How Procrastination Affects Mental Health
One of many problems with procrastination is that you never get anything completed on schedule, which comes with dire consequences. The art of waiting until the last minute to be productive also has mental effects that impede your motivation to get work done in life. The key to higher productivity and ultimately better mental health, then, is to take hold of your desire to procrastinate.
What is procrastination?
Some may view procrastination as the mere act of waiting until the last minute to complete tasks. There is, however, more to the practice than waiting until the time is almost up.
Those who live with extreme procrastination often avoid tasks to the degree of missing deadlines. This type of behaviour can lead to stalled productivity, which ultimately affects your ability to acquire new levels of wealth.
Interestingly enough, the causes of procrastination do not stem from laziness. In fact, the person who waits until time runs out often does so because of a fear of failure as well as an addiction to perfection. Those who lack focus also tend to suffer from procrastination as do those with mental issues such as depression, which leads to lower energy levels.
How does procrastination affect mental health?
Depression and anxiety are often thought to cause procrastination. There is a double-edged sword to the condition, however, as guilt and stress caused by procrastination have a way of leading to depression and other mental health issues.
How can you avoid procrastination?
The best way to ward off procrastination in your life is to get organized. Creating a schedule for the day is a good way to stay on track and avoid the urge to become occupied with activities that do not contribute to productivity.
Another way to avoid procrastination is to set achievable goals. You should definitely establish deadlines for your tasks and aim to complete them a day or two ahead of time. You should not, however, set a goal in which you attempt to complete a project that requires two days in less than 24 hours. Such a deadline sets you up for failure and could lead you down the road of procrastination.
Taking a break from your work is essential to staying on schedule. Thus, you do well to establish a specific time to focus on activities that do not contribute to productivity rather than sporadically choosing to take 10-minute breaks that lead to hours of idleness.
