Introduction  

"Procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending tasks to a later time, sometimes to the "last minute" before a deadline," – Wikipedia

  I do not think you read that boring definition Wikipedia had to offer about procrastination.  

We all know what procrastination really is. It's delaying tasks because you think you are extremely smart and will be able to get them done in time before the deadline. Well, guess what? You're wrong!  

Well not completely wrong, you ARE extremely smart but with the way you are currently working, and I am assuming that by the fact that you had to buy this book, you will NOT be able to meet the deadline.    

  The purpose of this Article is, therefore, to reduce your procrastination, find you clever ways to do the task fast and be at the top of whatever you do. 

 Overcoming Procrastination 

  

Kill the boy and let the man be born

 The first step in overcoming procrastination is that you need to convince yourself that you are not a procrastinator. You need tell yourself that you are the greatest man that ever lived or will ever live. You need to kill the boy in you and let the man be born. You need to make sure you yourself know that anything is possible for you and that you can do everything on time. 

So first we kill the boy:  

   Repeat after me.  

I AM A MAN!  

(Once more)  

I AM A MAN!  

(Once again)  

I AM A MAAANN!   

   (Do you hear the boy screaming from pain inside you?)  

I AM TAKING CONTROL OF MY LIFE!  

(Silence, huh? I think he is dead.) 

Well, that was easy, no?  

  Now, that the boy is dead. Raise now, wise sir, as a man reborn. This step is essential because unless you believe in yourself, no book or guide in the world will be able to help you. So if you believe that the boy inside you is still alive, go back, repeat the step, fight the battle and arise new. 

After this step, you also need to act like a man. In order to act like a man, do not let silly things get to you. Act very maturely. “Maturely” does not sound fun? But guess what, once you have control over your life, you can have all the fun you want.  

You must have learned a couple of lessons from this major battle that you have just fought with the boy in you. It would help you to list them down in the space below.

  The reason we procrastinate is that we think we can do something when actually deep down we are afraid of even attempting it because we believe we will fail. We procrastinate because we feel that if we attempt the task right before it is due, that even if we fail then, we will have an excuse that the reason you failed was a shortage of time.

  It is time to stop making excuses and start doing solid work. You need to have the kind of attitude that says that:  

1. This job needs to be done 

2. I am responsible for it 

3. I will start working on it right now 

4. I will be done with it before the deadline no matter what

  I will now share a secret with you that a successful person once told me. Successful people are successful because they have that confidence and belief in them that they can achieve things that no one else can. They believe that they are special. So you need to know that you too are special and that no one can beat you.

  SHHH! It’s a secret. You cannot tell anyone about it.  

  This “kill the boy, let the man be born” attitude does not just have to be for any school tasks or job tasks you have to do. You need to apply this principle in all walks of your life. 

If you need a glass of water, do not wait for someone to walk by and tell them you need water. Get you lazy butt up and get that glass of water yourself. 

If you need the remote and it’s all the way across the room, Get up and get it.  

If you need to go to the local store and the car is not here, walk to it.  

The point is you need to start taking control of your life, start doing things; take initiative and success will follow you like a shadow. 

So far I have taught you the theory behind killing procrastination. In the next couple of chapters, we will learn how to apply these principles in your real life. If you have changed a bit by now, I would urge you to read the whole book. If not, read the chapter that concerns you the most.  

  You must have learned something so far, I want you to write them down for your own personal growth.  

I have learned:  

1. ………………………………………………….

2. ………………………………………………….

Step 2: Do it now, relax later

A wise man (Christopher Parker in this case) once said, “Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.” The second step is important because it one of the major reason of procrastination. We all feel that we need to relax right now and that we will have the time to do something but that is how we procrastinate and we need to put an end to that right now. 

  Therefore, the objective is not to do it all at once, once you get the project but to take portions of whatever you have to do and divide it into the portion. Let's assume you get a homework assignment over the weekend, if you sit on Sunday night to do the homework, you will not achieve much, because: 

a) You will not have enough time 

b) You will not be able to work efficiently because you are most likely to panic  

  It is essential that you create a sketch of what you are about to do. I do not mean a sketch in its most literal sense but a layout of whatever you plan on achieving. You can make this layout in your mind and you can also and I suggest this highly, keep a small notebook with you at all times. In this notebook, you can quickly sketch out whatever you have to do, when you will do it and how you are going to do it. Thus making it very easy for you.  

Step 3: Finding easier ways

Whoever said hard work pays off clearly did not know what they were talking about. It’s not about how hard you work but rather about how smart you work. All procrastinators get tired of working on something after a short time and to avoid this we need to find ways to do things faster.

  Let’s take an example, I could write the same thing in two ways: 

I was moving through the jungle. In the jungle, I saw a lion. The lion was eating a deer.
Or
Moving through the jungle, I saw a lion eating a deer. 

The point is, I can express the same idea in two different ways. One is long and boring. The other is short and efficient. You need to apply this idea of short and efficient throughout your life.

  The easiest way to do this is by finding things you actually care about and tasks that interest you. If a footballer starts studying politics, he will be bored to death. Similarly, if a surgeon is put in court, he will have absolutely no idea of what he is up to.  

So find what you love, do it smartly and do it quickly.

Step 4: Being at the top

One of the major reasons people procrastinate is that they think they are not good at the job at hand. This step is all about building your confidence. In order to stop procrastination, one needs to feel that you are the best or at least good at something. This can be achieved in many ways.  

First of all, do activities you are good at and do them often. This will not only develop your self-confidence, but it will also give you a sense of self-respect which will play a major role in overcoming the disease that is procrastination. 

Secondly, as I have said once before, start early on whatever you are doing. Not only will this give you an edge over people who start late but it is also a morale booster because you will feel a sense of accomplishment and know that you are putting your life to good use.  

Thirdly, research a little on whatever you are about to do. This is important for building up your confidence. Once you know that you have a slight edge over everyone else and that you, in fact, know more than everyone else, you will want to do that task because there is a high chance you are going to be the best at it. 

Fourthly, create a working atmosphere. Be at the top of the place you work in. Know where everything is the placed. Where you will find your stationary, where you will find your papers, where you will find your documents. This will help you be more organized. No one likes to work in a messy workplace and that is one of the major reasons for procrastination.

Congratulations!

 You now know the whole theory behind overcoming procrastination. However, knowing something is different than actually implementing it. In the next couple of chapters, we are going to go over the practicality of each of the steps we have discussed so far, and whether you are a student, an employee or an athlete; by the end of this book we will have helped you overcome procrastination in the easiest way possible. You have made it so far, do not give up now.  

  Procrastination is a disease but unlike cancer, which does not have a cure(yet), procrastination does indeed have a cure. The cure is within you, extract that portion and turn your life into a positive path.   

Now go ahead, be a man, and lets all procrastinators unite to end procrastination!