Signs You Are a Master Procrastinator

We have all been found guilty of procrastination at some point. It could be pushing off a tough task to a later date or convincing yourself, you can always do your laundry late in the night. Most of us don’t understand how deeply procrastination has gotten in us until it gets too late. Below are the top 5 key signs you are procrastinating without even noticing them. You can also find some helpful tips and hacks on ways to break this habit.

1. You Have Become an Expert in Justification

If you think you work better under pressure and keep postponing tasks, then you are an expert in justification. Similarly, if you constantly wait until you feel healthier or better to do things, or you are not in the right mood to tackle a task, or you need a break to think about how to handle a familiar task, then you are an expert in justification.

Excuses are always a means of avoiding discomfort; hence, recognizing them will be the first step towards breaking the habit.

2. You Are Constantly Busy but Get Little or Nothing Done

If you constantly find yourself swamped with work, yet you hardly complete anything at the end of the day, then it is time to have a check.

Procrastinators often find themselves working on low-priority tasks while ignoring the more important ones. This will constantly give them the illusion of being busy. Sometimes, you will feel like you have accomplished a lot but upon looking back, you will see how little you have achieved.

You should start focusing on what matters to break this habit and you can do this by following these simple tasks;

a. The 2-minute Rule- If a task will consume less than 2 minutes of your time, do it immediately. This will help prevent small tasks from piling up while you focus on the bigger ones.

b. Tackle the most important tasks first- The most important task is often the most dreaded but once you tackle it and put it out of the way, the rest of feels easier.

c. Time-blocking- Dedicate chunks of your time to handling specific tasks and protect them. This will ensure you give attention to high-priority tasks without being distracted.

3. You Constantly Miss Deadlines

Missing deadlines is widely acknowledged as a sign of procrastination. Though, deadlines can be unreasonable and unrealistic sometimes, in most cases, missing deadlines is the result of putting tasks off for too long.

When you indulge in procrastination, you find yourself constantly scrambling to complete tasks at the last minute or miss deadlines. There is a recognizable stress attached to the buildup of tasks, and it leaves you overwhelmed and less motivated to tackle the next work.

Missing deadlines may often boil down to poor time management, which forces you to delay the work you could have done earlier.

To get out of this trap, you need to learn to break tasks into smaller and more manageable bits- this will help you stay on track and avoid the last-minute rush.

4. You Think You Are a Night Owl

Some people do justify pushing tasks off by calling themselves “Night owls”. They are convinced that they perform better when they work late into the night. While it may seem true, it could often be another way to avoid getting things done during the day.

Procrastinators often fall into the night owl trap which could be an excuse to delay work until the last possible moment. The problem with this type of arrangement is that you may often become too tired or distracted when you work in the late hours of the day, which means you will have a new excuse to push your tasks to the following day.

5. You Tend to Feel Stressed or Guilty Often

Sometimes, you feel less guilty about the things you should be doing and that is a sign you are trapped in the world of procrastination. Researchers have linked procrastination to high levels of stress and primary causes like sleep apnea.

When we delay important tasks, there is a looming pressure of unfinished business that keeps hanging over us and this leads to anxiety and guilt. The feelings of guilt can keep you awake at night, leading to more stress that will eventually aggravate procrastination.

The key to breaking this cycle is to start by taking one small action and you will notice the satisfaction and motivation you will derive from completing one task and moving to another. Overcoming procrastination is not about becoming perfect, it is all about making progress. Remember, there will be stumbles and setbacks along the way but you should not let them deter you, rather they should motivate you to break the jinx of procrastination.