Procrastination has become a disease of our time. It destroys our lives, forcing us to transfer everything to “later”, to tomorrow, to the last moment. This applies not only to the implementation of some important work projects and urgent matters, preparing for exams, making life-changing decisions, but also elementary household chores – cleaning the house, ironing clothes, shopping, and so on. After all, many recognize themselves in the picture: I’m going home, mentally preparing to redo a bunch of things. The result – I sit with my pants half down in the process of changing clothes, poking around in the phone, then I ate and did not notice how I fell asleep. Or I come to work and instead of taking on a project that is running out of time, I sit and read all sorts of unnecessary stupid news about the life of stars or conduct idle correspondence with friends. Or I can’t decide to improve relations with a partner, although I know that it is my step that will become decisive in the further development of the novel.

As one of my friends said: “Ilya Muromets lay idle for 33 years, and after he got up and how he did something. Well, the hero had a good reason not to work – he was sick. And we, being healthy, slow down our development by the lack of purposeful activity.

When we see a person who always does everything on time, and even finds time for what something extra classes, a hobby whose whole life is scheduled – we are at least surprised. “What does he accept, where does he get the energy, desire and strength to do all this? Where does this fountain of thoughts and opportunities come from in him?

My friend had a boss who literally gushed with fresh ideas, not postponing their implementation until later. For this reason, the entire team, led by the boss, stayed up late at work, often losing days off, but receiving bonuses. The team had to adapt to the responsible attitude to business and the hyperactivity of their boss. He was the motivator of all these people who would gladly stretch a three-day business for three months. The chief’s anger and the prospect of falling into disgrace brought the whole team to their senses.

Yes, but what if you do not have such a strict, energetic and motivating boss – you work for yourself? You yourself are not lucky to be so responsible, but after all, it is given to everyone to cultivate this in themselves. And really do business, sitting down at the computer, and not watching content on social networks or not being distracted by notifications from instant messengers, while being angry with yourself and worrying that things have not progressed again.

There is no pill that will help us to spend the scheduled time on the useful, without being distracted and not postponing it. But there is an opportunity to change our attitude to what we need to accomplish: if we start treating the goal not as an unpleasant duty, but as a task, the solution of which will make you a better specialist in your field, improve your qualifications, add competencies or give results, which is really important to you.

You need to do things in order of their importance. If we simultaneously think that we need to write 30 papers for a dissertation, buy shoe spray and repair a vacuum cleaner, we will get lost in this hodgepodge and not understand where to start. But our lazy brain will most likely choose the easiest and most understandable task for it. He does not like being overstressed, especially with an endless number of things to do.

And very often, first of all, we complete the easiest, not particularly important and necessary things. I call them “second order cases”.

My prescription is to do one important task a day. One – without fear that I won’t be able to do something, I won’t reach somewhere, I won’t tell someone something, I won’t earn some money.

For me personally, a powerful motivator is the fact that postponing work until the very last moment, and then doing it in a hurry in a hurry always worsens the result. Moreover, during the rush, I spend a huge amount of energy in order to be in time. And at some point, the rush and the feeling of being late becomes the norm for the psyche. As a result, emotional swings, an imbalance between personal and business life, the number of urgent cases becomes more than I can handle. Life becomes a race.

And, of course, it is imperative to reward yourself for the work done, even if with insignificant gifts. Approving feedback and a bonus to oneself good lead to improved self-esteem and effectiveness.

The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the position of the editors.