Solutions: Stuck in the Daily Grind | LifeHack

July 1, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re a driven professional juggling work, family, and personal responsibilities, you know the struggle of procrastination all too well. It’s that nagging feeling of putting things off until the last minute—whether it’s an important work project, a personal goal, or simply making time for yourself.

That was the situation 29-year-old John found himself in. As a talented freelance graphic designer with ambitious plans to grow his business, procrastination was holding him back from operating at his full potential.

On paper, John seemed to have it all together. He’s a creative guy with a solid education and an array of interests like playing guitar and exploring new design technologies. But behind the scenes, a persistent pattern of procrastination left him delaying projects until the eleventh hour, derailing his productivity and growth.

Why do we procrastinate? | Live Science

January 12, 2024January 11, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The dawn of a new year marks a fresh start and motivates many people to break bad habits. Some are easier to shake than others, however, and the tendency to procrastinate is among the stickiest.

Whether it’s finishing a piece of work, sending an email or going for a run, some tasks can feel insurmountable. The easiest way to avoid these tasks is to put them off until later or to never complete them at all. But why do people procrastinate, and is there anything we can do to reduce this tendency?

“At its heart, procrastination is about avoidance,” Fuschia Sirois, a professor of psychology at the University of Durham in the U.K., told Live Science. Rather than the task itself, however, it’s often the emotions attached to an activity that cause people to recoil, she said.

Tackling the first lines of a college essay may bring up feelings of self-doubt, for example. When you’re faced with a broad question or topic to write about, the lack of clear instructions can trigger a fear of not getting it right or of what might happen if you get it wrong, Sirois said.

Procrastination And Laziness: Their Differences & Connections | LifeHack

July 3, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Ever caught yourself contemplating the familiar dance of your mouse on the blank screen, endlessly scrolling through emails, only to avoid starting on that looming project? An odd mix of guilt and frustration follows you, an unwelcome shadow on a bright summer’s day. You wonder, am I just being lazy?

This is a scenario we’ve all been in, nudged by a mischievous accomplice known as procrastination. Often misunderstood as simple laziness, procrastination is an intentional decision to postpone what we should be doing, even when we know the delay may cost us. We see that unread report, that blank word document, but we choose to navigate away. It’s a kind of self-sabotage, one that has us prioritizing today’s comfort over tomorrow’s gain.

But let’s not confuse procrastination with laziness. Laziness is a reluctance to act or put in any effort, even when we’re fully capable. It’s like having the ingredients and the recipe to make a dish, but choosing to stay on the couch because, well, it’s too much work.

In this article, we will discuss the differences and relationships between procrastination and laziness. Are they truly distinctive or just two sides of the same coin?

Can Procrastination Actually Be Good for Your Productivity? | AllBusiness.com

May 4, 2020May 3, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Everybody procrastinates from time to time, and most of us are always trying to find ways to procrastinate less. Procrastination is, for the most part, an inherently unproductive action. The basic idea is to avoid or delay a task, usually an unpleasant one, which hurts you in two main ways:

You compromise your ability to complete the task.

In some cases, the task gets harder to complete when you procrastinate; for example, you may have fewer options if you wait longer to complete the task, or you may have less time and fewer resources to work with.