GET BACK TO WORK…NOW
How many of us can honestly admit that they have not spent the day before an exam or an assignment submission scrolling through their Instagram feed or binge-watching Netflix shows? We scramble to find any reason to justify to ourselves that the work cluttering our desk is not worth our time now despite the looming deadlines.
The current pandemic has led to a dip in the overall productivity among people. A sense of instability and chaos is ingrained in everyone’s mind over the past few months, thus making it difficult to believe that they are moving towards accomplishing their milestones in life. Disorder in routine habits, lack of access to participate in social interactions, and anxiety over future scenarios can produce a lot of stress, leading to a loss of self-control while taking decisions. As there is uncertainty fogging up the future, specific plans about upcoming events cannot be clearly laid out, causing procrastination to take over.
Procrastination can lead to many adverse effects on our health, both mentally and physically. As mentioned above, the rise in stress levels generated weakens our immune system, if the situation prolongs. Postponing all kinds of activities for immediate gratification also means postponing health-related activities such as exercising, having a balanced diet, or getting enough sleep. Inefficiency in time management will definitely cause a decline in our academic or work associated performance. Ultimately, this will project on our self-esteem negatively, making us think less of ourselves and thus affecting our day-to-day functioning.
Even though the end to this pandemic is nowhere in sight right now, we can take steps to ensure that this does not continue to affect our academic or work life by changing our mentality towards realizing those tasks.
- Listing down chores or duties that are certain in your daily life will give a sense of constancy in your mind thus reducing the tendency to procrastinate. Planning around these activities will get you to be more engaged and confident about dealing with the present scenario.
- Figure out which tasks you tend to postpone the most and why you choose to. The responsibilities that invoke negative emotions are the ones generally avoided by people. The solution to any problem can be solved by getting to its root.
- Once we realize that our justifications are merely to compensate for the regret of not having started earlier, we can confront those excuses to adjust them in an optimistic manner. For example, ‘It is too late to start now’ can be turned into ‘Even if there is no time to finish this chore, I can start this now making it easier for tomorrow’.
- When we get into completing the task, we might get overwhelmed by the pessimistic thoughts that made us postpone it in the first place. Try setting time limits in doing the job so that you can get over the dreaded feelings involved within that duration. Give yourself a little treat whenever you hit the targets for finishing the job.
Finally, remind yourself that every step you do towards accomplishing your responsibilities adds up in the long run. The fruits of your labor might not visible right now but will undeniably give you an advantage in the future. Well, now that you know, there should be no stopping you to be your productive selves this quarantine period rather than mind numbingly going through your phone. Let us all come out of these troubling times with a reinvigorated spirit to life.
