Have you ever noticed that the word "Studying" comprises the words....Student + Dying??

.....That's what procrastinating will do to you!

As I near the end of my first semester, I sit here procrastinating, feeling tired, lazy and unmotivated. Four qualities I did not wish to possess although somehow they have worked their way into my life.

Whats changed I ask myself....I'm still just as motivated (if not more) to seeing my dreams become a reality and have no reason to be tired or lazy! So why to I procrastinate?

To procrastinate means to delay or postpone an action, or to put off doing something. Why would I want to delay or put off doing an assignment or study? I love what I'm studying and I cant wait to finish my degree. Yet the only thing that comes to mind as a reason one would put off a task would be the fact that its not enjoyable or the end result has no significance. It makes no sense!?!?

After doing some small research I humored myself in finding that the top 10 procrastinating saying enter my mind DAILY! These being:

1. It's too cold to exercise outside today. I'll wait until tomorrow when it's warmer.
2. I've got too many other things to do first.
3. I'll do a better job when I can concentrate on this project.
4. I still have lots of time to get this done.
5. They don't pay me enough to do a more complete job. This is good enough.
6. This problem is too hard to talk about. I wouldn't know where to start.
7. I work better under pressure.
8. It's too noisy to work while my teenager is at home.
9. I should get the shopping down now because the stores will be more crowded later.
10. I can eat this pie tonight, because I'm starting my diet tomorrow.
11. My tooth doesn't really hurt that much. The pain will probably go away tomorrow.

.....I don't think I'm alone in saying that I find myself saying these regularly....quite regularly!
Although funny thing is that I actually now fine myself not even bothering to attempt some things cause i know I'm just going to procrastinate anyway....so Ive almost skipped the whole procrastination process....smart? I think NOT!

So with further research I learned that the main causes of one procrastinating are:
To Avoid Discomfort, Perfectionism, Laziness, Feeling Unworthy, Self Doubt and Workaholism.

Qualities I possess? Quite possibly.......

Qualities at all? NO

At the beginning of the year I learned that I was very much a creature of habit. An example being, I used to drink a lot of coke, although this was not because i enjoyed the taste of the drink or bloated feeling I received after. So why did I drink it?
After making a conscious decision not to drink it, I soon realized that choosing coke as a drink was just a HABIT....I did not actually like the drink all.
So the quest began discovering what other habits I had unknowingly created in my life. I then noted the habits I wanted to keep and habits I wanted to break. Passed experience tells me that a habits are easier to make than break. So I then looked at my life and consciously came up with a small list of habits I wanted to create that would be beneficial to me (eg early nights). I then put strategies in place for these new habits to replace the old ones!

Since procrastination produces mostly negative outcomes, wouldn't one just stop doing it, change their behavior and eliminate the undesirable consequences? Procrastination reinforces itself
As humans we avoid getting started by cleverly diverting our attention from the things we really should be doing. We do something else instead or make up a story about how we will accomplish the task in the future-when we are inspired, or when we have completed a preliminary step, or some other trick.

So is procrastination a habit?? How do I break it then.....

Recognizing how the diversions work won't automatically cure procrastination, although being aware of the diversions would be a good place to start. Once you become aware of the ways that you procrastinate, you can start to change your behavior..........

Recognize the habit and replace it?? Is it that easy?....I doubt it! But I reckon it would be a good place to start!

Sucks if you start procrastinating changing your habits!! HAHA

The Irony of this blog is that I've just researched about procrastination while I myself have been procrastinating!

So after all of this I find myself at the exact same place as i began....procrastination has become a part of my life and i would prefer it not be! Whether I caught it at uni, whether it just grew on me, or whether I've always done it, I want it gone!

1. First action plan is to recognize the signs and thought patterns.
2. Next acknowledge the task being procrastinated and discover why.

3. Devise a plan to replace the procrastinating thought.

Its all in your head....I'll let you know!