Overcome Procrastination By Writing Down All Of Its Side Effects

It’s important to find the cause of your procrastination, but it’s equally important to identify all of the aspects of your life it affects. Writing down and analysing your procrastination habits can help you see how it could be negatively affecting your life in ways far beyond your work.

Picture: Picture: Vancouver Film School/Flickr

When you write, you’re able to express thoughts and truths that you may not have been aware of otherwise. Writing gives you a chance to openly reflect on what you think and how you feel. The business site Entrepreneur suggests using writing the same way to investigate how your procrastination touches on all aspects of your life:

Every day, write down the negative side effects that happen when you procrastinate (with pen and paper). Include how it impacts you, your family and friends, your work and your stress levels. Forcing self-reflection can force you to make changes when all else fails. Plus, it’s a reminder that your actions, or lack thereof, are making a difference in the lives of others.

Procrastination does more than just set you back in your work. It can create stress that carries over as frustration toward others. Take the time to write down each and every little thing that is affected by you putting things off. Do you put off other tasks at work because of it? Are you short with your coworkers or family? Is your home not as comforting because you avoid doing chores? Dig deep, and when you do, you might find some really important reasons to stop procrastinating beyond getting your work done. Just make sure you don’t procrastinate writing things down!

6 Ways to Ditch Procrastination for Good [Entrepreneur]