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Aufschieberitis in 3 points: What is actually procrastination?
// By Simone Janson

According to Wikipedia, procrastination, colloquially as "defermentitis", is the bad habit of postponing necessary but unpleasant work again and again instead of doing it. What does that mean exactly?

Why cervicalitis is irrational

A habit that seems quite irrational - because of course it makes sense to chop off unpleasant things as quickly as possible. And yet, just about everyone knows the behavior of his everyday life:

The phone call with the customer, who wants to complain and ask for a call back - tomorrow. And the tax declaration has also until next week time. I can also write about the difficult text. Only: Meanwhile the bad conscience is getting bigger.

Procrastination: More than a short-term unpleasure

Undoubtedly, things do not always have to be done immediately, also has advantages: sometimes it is in this way, to avoid unpleasant things, because these are done by themselves. In some cases, it is better to gather more information before you become active. And occasionally, it is even better not to make certain decisions because it turns out to be wrong afterwards.

However: not always the tendency to postpone unsightly things is just a short-term discomfort that will pass again - sometimes there is more behind it. Procrastination can become a serious problem: Anyone who pushes unpleasant tasks ahead of them, instead of getting them done, is soon considered unreliable. Bad for your career and your own self-confidence.

3 groups of reasons

The reasons for the delay are quite different: There are three groups:

1 The one is actually lacking motivation, because the work is stupid and boring. Or because the associated success is too far away. But it also happens that they do not understand the meaning of a task, for example because they lack important information.

2 Other people simply can not organize well: they can not separate important things from unimportant things and can be deterred from their work by every little thing. Or they always keep their deadline too short, because they think they're going to make it.

3 And finally, a third group is afraid of their task, because they have far too high demands on themselves. Perfectionistically, these people expect themselves to always achieve top performance and equate success with self-worth. As a result, the work gradually becomes an insurmountable mountain which grows with every postponement.

Disadvantages of procrastination

But defermentitis has many disadvantages: "I couldn't finish because I didn't have enough time" is not a particularly good excuse if you preferred to put something in front of you instead of doing it right away. People who prefer to avoid rather than act quickly are seen by managers and colleagues as unreliable and disorganized. And the procrastinator himself will soon no longer be able to achieve what he intends to do, and will therefore lose confidence. Not a good basis for a career.

Many “postponers” are well aware that their behavior has a long-term negative effect. Most of the time, however, is the power of habit: behaviors that you have been accustomed to for years cannot be changed overnight.

Caution chronic procrastination

And there is already a technical term for this phenomenon: procrastination. Every fifth person is affected worldwide, as German and American psychologists have discovered.

Chronic procrastination can even become a serious problem: one always takes the time to do the unpleasant tasks at a certain point in time and then lets this moment pass again. This increases anxiety, shame and pressure, and prevents you from becoming active. A vicious circle! If self-conquest, routine, and good tricks are no longer enough to get out of it, you should look for psychological support.

7 Tips against Procrastination

But what helps against procrastination? Please read the article 7 tips against Aufschieberitis, In a nutshell, these 7 tips, which you should heed against procrastination. In more detail you will find this in the linked post.

1 Ask yourself

2 Just start

3 Talk to your boss (eg because you lack important information)

4 Set priorities

5 Do not be distracted

6 Way with perfectionism

7 Reward yourself for divisional succession