Last Updated on September 2, 2024
In my previous article, I mentioned that procrastination is one of the biggest problems people working from home (and even in an office setting) face. Putting off till later, or even till tomorrow, the things that should have been done right now is a very common occurrence, and is something I fall victim to at times myself. While I do make up for lost time by working longer hours to make my deadlines, ideally, this should not happen.
In order for telecommuters like me to avoid procrastination, there are some things that should be strictly adhered to and these include work schedules, deadlines, and the like. If you tend to delay some of the things you need to do occasionally, that may be excusable, but if you find yourself putting things off more often than is considered acceptable, then you need to acknowledge that there is indeed a problem. Once you recognize that there is a problem, the next thing you have to do is to find out why there is a problem.
Usually, when I find myself putting stuff off for later, it is either because what I need to get done seems boring or is something I can’t seem to find any pleasure in doing. This can be avoided with the right mindset. If I cannot make what I am writing interesting for myself, then why would I expect readers to find it interesting as well?
As a web content writer, I have to keep in mind that I need to bring my readers information that is not only useful to them, but is also attention-grabbing. To try and do this, I focus on what is fascinating with the topic I am to tackle and attack it from that angle. That way, I not only motivate myself to write but I also create an article that will be of interest to others.
Another reason why people delay doing what they should be doing is because they are not organized and disciplined enough to follow through with their set schedule. While I am not a total expert at organization, I do make it a point to create a weekly work schedule. I try to discipline myself to follow through, and when I miss one or two things that are set for that day, I try to squeeze these into the schedule for the next few days.
Sometimes, procrastination can be the result of plain laziness. I have to admit, there are days that this happens to me as well. What do I do? If my mind really won’t let me work right then and there, I give in and laze around for a few hours (not the entire day, mind you, just a few hours to get the laziness bug out of my system). Once I feel that I have lazed around enough, I hit the keys again and get back to work, doing things faster than ever to catch up.
There are also times that I try to get myself going by telling myself that after I finish a few more articles, I can watch that new movie, or I can get myself a snack afterwards. While this may sound rather simplistic (and somewhat childish), the reward system does work to help motivate a person to stick to a task until the goal for the reward is reached (and I use the same tack with my kids if they keep delaying a project or assignment, and it works too!).
Procrastination is not a disease, nor is it a problem that does not have a solution. You just need to find a method that will effectively get you out of delaying what needs to be done and use that to get yourself to finish what you need to finish. If you find that you really cannot get yourself to focus on your work-from-home tasks, then maybe, just maybe, working from home is not for you.
Check out our previous articles:
- Lemons of our Life: Imperative Lessons from our Failures
- Achieve Your Goals: 7 Golden Rules Of Goal Setting
- Optimize your Sleep to Unleash your Productivity
- 7 Ways to Stop Buying Things You Don’t Need
- The Successful Schedule: How Flourishing Professionals Plan Their Day
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