Procrastination does not only draw you back and slow your aproductivity, it kills opportunity.
It's creeps into your life easily and make things very difficult to achieve.
There was a time when procrastination nearly cost me my job, but I managed to overcome it and transform my productivity.
I used to be a chronic procrastinator some years back. At my work place I would put off tasks until the last minute, convincing myself that I can work better under pressure. But the truth was, I was so scared of failure, and putting things off gave me a temporary escape from anxiety. As a result, I'd rush through projects, submit subpar work, and struggle to meet deadlines. My job was on the line, and I knew I needed to make a change.
For example, there was a time in the school I worked, it was during the examination time, we are to write out all the exams questions for the classes scheduled to us.
For me I felt this was a simple stuff to do, I believed I would finish it in no time, but minutes turned to hours, days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months, it got so bad that on the deadline week, I was still at 60% Done, this caused me to be the last person to submit his task.
One day, the principal called me into his office and expressed his disappointment in my performance. He told me that my work had been suffering, and if he didn't see any significant improvement, he would let me go.
This was the turning point I needed. I realized that procrastination wasn't just affecting my job; it was holding me back from reaching my full potential.
Deep down I knew I needed to develop new habits and strategies to overcome procrastination. Here are some that worked for me:
I started Breaking down tasks into smaller ones, Instead of feeling overwhelmed by a massive project, I broke it down into smaller, manageable tasks. This made it very easy for me to focus and make progress in the tasks I was given.
I started using a planner to schedule my tasks and set deadlines. This helped me stay organized and on track.
A planner starts with my pen and Jotter, I wrote everything down and then I start planning which goes for work at a particular point in time. Pleas note that this goes with you knowing your clear and achievable goals.
I set specific, achievable goals for each day and week. This helped me stay motivated and focused.
Most importantly I cancelled out all distractions.
I identified my biggest distractions (social media, email, and phone notifications) and removed them while I worked. I used some tools like a website blockers and I also turned off my phone's notifications. This one in particular made me focused and less distracted.
It is not an easy thing to do, but for you to change your habit of procrastinating, you need to be very disciplined.
I stuck to my new habits and strategies. Slowly, I started to see improvements in my productivity and work quality. I was meeting deadlines, submitting high-quality work, and feeling more confident in my abilities.
The Results I was getting ever since are satisfying.