11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination

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Dr. Mercola
June 26 2007

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11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination

Somewhere between your idea of accomplishing something, and seeing it accomplished, there may be something lacking -- the act of actually doing it.

Procrastination happens to most people, some of the time. To some people it happens most of the time ...

This quick and inspiring article points out how procrastination can have the short-term benefit of making you feel in control and at peace. Unfortunately this is serenity on borrowed time, and is usually followed by intense panic.

He lists 11 common causes of procrastination, followed by tips to nip the slacker-habit in the bud.

Complicated Task Anxiety, for example, can be cured by breaking a large, complex project into smaller tasks that can easily be accomplished one-at-a-time. Then, all you need to do is get going on one of those small "starter" tasks.

Automate simple, but boring and repetitive tasks whenever you can, to diminish burn-out from boredom. And minimize distractions. See my video on How to Radically Reduce the Time You Spend on Emails, for example, and make sure you're in a room where you can concentrate without distractions.

JohnPlaceOnline.com

Stop Procrastinating with the Secrets of Productivity

Beat Procrastination With Simple Tools

The Law of Forced Efficiency

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Community Comments (16)

Posted On Jun 26, 2007

Find out how great you will feel after completing each task. How proud of your self you will be. You can look into a mirror and say, I am the best which will help build up your confidence in less time.

As they say, leave no task unturned.

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annapavlova42

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Posted On Jul 14, 2007

How come this article was posted on 26th June yet I only just received it in the newsletter on 13th July? There is an old chinese saying "the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time" the only trouble with my elephant (the paperwork on my desk) is that as I am eating one end someone is feeding the other end.

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hugboysmum

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Dhaharma

Novice User Joined On 4/2007

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Posted On Jul 14, 2007

I do have lots of problems when things build up on me. I keep puttigs things of then they pile up and I get fustrated, but as always I start somewhere and eventually get them done. The thing is then I start to look for something new to start, and again the process happens all over again. Remind of ?, what is it, o ye Life. Morning Prayer

Dear Lord,
So far I've done all right.
I haven't gossipped,
haven't lost my temper,
haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent.
I'm really glad about that.

But in a few minutes, God,
I'm going to get out of bed.
And from then on,
I'm going to need a lot more help.

- Author Unknown

Appropriate for many faiths

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Laserman

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Posted On Jul 17, 2007

Hugboysmum, if you want to keep up with the most recent blog posts, scroll to the top of the page, and then click on "Home". This will give you a list of postings, starting with the most recent. Hopefully this will cure the feeling of eating elephant poop. (o:|]

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Posted On Jun 26, 2007

This post was deleted because it violated our Terms Of Use :
Abuse, harass, humiliate, deceive, threaten, impersonate, intimidate or engage in any other abusive behaviors with those who comment on Mercola.com.

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nitrotjj

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Bridestein

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Posted On Jun 26, 2007

I think I'll send myself home for the day instead. If I don't start being more productive I may just have to fire myself. ^_^

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Matt79

Savvy User Joined On 8/2006

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Posted On Jun 27, 2007

my productivity dropped off but I was on vacation without a computer (isn't that kind of thing endorsed here).
My vacation seems to have lost me my special site privileges.

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Posted On Jun 26, 2007

The longest journey begin with a small step.

Mary

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mmc88121

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Posted On Jul 19, 2007

I think I will read this article tomorrow. LOL. :)

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halcyon

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