide which ones are the most important. They will need to be done first. Don't write too many tasks for yourself. It’s better to write less and get everything done than to write more and then reproach yourself again for not being able to get everything done.

Order of affairs and time to rest

It is very important for a person to take breaks between work. But for procrastinators, they usually take very long. Therefore, also try to plan breaks. The order of things is also important. For example, on Sunday you planned to do general cleaning, pay utility bills and buy groceries. Between all these things there must be rest. But if you start the day with a spring cleaning and then lie down on the couch to watch a movie, you're unlikely to go pay bills and shop later. It would be more correct to start with the latter. In the morning you can go shopping, pay bills, and in between, meet a friend in the park for 20 minutes. Having completed these tasks and rested, you can return home and start cleaning.

Motivation

How to learn not to procrastinate? You need to know exactly why you need them and why you should do them. Every time you want to reschedule an important task, ask yourself: “Why should I do it?” Clear guidelines should be expressed in your head:

• I go to the doctor because my health is important to me;
• I carry out the instructions of the boss because I want to occupy a high position;
• I fulfill my mother’s request because for me she is the closest person and I don’t want to hurt her;
• I clean the house because I want to live clean.

Realistic goals

Sometimes, feeling a surge of strength and energy, a person begins to set himself enormous and impossible tasks. If you choose an easy way to stop procrastinating, then the tasks themselves don’t have to be difficult. If you are just learning to get rid of procrastination in your life, then you should not plan anything new. First you need to deal with what has already accumulated and is ruining your life.

You can set yourself one single goal - what you really live for. For example, if you live for your child and believe that the most important thing is to teach him and raise him, then write down in your daily routine a few hours that you will spend with him. You should not write in your goals the purchase of expensive things that you can only acquire by a miracle. Remember that all unfulfilled plans will hang over you like a cloud and spoil your self-esteem.

On the other hand, you shouldn't feel too sorry for yourself. There must be at least one important goal, and then every day you will perform many simple tasks related to it.

Distractions

Without them, procrastination would definitely not exist. A person not only constantly puts things off, but at this time he does all sorts of nonsense. For example, instead of performing an important task:

• chatting on the phone
• communicates on social networks,
• reads the news
• checks mail,
• watches movies and shows.

It is quite easy to counter these factors. There is an easy way to stop procrastinating and not get distracted by small things. This will require self-hypnosis. Try to have a dialogue with yourself. Tell yourself that if you complete the task successfully and efficiently, you will have time to do what you love. Or, for example, after you finish writing a report, treat yourself to something tasty. The motivation can be anything, the main thing is to complete the task without distraction.

It is very important not to say to yourself “I have to”, rather use “I want”. For example, I want to complete this assignment and free myself from it. In fact, they are practically similar phrases, but the brain perceives them completely differently. Even for a schoolchild, when they say that he must do something, a contradiction arises within. Try telling him not “you have to do your homework,” but “I think you want to do your homework and then go for a walk.” And you will see that the effect will be amazing. The adult brain functions in a similar way.

To completely get rid of distractions, put your phone on silent mode, remove social media bookmarks from a visible place, and hide the TV remote control.

How to relax properly

It turns out that not all rest is effective. If before an important task you decide to look at a social network for 5 minutes, there is a high probability that you will be stuck in it for several hours. Moreover, after the mass of information that you read and see there, you may not be able to continue doing your job (especially if it requires mental load). It is important to choose a type of vacation for which you can allocate only a certain (clear) time. For example, brew yourself a cup of tea or coffee and just drink it in a calm environment. It is unlikely that this activity will take more than 20 minutes. In addition, at this time you can think about the upcoming task and focus on it. Good ways to reboot include:

• a walk in the fresh air,
• short sleep
• taking a bath,
• meditation.

An inappropriate leisure activity is watching television. Very often, in order to take a short break, a person turns on the “box”. And then, as luck would have it, an interesting program or film that he had long wanted to review. And 20 minutes of rest turns into several hours. You can also do the following exercise while resting.

Picture your life in retrospect. Here you are lying on the couch, then eating, routine work, dissatisfaction with yourself and your life, and the years go by. Time flies at incredible speed, but what have you already achieved in your life? And what could they achieve? Imagine two parallel realities. In this one you are a procrastinator, and in the other you are a successful and strong person. Which one do you like better? Think about your meaning in life, your goals and quickly write down all your feelings in a notebook. By doing this exercise from time to time and rereading your thoughts, you will clearly see the dynamics of change in your life.

To summarize, we can say that the very fact that you are thinking about how to stop procrastinating is already a good sign. This means that you realize that you are wasting a lot of time. All you have to do is make a small effort and change your life. And you need to start here and now.

To defeat laziness, you first need to understand its causes. Where did it even come from and why do we behave this way? Why do we put things off until later? Here are some reasons.

We are lazy, namely:

1. We avoid goals that others have set for us.– we don’t want to carry out the tasks that were initially assigned to us by our family, friends or acquaintances, and we, without hesitation, took them upon ourselves.
2. We avoid our goal, which is already outdated– she simply became uninteresting to us.
3. We avoid new goals because we are tired of current affairs. and simply cannot take on anything new.

What to do?

Most often we are too lazy to even talk to ourselves. Talk to your inner voice. Ask yourself: why am I so burdened by this task? How important is it to me? What happens if I don't do this? Maybe it's better to make an effort and end this now? The longer I put it off, the worse it will be later.

In addition, in this situation we are not satisfied with the existing goals, which means they need to be adjusted:

• we delete those goals that are no longer relevant;
• adding new ones and editing old ones;
• We prioritize between them.

In my opinion, a new list of plans is always inspiring, and laziness goes away on its own.

We leave everything for the last day

How many times have you put off something, simply because there was still a lot of time before the X-hour? This has probably happened to everyone. As a result, everything was done in a hurry and at the last moment. How do students prepare for exams? That's right, at first they stall for time, because there is enough of it, and then they try to remember all the tickets on the last day.

Psychologists have dubbed the habit of putting everything off until later “procrastination,” and have also found that its most common cause is a high level of anxiety due to high expectations. We do everything at the last minute, and then we make excuses that we simply didn’t have enough time, that if we had a couple more days in hand, we would have done the task perfectly! But that was the time! We just didn't use it.

What to do?

In such a situation, you need to train yourself to set goals that are within your power. Well, don’t forget to praise yourself for completing them. Praise yourself more often! It’s like with a child, in order to increase his self-esteem and desire to finish things to the end, he also needs to be praised. I’ve done my math homework - go have some tea, rest for 15 minutes, but not later start the next task. Then he will feel stronger and, perhaps, over time he will stop spending 15 minutes on tea, since during this time he can prepare one item and go for another walk.

We fear

What fears may cause us to procrastinate? We may be afraid of getting sick at a crucial moment before an exam, of making a mistake in a difficult job, because of which everything will go wrong, in the end, we are afraid of any force majeure that may happen through no fault of ours. Psychologists are sure that most often in such situations, unforeseen moments happen precisely because we are waiting for them. We can call it ordinary bad luck, but in fact it is the result of our thoughts. With our thoughts we attract the onset of failure or emergency situations to ourselves. As a result, we are afraid, and therefore we try in every possible way to delay this moment, postponing things for later.

What to do?

• Here you just need to understand yourself: sit down and think carefully, what am I afraid of and why am I afraid of it? Once the cause is found, dealing with it will not be difficult.
• Understand that you will always be afraid in a difficult situation. Only actions will help you overcome these fears. Therefore, to stop experiencing unnecessary, unnecessary stress, act! The deeper you dive into solving pressing problems, the easier their implementation begins to seem.
• Remember the most difficult, most stressful situation in your life. Compare it with the current situation. Are current problems so difficult compared to that experience?!

Take action now!

We leave unfinished business

Do you often start something and then give it up? You can give many examples even among your friends who signed up for a foreign language course or dance class, went a couple of times and quit. But when they signed up for them, they wanted to pass them, they wanted to learn and achieve serious results. This happens because:

• you are uncomfortable as a student– it can be difficult for an adult to play this role, but teenagers get tired of it at school or university;
• you are not confident in your abilities and are afraid of not being able to cope;
• you realized that this is not what you want- you just got the wrong goal.

What to do?

• If you are simply uncomfortable in the role of a student, then you can cope with this psychologically: imagine the end result more often. After all, this result is worth your efforts today, right?
• If you are not confident in your abilities, then you need to understand that you came to learn, just like everyone around you. And any learning process involves mistakes and difficulties.
• Well, if this is not your goal, then admit your mistake and move forward to a new goal!

How to force yourself to act?

There are several techniques to force yourself to act. They are quite simple, but once you master them, you will learn not to put things off until later, but to start doing them immediately.

Technique No. 1: Count to five

Every time you need to perform some action, even the simplest one - for example, getting out of bed in the morning, count to five. One two three four five! When you say "five!" you stand up. And so every time. Are you afraid to ask a store clerk for help? Count to five, and on the fifth count, ask! Are you afraid to talk to the young man you like? Approach, mentally counting to five, and start a conversation! The technique is very simple, the main thing is to make it a habit.

Technique No. 2: Divide every big task into small parts

By dividing one big task into its component pieces, it will be easier for you to complete each of them. Each piece is a small goal, but together they will add up to the desired result. So, step by step, you will come to the final result that scared you at first.

Technique No. 3: Looking at the clock

Now you need to do something. First, we look at the clock and notice: now, for example, it’s five o’clock in the evening, I need to spend about an hour on this matter. Now imagine that this hour has already passed, and with a feeling of accomplishment, satisfied with yourself, you can lie on the sofa in front of the TV, read a book or do something else pleasant. And at the same time, you will not oppress yourself for not doing something again. Do you want this result? Then look at the clock and get down to business!

Technique #4: Reward ourselves

Nobody likes to be punished for something. If you constantly put things off until later, you will always scold yourself for your laziness and lack of concentration. And perhaps your boss will get involved too. And if you are a businesswoman, then your laziness will have the worst impact on your business. You can do things differently. You can reward yourself for doing something. Are you writing a report? We wrote a point - reward yourself with a cup of your favorite tea, you can even add delicious candy to it. Of course, this is the simplest example that comes to mind, but, you see, it works. Of course, for completing big tasks you can reward yourself with something more significant. Perhaps shopping is more important to you than the annual report. So, give yourself the attitude “go shopping only when you’ve finished all your work!” Write it on a sticky note and stick it somewhere you can see it if that motivates you more.

Will making lists help?

In the fight against procrastination, it is important to understand that any action, even if it leads to a mistake, is better than complete inaction. Mistakes will force you to work harder, correct, make changes, and ultimately lead to results.

Things put off “until tomorrow” take away your strength and energy. You will still have to do them, and, most likely, in emergency mode and in a bad mood. You need it? I think no.

Will making a to-do list help? It will help if you don’t just write it, but compose it wisely. What should be done?

1. Take a piece of paper and write down all your affairs on it;
2. Review the list carefully. What things are no longer relevant and can be removed completely? Which ones can be replaced or combined? We analyzed it and made corrections to the list;
3. Now sort all the things on the list from short-term, which can be done right now, to long-term, which will take the longest amount of time;
4. Well, now we begin to carry out everything strictly according to the list, starting from the first point. And we start right now, without any “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Let me share my experience of making lists:

When I have a lot of things to do, including those that I constantly put off, I take a sheet of paper and write them all down in order. Then I rank them by importance. The first on my list will be what is important to do now and quickly, the last will be what will wait until tomorrow if I don’t have time to do it today. When the ranked list is ready, I leave it in front of my eyes and get down to business. If I have done something from the list, I cross it off. Believe me, it’s very pleasant to see how from a huge list there are fewer and fewer uncrossed items left.

Preventive measures

Sometimes, in order to analyze the presence of pending tasks and the state of their implementation, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures. What does this mean?

• First of all, you need to free your workspace from everything unnecessary. This includes both unnecessary things that get in the way on your desktop, and the Internet, which constantly distracts you from your work. Free space around you promotes productive work;
• You can periodically ask yourself the question: “What am I doing now?” or “What am I doing now?” If your answer is “Nothing,” then this needs to be corrected, because you are being lazy again;
• When you take on something, ask yourself, is this moving me towards my goal? If it promotes, good; if it doesn’t, you need to change either the goal or what you are currently doing;
• Separate the urgent from the important. Important matters are rarely urgent, we just delay solving them to such an extent that they become so. We don't need this. Regularly find time for important things, and things will get done, and there will be much less urgent things that take up a lot of energy.

Only you can overcome your laziness. To prevent things from standing still and from accumulating in huge numbers at the last moment, learn to work on yourself and plan your time. All modern books on time management say that you need to do what you don’t like first! If you do it, it will be easier for you, and your mood will be better, because all other things will be more pleasant! Don't be afraid of difficult tasks! Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone! When you face your fears, you get rid of them. The deeper you dive into a complex problem, the simpler it begins to seem.

Trust fate and take on any task with a fighting spirit!

So, you checked your email for the hundredth time, folded your coffee, made some solitaire, and smoked the news. This is where it would seem to work. But you suddenly came across an article about how to stop slacking and start working - this is our article. So be it, read it, and then you’ll finish everything quickly!

Let's say right away: despite the title, we will not talk about all laziness, but only about one of its varieties, which has recently become very widespread and, according to a number of scientists, has taken the form of neurosis. We are talking about procrastination - the habit of putting off important things again and again in favor of pleasant, harmless, but absolutely unnecessary activities. If this is your first time hearing such a term, but you are ready to exclaim: “So that’s why I spend hours at work, kicking and hanging around! I have a terrible disease - procrastination! - do not rush. Wait at least until the end of the article. After reading, you may be enriched with some more terms, excuses and reasons to feel sorry for yourself.

Pro-kra-sti... what?

The history of the phenomenon goes back thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians wrote about the endless procrastination of things for later (well, as they wrote - they dug them out on the walls). Moreover, they had two hieroglyphs to indicate such a delay: with negative consequences - “You fool for delaying!” and with positive ones - “Thank God I didn’t do it, I would have just wasted my time!” He also wrote about a special type of laziness in 800 BC. e. Greek poet Hedroid. Since there are no academic translations of his poems, be content with our version: “The husband, who has put aside work for a long time, moves on through life with poverty on his arm.” (Glorious is the editor who did such a translation!)

The term “procrastination” itself appeared in Ancient Rome as a result of the addition of two words: the preposition pro (“in the direction, toward, forward”) and crastinus (“tomorrow”). The word appears in the works of historians, and in a positive context. Procrastination is the talent of wise politicians and military leaders who do not make hasty decisions, do not enter into conflict and are not in a hurry to pay a prostitute in the hope that the lupanarium will catch fire and they can escape quietly.

In modern history, the term arose only in 1682, in a sermon by the Rev. Anthony Walker. As is the custom of all saints, wondering what else to be up in arms about, the Englishman Walker brought procrastination into the light of day and declared it a sin. The word caught on, in the 18th century it was published and stuck to the slogans of the industrial revolution in the spirit of “The factories are standing still, there are only procrastinators around.” Since then, laziness and the compromised Latin term have been inseparable.

What is the difference?

To be more precise, why a separate word at all? Why can’t you say “laziness”, “simple”, “negligence”? To understand the difference, just read the modern definition of procrastination. It was formulated by Professor J.R. Ferrari, head of the Procrastination Research Group (PRG) at Carleton University in Ottawa:

Procrastination is
1) the habit of putting things off,
2) unconditionally recognized as important,
3) gradually becoming a neurotic pattern of behavior and
4) causing persistent frustration or guilt in the procrastinator.

Don’t rush to envy the professor and think that he created this definition while sitting in his office and throwing darts into the coffee maker. His group has done significant work in neuroscience, psychology and statistics. Again, if procrastination is their main occupation, they probably try in every possible way to delay it and work hard.

Ferrari emphasizes that mindfulness is the most important sign of procrastination. It’s not enough to miss deadlines and do a bad job - any cretin who overestimated his strength or did not understand the problem can do this. You also need to realize until the last moment that you are deliberately doing nonsense, although you could have worked.

7 facts about procrastination

Lovingly collected by Professor Ferrari's subordinates over the years of their activity.

Let's start with almost a compliment - however, it will be the only one for the entire article, so don't read it all at once, leave a little for the morning. So, according to PRG, Procrastinators are generally much more optimistic than ordinary people. Moreover, as tests have shown, optimism does not prevent them from calculating their strength and time. Fearlessness and faith in miracles concern only the assessment of the risks associated with failure to complete a task.

Procrastinators are not born. It's all due to upbringing. Although there is still a lot of unknowns. Ferrari knows one thing for sure: an incredible number of his charges grew up in families with an authoritarian type of upbringing (see our article “”). A tough, control-freak parent pushes the child to avoid any independent activity and prevents him from hearing his desires. The child does only what he is told. Even worse, the latent hatred of prohibitions (“And don’t you dare climb on the closet anymore, while I’m hiding my naked aunt in it from my mother!”) forces the already adult procrastinator to surround himself with people who forgive him for any mistakes. And this, of course, only worsens his conniving attitude towards himself.

Procrastinators, on average, drink more than their colleagues and peers. They do this, firstly, for the sake of the feeling, as Venichka Erofeev wrote, of “not being immersed in anything.” Secondly, procrastination is often a consequence of poor self-control. Excessive drinking is another special case of this problem.

The most common type of self-deception procrastinators resort to: “I can only work under pressure.” The second most popular is “I’ll do it tomorrow with fresh strength.” At the same time, Ferrari's tricky tests prove that no noticeable increase in productivity occurs - neither after a long rest, nor in emergency conditions.

PRG patients aren't just biding their time. They actively look for distractions that would help them avoid doing what they need to do. They are looking for two criteria: a) the opportunity to constantly return to business; b) the inability to lose and mess up. The most popular distractor is checking email.

Among procrastinators, there is an abnormally high percentage of people in poor health. Resistance to colds is two times lower than in the group of ordinary people, vulnerability to gastroinfections is three times higher.

Sometimes due to more or less random reasons (an unprecedented external stimulus, personal choice, a promise to a loved one who threatens you with an iron) a procrastinator can change completely. True, effective, consciously productive behavior takes away more physical strength from him than from an ordinary person. The result is anxiety, frustration, drowsiness; ultimately - a return to the usual pattern.

How it works

According to another scientist, P. Steele, who not only wrote the “Formula of Procrastination” series of books, but also gives mini-lectures on YouTube ( Procrastinus channel), the phenomenon is explained quite simply.

The fact is that your desires are not controlled by a little squirrel that lives in your nose (although we understand that this contradicts all your life experience), but by two areas of the brain.

The first, limbic, of which the pleasure center is also a part, is capable of generating strong stimuli: hunger, thirst for sex, fear, an irresistible desire to watch YouTube again. The signals of this system are quite difficult to resist; it never sleeps, is capable of suppressing the voice of reason and, most importantly, does not understand what time is. Limbic desires cannot be long-term. This is a machine for making quick demands and obtaining short-term pleasures. “Hey, come on! - as if a voice in your head is telling you. - Just think, one game of table football! It’s five minutes, but you’ll have the whole evening to write the article. But how fun!” The problem is that this system immediately forgets that it was fun (for it, after all, there is no concept of time) - and demands a new quick buzz.

On the other hand, desires can also arise in the prefrontal areas of the cerebral cortex. Here a time horizon already arises, planning issues arise...

But the trouble is, even in people with the most tortuous and hardened bark, these zones sooner or later get tired. Moreover, fatigue can be either instantaneous, from overexertion, or accumulated. The more exhausted the cortex is, the worse it resists temptations. And procrastination, thus, is a surrender of the cortex to the limbic system. A series of games of table football against the backdrop of an unfinished paragraph

Two by three

Famous procrastinators

In 1956, the American Les Vaas announced the recruitment of members to the Procrastinators Club. When the first candidates sent in their applications, Les set a date for the meeting, and then postponed it for several years until the joke finally got through to everyone. “This was, perhaps, the first and last time when procrastinators tried to unite,” says the same Ferrari, from whose words we recorded this story. “In general, they do not like to be in the company of their own kind, because the sight of an idle person aggravates their feelings of guilt.” In addition, according to the professor, it is difficult for procrastinators to sympathize and help each other because they are not the same.

Ferrari identifies three types of these poor fellows.

(It must be said that in the original the names of these types sound much more elegant, but why litter the language with the words “thrillseekers” and “avoiders.”) They put things off until the last minute, so that later they can rush in and, trembling with horror and euphoria, do everything in one sitting .

They put off any task without looking, so as not to make a mistake or, even worse, not to succeed. Because success can lead to new, more difficult tasks. They are very afraid of the assessments of others, the burden of responsibility, criticism, praise, and in general everything. They try to give an even average result, balancing on a fine line between “Well, it’s almost normal” and “It could be better, but oh well, it’ll do.”

They just don’t know how to prioritize and work according to plan. They put off all things, including pleasant ones, until they feel pressure from the outside.

Surprisingly, this classification almost completely coincides with the conclusions of another fighter against procrastination - B. Tracy. He is, however, not a scientist, but a marketer and the head of a recruitment agency. But this may be for the best: with a tact unusual for scientists, Tracy shifts the focus to the work itself, instead of calling people neurotic and weaklings who are not fit for work.

According to him, it is not people who are divided into three types, but difficult matters.

So large and impregnable that they frighten people. Eating an elephant (for a skinny old man, Tracy is suspiciously obsessed with culinary metaphors) in one sitting is impossible. It’s not clear where to start, whether you have enough strength and appetite. However, in addition to fear, the elephant also evokes superstitious delight: so much meat!

All of them are unpleasant. You don’t want to not only chew them, but even pick them up. In addition to fear of such things, Tracy also writes about anxiety: what will others think when they see me eating a frog. This is one hundred percent consistent with Ferrari's description of avoiders.

They look so identical that it’s unclear which one to tackle first, but it seems like you have to sit through everything.

Eat oranges and chew elephants

Tracy has written extensively about carving, shredding, and stuffing unsavory things. For example, an entire book is dedicated to frogs, which was even translated into Russian two years ago. However, his advice is banal and has been criticized more than once by serious scientists.

Judge for yourself.

■ He recommends eating elephants right away, otherwise they “grow in the head” due to postponing. Moreover, you need to start with the most delicious pieces and constantly remind yourself how much is left. Like, after the half, things will go faster, because it will already be a game of reduction.

■ Frogs are absolutely hilarious. Tracy's book is full of platitudes like "plan your day, get energized, develop the workaholic in you." PRG experts Johnson and McCone openly scoff at this. Like, telling a true procrastinator to plan his day is like telling a clinically depressed person to smile and not think negative thoughts.

■ The author is doing well with oranges. The advice to rely on a simple lot works. As well as the advice to delegate the decision: “Darling, remind me what is our priority now: should I fire you or take care of the visitors?”

Yet Tracy's problem is that he considers procrastination a vice. A bad habit that needs to be broken. However, it is much easier (and more pleasant) to believe scientists who consider procrastination a variant of the norm. A birth defect that you just have to get used to, like poor eyesight or your wife’s mustache.

And yet: how is it treated?

Having read to this point, you should have already fallen into elation several times (“I’m not a bad person, I’m a variant of the norm!”) and fallen back into depression. To put an end to the endless debate among scientists, we decided for the last time to refer to the conclusions of Ferrari and his group.

Procrastination in numbers

Data were collected in Australia, the UK, Turkey, Peru, Venezuela, Spain, Poland and Saudi Arabia. And since they were no different there, we can assume that something similar is happening here.

70% of university students consider themselves chronic procrastinators, but in reality only 25% are such, the rest are ordinary alcoholics and idiots.

Among the so-called “non-clinical” adults, 20% are true procrastinators, regardless of the field of work.

54% of procrastinators are men.

10% are not going to fight their problem because they love procrastination for the jolt it gives (to the brain and in general).

Even the average person who does not procrastinate spends an average of 47% of their time at the computer “acting out procrastination.”

According to them, procrastination can still be overcome. Moreover, the solution often does not lie in the area of ​​time management, planning, control and visits to a psychiatrist.

Your own psychological defense mechanisms (any person who is not deprived of a brain has them) can help in the fight against procrastination or in making peace with it.

If things don't get done because of the Internet, turn off the Internet. Break the refrigerator. Lock your phone. Intentionally cutting yourself off from the tools of procrastination almost always helps you get into the right frame of mind. Why? Think about the limbic system. It requires instant response, quick pleasure. If, in order to watch the next episode of “Simon’s Cat,” you need to go into a separate program and rummage through the settings or get up from the couch to plug in the cable, the limbic system calms down and the prefrontal cortex manages to regain control.

Browser extensions SiteBlock, Anti-porn, Norton Online Family and TimeBoss. All of them allow you to disable individual sites, block entire segments of the Internet, or set a time limit (TimeBoss is especially good in this sense, although it is more difficult to configure than others). Cut yourself off physically (spatially) from analogue pleasures or ask for help from loved ones. Let your wife not let you eat or deliberately walk around the house dressed until you finish work.

Instead of frankly meaningless activities during bouts of procrastination, you can simply switch between tasks. Instead of crushing zombies with zucchini on your iPad, read books or watch lectures by various interesting luminaries of science, for example, the “rock star of philosophy” Zizek. Better yet, don’t sit at the computer at all. Hammer a nail, wash the dishes, do push-ups, soap the rope, shave. Any semi-useful activity other than your main task is always better than a pseudo-useful one.

Book readers. Podcasts. Any site with an online player, search and a good selection of useful videos - for example, TED or "Elements". Although doing push-ups is still healthier.

At worst, instead of fighting procrastination, try to overcome a negative attitude towards it. Stop thinking that your downtime is a mistake, accept it as part of the system and method. According to the almost unanimous opinion of scientists, feelings of guilt and regret cause no less stress than the very awareness of the delay. As soon as you stop reproaching yourself for procrastination, your psyche will be able to free up a certain amount of energy that was spent on the pangs of conscience. And you can check your email more often!

What does the doctor say?

Domestic experts, also familiar with the phenomenon of procrastination, volunteered to say something in conclusion.

Mikhail Sinkin, neurologist, consultant at the Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, head of the department of ultrasound and neurophysiological diagnostics of City Clinical Hospital No. 11:
As a rule, procrastination is purely a psychological problem. The neurologist should, however, remember about some brain diseases that can manifest similar symptoms. In particular, disturbances in the metabolism of serotonin, norepinephrine and other neurotransmitters, leading to such a clinical picture, can occur with tumors of the frontal lobe, in the initial stages of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

Alexey Stepanov, psychologist, consultant of the Discussion Club of the Russian Medical Server (forums.rusmedserv.com):
Many readers will find in the article a reason to say to themselves with relief: “Oh, that’s it! It turns out that I have no problems with goal setting and it’s not my weaknesses. I just suffer from procrastination!” I consider it important to warn the reader against such a position. There are many words in the language that are simply headings. “Procrastination” is just a term denoting a range of human manifestations, symptoms, if you like. Procrastination itself is not a diagnosis. It is necessary in each case to look at what it is a symptom of. I see three sources. The first is depressive states, because laziness grows out of despondency. Depression almost always requires professional treatment. The second source is anxiety disorders. Anxiety about achievements can be painful, whether a person is expecting failure or victory. Clarifying the basis of your anxiety is work that you need to do both yourself and with the help of a therapist. Finally, the third possible reason concerns personality manifestations, which in advanced cases can reach the level of a personality disorder. The key word here is alienation. For example, alienation from tools and the results of labor, known since the time of the first manufactories. Alienation from one’s own “I want” and “I care,” leading to a meaningless life. “When you understand why, you overcome any “how.” This is one of the best answers to the question of how to deal with procrastination.

Two more new laziness

This article would not be complete without mentioning zucchini (just a funny word that we try to insert into all texts) and a retelling of the works of two more scientists. They did not write about procrastination in its pure form, but rather about surprising types of laziness similar to it.

Neurolinguist St. D. Krashen, a specialist in reading theory (what people don’t get paid for!), believes that creative people cannot be blamed for downtime. Referring to autobiographies of writers, composers and physicists, as well as surveys of creative people conducted in 1995 by Csikszentmihalyi and Sawyer, the scientist draws a clear conclusion: procrastination, idleness, and useless activities are part of the creative process. At the same time, Krashen rejects the idea of ​​inspiration. When a creative person walks from corner to corner, picking the umbilical felt with his finger, he is not waiting for an external stimulus. Stupor is associated with the work of the “extraconscious part of the psyche.”

Krashen, analyzing the revelations of geniuses, derives the following formula for creative work:
■ collection of information, analysis of available data - 20–60% of the total time;
■ incubation - 40–60%;
■ illumination - 0% of the time (Krashen, being a meticulous linguist, insists on the term illumination instead of the usual English enlightenment (“illumination”). According to him, “illumination” more clearly describes the explosive birth of an idea);
■ conscious “processing with a file”, fixing a solution or work - from 10%. Scolding a person because he promised to send an article a week ago, and he himself is sitting playing Civilization V, is stupid, because during the game the article is written to a greater extent than at the time of the actual recording. (If only a week ago, or even two! - Ed.)

The term comes from Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. While traveling around the world giving lectures and trainings, Dan noticed and described the phenomenon of “moral laziness.” You probably know people who say: “I’ll work ten years at this job, and then I’ll immediately go to the islands and start training cockroaches for cockfighting” (or something like that). Perhaps one of your acquaintances is yourself. Dan believes that by engaging in such self-deception, a person suffers from “reverse procrastination.” Instead of sacrificing serious matters in favor of momentary joys, the poor fellow is engaged in dull and tedious work, pushing aside pleasures. What's the point? “This comes from a fear of leaving your comfort zone,” Dan writes. Moving to the islands, going on vacation, buying an apartment, having chickens and piglets all involve the need to learn new information and make some decisions. It’s much easier to put all this aside and print papers for a shredder for a few more years for N pennies a day. “Often the subject of the shift for which a person is supposedly working can be accomplished with less blood and more pleasure. The problem is that we don’t really want to move anything in our lives,” Dan writes sadly, judging by the lack of exclamation marks.

» Fighting procrastination

© Peter Ludwig

What is procrastination and why fight it?

Fragment of the book Peter Ludwig. Conquer procrastination. - M.: Alpina Publisher, 2014.

Each of us has had occasion to put off important things until later, delaying their completion as much as possible, doing anything else instead. Unable to explain to ourselves why we do this, we are then tormented by a feeling of guilt due to missed deadlines and the fact that we have let someone down again. The author of the book, who was convinced from his own experience of the insidiousness of procrastination, comprehensively studied the problem, identified the causes of its occurrence and proposed several simple and effective ways to combat it.

When we cannot convince ourselves of the urgency of completing necessary or desired tasks, it means we are procrastinating. Instead of important things that make sense to us, we do something insignificant: watch TV shows, water flowers in the office, play computer games, spend time on social networks, eat (even if we are not hungry), do repeated cleaning, wander aimlessly around the office or simply “spit at the ceiling.” Later, due to self-reproach and frustration, a feeling of helplessness arises, again leading to doing nothing.

But attention! Procrastination is not easy laziness. A lazy person does not want to do anything and does not feel any concern about it. A procrastinator would be happy to do something, but he is unable to start.

Procrastination should not be confused with rest. During rest, we are filled with new energy. When we procrastinate, on the contrary, we lose it. The less energy we have left, the greater the chances of postponing a task indefinitely and doing nothing again.

People like to leave everything to the last minute, explaining that they work better under pressure and with an approaching deadline. But in reality this is not true: putting things off until the deadline is a breeding ground for stress, blame and inefficiency. It doesn’t hurt to remember the famous proverb: “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” .

History of procrastination syndrome

People have suffered from procrastination since time immemorial. Even the ancient poet Hesiod paid attention to this problem in the poem “Works and Days”:

And don’t put things off until tomorrow, until the day after tomorrow:
The barns are empty for those
who is lazy to work and always likes to put things off:
Wealth comes from effort.
Meshkotny struggles with troubles all his life continuously
(Translation by V. Veresaev).

A procrastinating person, a procrastinating person, a slacker person - this is how we can describe today’s procrastinator.

The Roman philosopher Seneca warned: “As long as we postpone life, it passes away.” This quote states the main reason why you need to fight procrastination.

Procrastination is one of the main obstacles that prevents us from living a full life. Regret about missed opportunities and the associated self-reproach take up much more time than it would take to solve the problem. A recent study found that when people are on their deathbeds, they regret the things they didn't do more than the things they did.

Due to procrastination, we waste time that we could spend usefully. If we manage to defeat it, we will be able to redo more things and realize our life's potential more effectively.

Present Tense: Decision Paralysis

What's the deal with procrastination these days? Today there are more and more opportunities for procrastination. Learning to deal with procrastination is one of the most important tasks of a modern person.

Over the past hundred years, average life expectancy has almost doubled. During this time, infant mortality decreased almost tenfold. Today we live in a world in which there is less violence and military conflict than at any time in human history. Thanks to the Internet, almost all the world's knowledge is available to us. We can travel almost without restrictions throughout the planet. Knowledge of foreign languages ​​helps to find understanding in foreign countries. We have mobile phones in our pockets that are more advanced than the supercomputers of 20 years ago.

The opportunities offered by the modern world to harness our potential are enormous. You can think of them as scissors. The more chances we have in the modern world, the wider these imaginary ideas can be revealed. scissors of possibilities. And today the number of these chances is greater than ever.

The ideal of modern society is built on the idea of ​​expanding individual freedom, on the conviction that the more of it people have, the more satisfied they will be. According to this theory, with each opening scissors of possibilities we should become happier and happier. So why aren't people happier today than their ancestors? What challenges does the expanding range of options pose?

This is primarily a problem of choice: the more opportunities we have, the more difficult it is to decide on something. The so-called decision paralysis. Thinking through all the options requires so much energy that we end up not being able to choose any of them. We postpone making a decision, and at the same time taking actions related to it. Let's procrastinate.

The more complex the options being compared, the higher the chance of postponing a decision. Given multiple options, it is likely that no matter what we choose, we will still experience regret, imagining what would have happened if we had chosen a different option, or noticing the shortcomings of the decision we made.

Are you familiar with the situation when you know that you should do something, but despite this, you do nothing? When was the last time you put off any action or decision? Has it ever happened that you could not choose any of the opportunities that opened before you? What feelings did you experience at that moment?

Rise decision paralysis contributes to increased procrastination. Procrastination leads to decreased productivity. The realization that we are not using our full potential causes self-reproach and frustration.

There are simple tools (techniques, methods) that can help you use your full potential every day. Using them only takes a few minutes a day, but can add up to several extra productive hours. These techniques enable more efficient use of the human brain, as well as an innate or learned tendency towards inefficiency. A secondary product of fighting procrastination is the increased activation of the reward centers in the brain. Thanks to this, you will experience more positive emotions.

How did it feel to truly live a day of your life to the fullest? When was the last time? In the book, you will also learn why realizing your potential every day is the most effective way to achieve long-term satisfaction.

Let's get started! How do our motivation, performance and satisfaction actually work? How to beat procrastination? How to achieve tangible and lasting change?

Motivation

Once upon a time we were born, and someday, unfortunately, we will die. Our life time is limited and finite. Therefore, the greatest value is time. And not money, which, unlike time, we can borrow, save or earn. As for time, each of its unique moments disappears forever.

The fact that life is finite was also expressed by Steve Jobs in his address to students at Stanford University: “The realization that I was going to die was the best thing that helped me make important decisions in my life. In the face of death, almost everything loses importance - the opinions of others, ambitions, fear of shame or failure - and only what is truly important remains. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the mental trap of thinking you have something to lose. You're already naked. And there is no reason not to follow your heart."

Awareness of the finiteness of life leads to the fact that we try to spend the days allotted to us carefully. We begin to look for what we would like to devote our time to on planet Earth - we begin the search personal vision.

If we can find it vision, it will become the most effective motivational magnet for us. It will help us in the present to do what we really see meaning in, and at the same time it will pull us towards our ideal future.

WITHamodiscipline

The two main components of self-discipline are productivity And efficiency. There are only 24 hours in a day. If you subtract your sleep time, you are left with productive time.

Productivity measured by , what percentage of our time do we spend on activities that correspond to our personal vision. Regular sleep, time management and positive habits significantly increase this percentage.

Efficiency - an indicator of whether the actions we take are key, moving us forward. This also includes the ability to set priorities, delegate authority, and correctly divide large tasks into smaller parts.

Imagine your vision like the way. Productivity- an indicator of how long each day you walk along this path. Efficiency determines whether you are taking the biggest steps possible.

Self-discipline - is the general ability to act in line with your personal vision.

Rehatltats

As the proverb says, “A plan without action is a dream. Action without plan is a nightmare." This saying expresses two main problems in life. Many people have their own vision, but they do nothing to follow it. Others, on the contrary, do something, but do not see the point in it. Ideally we need both vision, and actions. If you can combine this, it will appear emotional and material return.

Emotional I'm giving related to production dopamine - a neurotransmitter that causes a feeling of satisfaction.

Material I'm giving represents specific results of labor.

ABOUTbeTotiveWitht

The last important part in the personal growth constructor is our objectivity . Anders Breivik, who shot and killed 69 people on the island of Utøya in July 2011, likely had very high motivation and self-discipline, which ultimately brought him emotional and material rewards. This extreme example shows how far you can go if you don't keep an eye on your objectivity.

Objectivity is an important tool for testing our not always error-free intuition; it is a method of understanding the nature of things. Promotion objectivity based on a person receiving feedback from the surrounding reality regarding his views and actions. Because the brain has a tendency to believe something that is not actually true, we need to continually detect areas of possible bias.

As Bertrand Russell, a Nobel Prize laureate and one of the most famous mathematicians and philosophers of the 20th century, said, “The problem of the modern world is that fools are confident in themselves, and intelligent people are full of doubts.”

conclusions

• Procrastination - not laziness, but the inability to force oneself to perform necessary or desired actions.
• If we look into history, we will find that people have been procrastinating since time immemorial.
• Our time promotes development procrastination , so you need to learn how to deal with it.
• The choice of opportunities offered to us by the modern world is the largest in the entire history of mankind. Scissors of possibilities open as wide as ever before.
• Increased choice often leads to decision paralysis .
• Due to decision paralysis, hesitation in making decisions and procrastination, life passes us by, causing us to experience unpleasant emotions.
• There are simple tools to help you win decision paralysis And procrastination .
• If we use our potential, the pleasure center in our brain is activated, dopamine is produced, and we experience positive emotions.