part of soft skill training

1. Procrastination!

2. Procrastination…What is it?
■ Psychological behavior that allows
a person to postpone or delay a
certain activity or task.
■ Source of great stress and anxiety
for many people.
■ Time management is not directly
related to procrastination.

3. Cycle Timeline
I II III IV
“There are 2
weeks until
the
assignment is
Time Passes
False Sense of Security
Deadline is
Set
“I have
plenty of
time.”
“I will get started
soon, I only work
well under
pressure.”
“Oh no! The
assignment is
due tomorrow!
”
Panic & Stress Set
In

4. Negative Effects of Procrastination
■ Stress/Anxiety
■ Neglecting Your Health
■ Irritability/Bad Mood
■ Letting Yourself & Others
Down
■ Not Achieving Your Full
Potential

5. Four Simple Reasons For Procrastination
 Difficult The task seems too hard to do
 Time-consuming Free time is unavailable until the weekend
 Lack of knowledge/skills Don’t want to make a mistake until you’re sure it’s
right
 Fears Everyone will know you made a mistake

6. Four Complex Reasons For Procrastination
Perfectionism
1. “If you can’t do it right, don’t do it at
all”
2. May delay starting a project
3. Creates dissatisfaction & frustration
Anger/Hostility 1. Withhold best efforts out of spite
2. Getting Even
Low Frustration Tolerance 1. Feeling
overwhelmed
2. Unfairness
Self-Downing 1. Minimize your skills/abilities
2. Attribute success to luck
3. Cannot accept praise for work
accomplished

7. Steps to Cure Procrastination
1. Acknowledge that you are postponing a task.
2. List the reasons why you are postponing doing the
task.
3. Discuss the reasons and list ways to overcome them.
4. Begin the task immediately!

8. Helpful Techniques
 Write down your tasks in a visible place with their due dates Make the tasks look easy in your
mind
 Have a 5 minute plan: start a task for 5 minutes, eventually you will want to complete it
 Break the task into components Tackle each component
separately
 Modify your environment to encourage accomplishing the task
 Tell your family/friends about your goal; they will motivate you along the way
 REWARD yourself for a job well done!

9. Exercise in Progressive Relaxation
 Sit in a comfortable position
 Give yourself some quiet time to begin with (10-15 min. recommended)
 Close your eyes & breathe evenly
 Tense the selected body area; hold the tension tightly for 5 – 10 seconds
 Relax the area you just tensed for 10 – 15 seconds. Let the muscles
become soft, heavy, warm and loose.
 Breathe slowly and comfortably.

10. Benefits of Overcoming Procrastination
 Peace of Mind
 Feeling strong
 Taking charge of your life
 Feeling competent
 Experience personal freedom