PROCRASTINATION
Are you a
victim of your monkey?
Most people cannot fulfill their
potential because of a number of reasons
procrastination and lack of
self-awareness being the leading ones
A
new game we are engaged in at home nowadays is to catch each other's
Instant
Gratification Monkey! May sound odd to you, but it is quite the
mantra
at home and what's more, it is helping us too! It all started when
my
son forwarded an article, Why Procrastinators Procrastinate, and urged
the
rest of us to read it. We did, and emerged stricken, as well as amused!
The
article, which all of us could relate to, talks about procrastinators
(people
who delay and postpone things) as perfectly rational beings,
but
saddled with a pet monkey, which demands fun and games all the time.
This
monkey encourages the procrastinator to put off his work till the last
possible
minute.
Just
when you sit down to work, the Instant Gratification Monkey (IGM)
reminds
you of all kinds of delaying tactics that could be fun -surf the net, watch
a
movie, listen to music, dust a table, bake a cake! The article writer, Tum
Urban,
suggests
that all this may be very well in the monkey world, but doesn't work in
the
world of humans. Not getting a task done leaves us feeling guilty, tense and
agitated.So
we are riddled with guilt all the time.
Procrastination
is one of the biggest hurdles in achieving our full potential.
Most
of us are not able to control the impulses and attractions that distract the
mind
from a disciplined start-to-finish approach. Deadlines are our biggest
disciplinarians
and so we work at a trot as the deadline approaches. We console
ourselves
that perhaps we work best under pressure when the adrenaline flows.
However,
guiltily, deep within we know we could have done a much better job
but
for the delay. Not many would admit this even to themselves.
A
stumbling block even bigger than procrastination is lack of self-awareness
and
hence,
confidence. A lot of us are guilty of underestimating ourselves and our
capabilities
and capacities. Lacking that confidence, we move around with a
sense
of worthlessness, even though something deep within keeps consistently
knocking
and urging us on, creating a disconnect between possibility and
achievement.
If we do not believe we are capable of something, how will we
even
start working towards it? Lack of organization is another hurdle along the
path
of doing justice to our latent potential. Even aware of our capabilities, we
may
be unable to organize ourselves or the tasks at hand in a disciplined,
well-thought-through
manner. Disorganisation can be as big an impediment as
lack
of discipline or procrastination. Suc cessful people are mostly great
planners,
with
well-planned schedules.
What
about those who hesitate? Standing undecided or wary at the edge of the
pool,
hesitating to plumb its depths, is a huge hindrance between you and your
prospects.
While you dither, those with possibly less potential, will zoom ahead
on
their sheer dosage of confidence and brazenness! To keep abreast of new
learning
and brushing up our skills is a good way of honing our capabilities.
We
may have been the best in our field a decade ago, but as time goes on,
younger
and better informed people more equipped to deal with changed
realities
may overtake us unless we ensure that each day we allow ourselves
to
learn anew.
A
great way to ensure we identify the right ambition for ourselves, lay out
organized
plans and set about the whole task in a disciplined and confident
fashion
is to break up our task into smaller, more achievable goals. As we
achieve
each of these goals, we should give ourselves small rewards, while
keeping
the biggest and best for the last. This will keep the Instant Gratification
Monkey
happy, with the promise of fun at every milestone achieved, while
keeping
us going as well.
Remember,
the most difficult task is to get started. An airplane uses the
maximum
fuel and energy at takeoff. Once you do that and get to a space
where
your work steadies and looks promising, you will start floating, and
the
rest of the flight will be a dream till you reach your destination!
|
vinitadawra
nangia
TL 3MAY15
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