-Aadish Aryan
Here’s an image: you’re lying on your bed, scrolling through reels, just chilling. Then, your attention is drawn to the pile of work sitting on your table, longing for your touch and attention more than anything else. You feel guilty and decide to: (1) sit at your desk, (2) get the work done, and then (3) go back to practicing the role of Kumbhkaran. But in the next instant, your phone buzzes with a notification from Swiggy, reminding you that you’re single. And with that single sound, your mind decides to skip steps (1) and (2). After every 10 minutes, you do it again and again and again for hours. And with that- Congratulations, you’re now modern-day Sisyphus but instead of killing humans, you’re killing efficiency.
Feeling bad about wasting time? Me too.
This cute little set of actions demonstrates the depressing and widespread habit of procrastination. Procrastination is highly damaging to a person’s productivity, mental health, and overall well-being, all of which are essential for the economic and social development of a country and the advancement of humankind. Be that as it may, we all do it, so... meh. It’s natural to avoid work, and there’s no need to feel guilty about it. You don’t need to be the pinnacle of productivity and time management. No one does—unless you’re in an apocalyptic world where the burden of saving humankind rests on your shoulders. And let’s be honest, if the world is really about to end, you’d probably be the first to die anyway, all because you couldn’t stop staring at that one attractive person on Instagram.Well, the act of procrastination is somewhat justifiable. BUT, not even attempting to be a functioning member of society is pathetic—unless you plan to live a life full of misery, self-hatred, and the good old stress of work you've deliberately avoided until your career is on the line. Not a bright future, eh? So yeah, show some indomitable human spirit and work on yourself. Now, no need to go see videos on YouTube about how a certain content creator improved their life in a week and then try to follow in their footsteps. Because realistically, that’s unrealistic.
You are materialistic and need compensations for work
One of the main reasons for procrastination is the lack of urgency and motivation. And that's the last thing you can afford to be missing when your career is defined by a few numbers on a screen Hence, you can fix your habits more easily than a regular person and preach about it on the Internet. In fact, that’s one of the best-case scenarios! Let’s travel into the world of fiction again: imagine everyone had a virtual screen displaying their strengths and weaknesses, like in a video game. Everyone wakes up every day and instantly checks their stats—intelligence, attractiveness, uniqueness, and maybe even "rizz." Your stats in everything except laziness are lower than your motivation to work, and you’re, objectively, a failure. Meanwhile, the people around you are maxed out in various traits. Pretty depressing, right? Now, imagine the rare occasion where you actually do some work, and the moment you complete it, your stats improve. If that doesn’t feel motivating to you, maybe you need to consult a psychiatrist instead of reading an article.
From this, we understand that the most fundamental way to beat procrastination is by making work interesting and receiving incentives for it. How you do this, though, is entirely dependent on your interests and preferences. For example, if someone LOVES binge-watching shows, they should establish a direct correlation between productivity and entertainment. Set a strict rule in your mind that you’ll watch only one 45-minute episode for every hour of work you complete and won’t even consider turning on the TV before that. There you go, asystem is put in place to reward you for your hard work.
Improving in all aspects of life? Manage yourself better
You've just started a new phase of your life—whether it's high school, college, or your first job. You think to yourself, "I need to get my life on track, and maybe possibly try not to suck so much at cooking." In a burst of inspiration, you join clubs, take classes, pursue your passions, go out more frequently, and even join a gym. It all seems great. But by the second day, you've already lost the energy you had the day before. Suddenly, everything you did for self-improvement feels like a burden bigger than Sisyphus’s rock. Why? When you have a TON of work to do, it feels like everything has to be done at the same and you tend to lose the ability to think logically. You don’t realise that some things need to be prioritized over others. And when you give up on trying to bring structure to your tasks, you lay down and procrastinate.
In this case, it’s not the lack of motivation or reward that’s a problem, it is the fear that is induced by the huge number of things to be done.There are two ways to face this fear: either create clones of yourself that are as competent as you, or grow up and understand that it is simply impossible to do everything at the same time. This is the reality. You can’t fix your life in one day. Come on- You took years to mess it up and think it will become better in a day? Rather than trying to become the best version of yourself instantly, become the best version of yourself in stages. For example, if you feel like you need to work on your fitness and art skills along with college and a short-term course on social interactions, first work on the thing that will be comparatively the easiest to fix. Maybe first complete the course and then join a gym? And once you have developed that habit, start focusing on your studies. When that too is something you no longer struggle with, practice your art skills or work on your passion project.During certain periods of time, it may seem that you DO need to do everything all at once. When that happens, take a step back and think. Think objectively whether do you truly need to do everything together. Generally, you won’t. In the off-chance that you do, don’t feel ashamed and ask others for help. This will help you bond with your friends more and improve your social life. Note that you should ask for “help” and not make them do all your work. Otherwise, at the end of everything, you would have completed no work and even lost whatever few connections you had.
The Carrot or The Stick?
We have seen how getting benefits from finishing tasks can help in boosting productivity. However, it’s important to remember that beating yourself up for not accomplishing something will not only reduce your efficiency but also negatively affect your mental health. Sometimes, you just need a bit of rest. So do that. Don’t feel guilty about it. If you work even when tired, you’ll end up taking even more time and effort to finish which is damaging. We all have our days when we feel like doing nothing and that’s totally fine. If you get depressed about not being productive and carry that mental set till the next day, you will make yourself miserable and tired even when you do everything properly and on time. It is always fine to have rest days as long as every day is not one. If you still feel that the carrot isn’t the right method for you and the stick will help better, have meaningful punishments. If you don’t do a specific something, go on a run. This way, you get the stick without damaging your future. Above all, keep your health at its peak, and everything else will definitely be better. Sisyphus may have been condemned to suffer for eternity, but it’s the 21st century. Everything can be changed. The modern Sisyphus doesn’t need to be trapped in an endless cycle. You can break free and you will.
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