World Sweat, Or I'll Do It Tomorrow - Society

We all try to walk, and sometimes run in step with the times. High pace, chronic stress; I didn't do it today - I don't need it tomorrow. To be in time everywhere is our motto. But coping with an avalanche of important matters is not always possible. “I'll do it later,” we console ourselves.

Procrastination (from Latin pro - "instead of, ahead" and crastinus - "tomorrow") means a tendency to constantly postpone unpleasant things for the future. Such a ruthless sentence is passed on to themselves by an entrepreneur working at the limit of his capabilities, a housewife - a mother of three children, a student during a session.

According to Western psychologists, 15-25% of people have sustained procrastination. Moreover, over the last quarter of a century, its level among the population has increased significantly. A number of researchers believe that the "tomorrow syndrome" has always existed in history. In the past, scientists did not pay enough attention to it, and external circumstances - the pace of life, the scale of communications, the amount of information - did not exacerbate this problem to the limit.

I've already lost two jobs because of this. I always pull up to the last, until the moment when it becomes impossible to do something. I am engaged in self-deception, I lie, I dodge. I know what and how to do, but as soon as I try to start, some kind of paralysis sets in, my brain stops, I can't even move my mouse. There is one thought in my head: "It's all over, I didn't have time, it's useless to even try."

Evgeniy, 34 years old, married, no children, programmer

find yourself

Initially, scientists tried to consider several types of procrastination, but then Milgram and Tenne proposed to distinguish two main ones: postponing tasks and postponing decisions.

In the last decade, procrastination has come to be called the "plague of the 21st century." Why does this tendency arise? “Syndrome tomorrow” is a persistent signal of internal problems. If you find yourself prone to procrastination, determine which type you are:

• lazy (substitution of concepts),
• unmotivated,
• dependent,
• apprehensive,
• striving for excellence,
• chronically tired
• not possessing the skill of concentration,
• not prioritizing,
• unable to plan.

Although this typology is conditional, it helps to define the problem field. The more accurately you can recognize your "tomorrow syndrome", the more successful the recovery process will be. It will be possible to select "individual therapy".

What procrastinators should do

1. Always start a business with a goal. It is imperative to formulate the task in the format “What and why I want” - in this case, you will be internally motivated to achieve a result.
2. If the matter does not seem "to your liking", and the circumstances cannot be changed, look for the positive side.
3. Learn to enjoy not only the fact of achieving a result, but also from the process of moving forward.
4. Break the work plan into subsections and be flexible in achieving them.
5. Praise yourself for your accomplishments and not scold yourself for your failures. Show adult wisdom according to the principle: "I myself received a deuce, and I have to correct it."
6. To train the skill of concentration is quite within the power of everyone.
7. Reward yourself: did what you planned - got a bonus.
8. Master the basics of time management (time management technologies).
9. Be honest with yourself and not be afraid of change. In other words, try to live according to the principle “I want”, and not from the obedient necessity “It is necessary”.
10. Maintain yourself with a balanced anti-stress program "A healthy mind in a healthy body". Choose, practice and remember: the more active the body, the calmer the subconscious and the more constructive thoughts.

Time is one of the main invaluable resources given to us by nature. And like any gift, we sometimes treat it wastefully, believing that there is a whole life ahead, everything will be in time. Have time to live, create and rejoice in accomplishments here and now, so as not to become like the hero of the famous "Tale of Lost Time" by Eugene Schwartz. “What a lonely, unhappy old man I am. Neither mother, nor children, nor grandchildren, nor friends … And most importantly, I had no time to learn anything. " A fairy tale is a fairy tale that everyone will have a happy ending, and in life it is better not to push the situation to the limit.

Procrastination, like its opposite of Groundless Haste and Thoughtless Duty, are extremes. Pick your pace, develop your own methodology and forward to new achievements: systematically, patiently, progressively and persistently. You will definitely succeed!