It must have happened to you before… Having an errand to run, a project to start, or even an unmentionable chore to do such as tidying your bed… But, for some reason, you kept postponing.
Sometimes, the urge to look away from any responsibility we have gets stronger to the point where deadlines aren’t enough to push us anymore. On some days, you would make up your mind and select your tasks for the day but still find yourself surrendering to the idea of procrastination once it kicks in. Procrastination could be tied to multiple reasons, but it is also a form of habits- meaning it will take some time if you decide to control it.
We always support people taking time off, resetting, and swimming away from caring and stressing over their lives. Yet, that doesn’t mean supporting them as they get stuck inside of an endless circle of unfinished tasks. The main reason we support a functioning system for your life is because of the deadly effects of procrastination in the short and long terms. Procrastination hits your mental health and stands in the way of your productivity and personal growth. Think of your mood and level of anxiety when you know that your day is not going down the right path! When you stumble and refuse to tackle the day, everything will stress you out, spike up your anxiety, and eventually ruin your day. It is something when you have a valid reason, but to close your eyes on what needs to be done continuously is alarming.
Most of these chores will not occupy much time of your day, you will realise that the minute you’re done with them. You will feel a sweet relief and discover that getting into them was not as bad as you imagined it to be. In similar cases, scientists advise to follow a rule called ”The 15-minute rule”. It basically means that you dedicate no more than 15 minutes to a task at a time, repeat that after taking some time off and you will see that you’ve accomplished lots of things at the end of the day. The beautiful thing about this rule is that it does not require that much thinking, planning, occupying a spot for a long time, or even motivation. At the same time, it helps you in balancing your mood and reducing your anxiety by showing you how close you got to getting your tasks done.
The more you want to accomplish, the more “15 minutes” you add. If you could not get yourself to finish the whole task, you will wind up doing most of it or even some of it- which is excellent too! In similar situations, what is your go-to cure?
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