Procrastination — not a new buzzword. This concept has been known for a long time, but before it was not spoken about, because it was not accepted to discuss psychological problems. Procrastination — it is putting off important things until the very last moment. Many people call this laziness or irresponsibility, but in fact the roots of the problem go much deeper. The editors of estet-portal.com will tell you how to defeat procrastination in elementary ways. To do this, you will need a little self-discipline.
- Procrastination: a physiological explanation for an unpleasant phenomenon
- Why We Procrastinate: Psychological Factors
- How to Beat Procrastination: Simple Tips
Procrastination: a physiological explanation for an unpleasant phenomenon
Different parts of the brain are responsible for all our actions. The emotional part is taken over by the limbic system, and the prefrontal cortex is responsible for planning and doing things. Each of the systems produces neural connections. The intensity of a particular part of the brain affects behavior.
In procrastinators, the prefrontal cortex highlights weak neural connections that do not communicate with neurons in the limbic system. This means that the causal relationship is broken — people do not feel satisfied after doing all the important things. They put momentary pleasure in the first place, and then in agony they solve accumulated problems.
In order to make the prefrontal part of the brain work more intensively, you can follow a number of simple recommendations:
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Practice exercise. This will increase circulation and your brain will generate more neural connections.
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Make sure you get enough quality sleep — it will also improve blood circulation. It is important to sleep at least 7 hours, and at night. Melatonin is produced only at night, which helps the brain to rest and recharge.
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Use relaxation techniques during times of emotional upheaval — both negative and positive ones. Master breathing exercises or learn meditation. This way you calm down the limbic system so it won produce more neurons than the prefrontal cortex.
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Eat small meals — eat more often, but in smaller portions. Choose healthy and balanced foods, and keep your sugar levels in the normal range.
Through these tips, you will do everything possible for your brain to fight procrastination on a physiological level. But the this problem has a psychological side.
Read also: How to improve blood circulation in the brain: the most effective methods
Why We Procrastinate: Psychological Factors
There are a number of reasons why people tend to put off important things until the last moment:
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Perfectionist. You are afraid of doing something bad, and therefore don start at all.
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Lack of adrenaline. When you don't have enough impressions and emotions in life, you try to take them from routine things. Adrenaline is released when you complete mandatory tasks on the deadline.
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Inability to prioritize.You have a lot of things to do, but you can distinguish what really matters. So you put off the most important thing. It seems that the task can wait, but in fact, it turns out to be the highest priority.
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Negative experience. It is often difficult to take on things where once you failed.
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Pressure Resistance. If your case is a must case, but you don't love then often you will underestimate its importance. This is how your resistance to the pressure of duties grows.
All of these factors influence the execution of cases. If you constantly put off solving problems, then the quality of life will noticeably worsen: you will be constantly in stressed condition and will quickly start to get tired even of little things. There is a chance to earn health problems — get regular headaches and nervous exhaustion.
Read also: The tyranny of perfection: what is perfectionism and why is dangerous
How to beat procrastination: simple tips
We know that "get a grip" advice don work. To start solving unpleasant tasks for yourself, you need to set a goal. You must analyze what will happen if you don do it and what will happen if you solve the problem.
To motivate yourself to unpleasant action, promise yourself a treat after completing a task. For example, you watch an episode of your favorite TV series after you have sent all your work emails. If you can't stand it and turn on the show before you have finished, then cheer yourself up to unpleasant activity. Perhaps you need to cheer yourself up to do important things. It doesn't matter when you reward yourself — before or after the task. Main — not in running.
Perfectionists have the hardest time starting uninteresting tasks, especially if they have already had negative experiences. It is important to understand that with every attempt you will do better and better. Only those who do nothing don't make mistakes.
It's best to do unpleasant things in morning — your brain works best, so you can finish faster. If the task is large — Divide it into feasible parts and dilute it with more pleasant things. There is a saying "eat the elephant piece by piece". Divide your elephant so you don't choke on chunks while eating.
When you're distracted by social networks or just sites on which you lose your time, you should think about how to limit them. There are many programs and browser extensions:
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SelfControl for Mac OS
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Cold Turkey for Windows
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Stay Focusd for Chrome
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LeechBlock for Firefox
If you does understand how much time it spends procrastinating you install trackers. For example, RescueTime shows how much time you spend on certain websites. And KeepMeOut sends notifications if you visit restricted resources.
Now you know about all the causes and the ways to deal with procrastination. Use them in a complex to defeat this unpleasant phenomenon that worsens the quality of your life.
Read also: How to overcome social media addiction and start living
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