how to avoid procrastination?
107036
He who hesitates waits so rather than hesitating jump right in and take care whatever it is that must be done.
198696
Use a planner.  Write down the activities you intend to do for the day.  Spend the first ten minutes on your workdesk "wasting" time prioritizing your work for the day. Rank A for the most urgent and important, B for the next most important and C for the least important task.  Follow these priorities.  Make sure the activities you write down are in "executable" and "chopped up" mode.  For instance if you are writing a paper, don't put "write English paper".  Rather, put "write outline for English paper" or "get references, ID top 3 most important references", "Write chapter 1 - background of the issue".  Also, make sure that the time you allot matches the time that you really need. Be realistic. Don't allot 1 hour when all you need is 30 minutes. And vice versa. Your planner is an action plan, not a wishlist.  Stick to it and know yourself.  But do make time for leisure on weekends, breaks, and at least an hour or two at the end of the day. Put enough rest time. You'll need it.  You are not a machine. So you need to "get recharged" and refreshed with enough energy for the next day's work.
324055
BE ORGANIZED... make your TO-DO list... be disciplined enough to follow it... prioritize... identify the stuffs that are the most important... if its time to work, WORK... don't linger... don't deviate from your schedules... then award yourself when you finally meet the deadline... give yourself a pat in the shoulder and treat yourself to a spa... or simple pleasures in life... like a quality time with your gf/bf, an ice cream... chocolates... or a nice, uninterrupted sleep... GOODLUCK!
665884
Well I am not exactly the best one to answer this one, because trust me I got my final exams from the 18th of this month and here I am answering questions on preventing procrastinating. LOL!! But here's my advice. Go ahead, select someone else !\nTake the task, break it out in small parts and allocate specific times for that. Allow times for your meals and some kind of entertainment. Once that is done, be very particular to follow that rigorously. I mean when u allocate 10 mins for music, stop it after 10 mins dun go beyond that. I know it is difficult and we lose track of time when we love something. But atleast for the time period u have to follow it. There is no-one or one thing which can motivate urself, but urself. You have maintain the balance. Its very important. \nBest of luck to you, and i expect best of luck from you to me as well.\nLOL !!
832715
First, discover your morals and what guides your life(Religion, Work, Family). What is important to you?\n\nThen, make a list of things to do, places to be, things to remember.\n\nWrite events and due dates on calenders, and put the most important things to you on the closest dates, leaving the less important and petty things for later. If it is extremely small, go ahead and get it out of the way, but remember that many small tasks add up to a lot of time.\n\nKeep an organizer/planner/schedule so you don't have to worry or try to remember when something is or say what was that thing i was planning to do Saturday morning.\n\nGive yourself a reasonable amount of time to do these things and pencil that allotted time on your schedule. Then you will know when and how long everything is. If you go over or under that time, adjust it the next time, so you will have some free time in there.\n\nGood luck and God Bless!
390047
1 - Stop wasting time on internet sites lol\n\n2 - Prioritise your workload and make a "To Do" list\n\n3 - If you know that you will not meet your deadline, talk to whoever set it, explain why not and when the work will be completed by.\n\n4 - Look at why you are in this situation. Are you receiving too much work? Have you wasted time? Are you involving others to help you, or delegating properly as appropriate? What can be done to prevent a repeat situation?\n\n5 - Sometimes when I have a lot of work to do I find it helps to actually stand back from it for a little while. I'll go for a short walk outside, clear my head, plan what I am going to do, and then return refreshed and able to better cope with the situation. Despite the time "lost" with the break, I will then be able to complete the work a lot faster and without the stress!
70553
Turn off your computer! Don't drink coffee, DO eat chocolate, and TRY to get excited about the subject matter. Read with interest. Once you stop procrastinating and actually start, you may find it easier than you thought!
527914
Keep a calendar and MAKE SURE you write everything on it.  Clear your work up at the end of each day so you start the next day without a lot of leftovers from the day before.
469455
If you try to focus on all the stuff you have to do all at once, you'll probably be overwhelmed and won't know where to begin. Instead, break the stuff you have to do into smaller tasks, prioritize and do the most important things first. Only concentrate on one task at a time. \n\nTry not to procrastinate... I know this is easier said than done, but for me, at least, most stress comes because I put things off to the last minute and then I get freaked out that I won't be able to finish on time. Sometimes if I'm procrastinating (like now) I'll play little mind games with myself and say something like, "you can (insert whatever mind-numbing, avoidance activity you are currently engaged in... asking/answering question on Yahoo Answers, for example) after you've finished your rough draft." But usually once I get started with the work I need to do, that's most of the battle and I won't go back to whatever b.s. I was doing to waste time before.\n\nI know this sounds like it should go without saying, but for a lot of people it doesn't...when it comes to studying for an exam, try to really focus on what you know is most likely to be on the test--what came up most in class, ideas or subjects you came across multiple times, topics on the review sheet (if any). Don't waste time trying to read every word in your text book, or catch up on reading you are behind on, because that won't help you. If you are really behind on the reading, just skim over it.\n\nAs for a long term solution, if you really think you have depression and an anxiety disorder, talk to a doctor. There might be a prescription that would really help you calm down and enable you to work more effectively. \n\nOk, now I need to go take my own advice and do all of the above. Good luck with everything.
269511
Have a quiet environment and concentrate.\n\nPlan your work.  Do the assignments in the order that they are due; do the ones do first first.\n\nPlan for long range assignments, like term papers and class projects.  Don't put them off until the last minute.\n\nStudy every subject every day.  Don't wait for a test to motivate you.\n\nOnly study what you don't know.  If you already know something, skip it and spend your time on what you don't know.\n\nSearch the internet for the phrase "how to study"  You will find loads of great ideas.
63571
Use a computer that has MWord or some other word processing program.  If it has internet access, that will help for accessing information.\n\nTurn off the radio and TV and concentrate on what you are doing.\n\nIf you are in school there will be a deadline.  That means you must click off something daily even when you are not feeling well.\n\nNothing happens until you start taking steps.\n\nDo not expect perfection, get to work and do what you can.  Polishing is something you cannot do until you have built whatever you want to polish.\n\nAt that point, you strive for perfection.\n\nMost students are satisfied with 85--95% of perfect.\n\nA's go to 90% or above.  Some teachers are tighter, it must be 95%.\n\nI give A+ when it is 96--100% perfect.\n\nLetting someone else do your work is a big mistake in your life, not just school.\n\nIt can be done.  You can do it.  \n\nI follow my own rules and as you see I am not afraid and I can do anything which I decide to do.
373963
I think the best thing to do is to work on things over time instead of saving everything for the last minute.  I always found that when the last minute came, I would just keep putting things off.  Just set aside a little bit of time each day to work on something.  But, oh i know thats harder said than done.
698136
the more you procrastinate the worse it gets. Get it done now. Not in 5 mins, not in an hour, not in a day, not in a week. NOW!!! otherwise your problem will keep getting worse
627996
Do the readings and the work, go to class, don't procrastinate. If you do a paper at three am, the professor can tell.
438490
well i think you should start off by asking yourself, is the working environment that you are working in is a efficient and a encouraging environment which will help you get things done fast and efficiently. I overcame my habbit of procrastinating by doing something i needed to do and if i was able to do it without being side tracked, i gave myself a reward (ie 30 minutes of watching tv or going on computer and chatting with friends or even giving yourself a bar of chocolate)
1098035
Most may just say, "yeah....laziness...", but read this.....\n\n\n"Procrastination, which at first sounds like a simple behavior, is, in fact, quite complex. It involves emotions, skills, thoughts or attitudes, and factors we are unaware of. Furthermore, the causes and dynamics of putting off an important but unpleasant task vary from person to person and from task to task for the same person," states Dr. Clayton E. Tucker Ladd in Psychological Self-Help. \n\n\nLadd divides procrastinators into two main groups: "the tense-afraid types" who are filled with self-doubt, low self-esteem and fears of failure; and "the relaxed, pleasure seeking procrastinators" who are easily distracted by more pleasurable activities than the tasks which seem almost hatefully boring.\n\n\nTheories on the Causes of Procrastination: \n\n\nFear of failure -- Fear of failure can be paralyzing. If you have an anxiety disorder, you may even convince yourself that failing at a small task will result in devastating consequences.\n\nFear of success -- Success should be a positive situation. \n\nPerfectionism -- A perfectionist often thinks, "Why do something if it can't be done perfectly?" Perfectionism may result in well-done tasks. Unfortunately, it may also lead to an inability to start or finish tasks.\n\nBoredom -- Perhaps you just aren't interested in the task. How do you motivate yourself to do something you dislike?\n\nAnger -- Maybe you're angry at your spouse who happens to want you to mow the lawn, so you put it off. Procrastination can be an unhealthy way of responding to a problem in a relationship.\n\nLack of skills or information -- You don't start because you can't, and you're afraid to let someone know.\n\nPoor health -- You're tired. You're ill. You have a headache. These are rational reasons for putting a task on hold. However, be sure to make a time to get back to it or designate it to someone else.\n\nDistractions -- Distractions may be mental (you're mourning the loss of a loved one) or environmental (your neighbor is playing loud music) or physical (you're too hungry to concentrate).\n\nThere you have it my friends!
1116474
Keep a little notepad & pen with you, & every time something pops into your head; write it down.\nBegin setting a fixed time, daily, when you do thiese lttle things. This will discipline you to manage your time better while developing some organizational skills, too.