Procrastination happens when you assume a luxury approach towards time. You would have heard or taught time management techniques to be efficient with time. But these techniques won’t help if you don’t the value of time and its speed of passing.

First, you need to understand your value of time. If you find the following familiar, you are overly optimistic about time.

  • I can always do it tomorrow.
  • The deadline is still far.
  • Once I start, the rhythm will get me going.

Being optimistic is good, but not towards time. This attitude towards time puts you in a position of vulnerability. As long as you feel that time doesn’t matter, you’re setting yourself to procrastinate.

Excuses & procrastination lead to one thing: Nothing. – Mario Singh

Here are 3 ways to stop procrastination:

Step one: Value Time – Value time and time will value you. When you see the importance of time, planning will be your second nature. Planning is essential, it allows you to focus and set objectives to complete by a certain time. Without planning, you will be distracted by other objectives that will bump you out of the path towards the major ones.

I had an issue with time when I was in University. I was overly-optimistic about time, constantly telling myself that I would be able to complete my assignments tomorrow, but tomorrow never happened, and the assignments submitted were completed at a very last minute. My grades were never good due to this reason.

But as I entered the financial markets and understood the value of time, it propelled me to where I am today. Leading several businesses certainly needs good time management!

Step two: Plan – Planning your schedule and sticking to it is important. We will definitely be distracted along the way, but you need to be focused on the objectives set on your schedule.

Procrastination will come into play when you don’t plan and fail to see the limited time you have to complete your tasks, and always tell yourself this – suffer and complete them now, then enjoy later!

As you plan your schedule, prioritise them into two categories:

  • Urgency
  • Deadline

Highlight those that are urgent with close deadlines. You’ll give procrastination a miss if you constantly remind yourself how urgent and close the deadlines are!

Step three: Discipline – Self-discipline is necessary for you to succeed in life, as the great Harry S Truman once said:

If I want to be great I have to win the victory over myself… self-discipline. – Harry S Truman

Your greatest enemy is yourself. Once you overcome you from feeling exhaustion and distraction, that is victory. With victory over yourself, you can win over your over-piling tasks and assignments – whichever is relevant to you right now.

My friends, it is all about the mind-games. Conquer your mind, and conquer the world!

May the odds be forever in your favour!

Sincerely,

Mario Singh