It means deliberately putting something off knowing that it must be done. It's in human nature and everyone has it to a point. But sometimes it leads to feelings of regret, inadequacy, melancholy and lead to bigger problems that might stand in the way of academic success.
Judy Provost's questionnaire below lists the 7 conditions that may indicate that procrastination is negatively affecting your life.
- Sometimes I feel sick from the physical and psychological stress of leaving endless work.
- Sometimes I feel depressed, with low self-confidence about my procrastination
- Sometimes I get paralyzed and have a hard time making decisions
- I feel that I have lost the respect of others because of my procrastination
- The quality of my academic performance is below what I can really achieve
- I had serious problems in my relationships due to procrastination
- My procrastination is getting in the way of my important goals.
If you chose two or more of the comments above, then procrastination may be affecting your life in a negative way.
Why are you procrastinating? Six reasons people procrastinate:
1. I don't know how to do it – Lack of Ability
2. This stuff bores me – Lack of Interest
3. I don't feel like doing it – Lack of Motivation
4. I feel like I'm going to fail – Lack of Confidence – Perfectionism – Fear of Failure
5 .Fear of Failure
6. You can't make me do it
What can you do to reduce your Procrastination?
- Organization – Time Planning
- Set goals and follow your plan
- Find support and encouragement
- Create a reward system for yourself
- Recognize and reject irrational beliefs