 |
I am sure that most of us would have to admit at one point or another that we suffer from a bit of procrastination whether it’s in our finance jobs, in our career search or even personal lives. I for one are just as guilty of that especially when it comes to things I don’t really want to do in the first place, I find any excuse to procrastinate and in the process just prolong the agony.
Unfortunately, procrastination can hurt your career in finance. It leads to missed opportunities, frenzied work hours, stress, feeling overwhelmed, resentment, and guilt. So how do we overcome this?
Step 1: Admit it
If you're honest with yourself, you probably know when you're procrastinating. If in doubt, take this little test from Mindtools to make sure.
Some of the most common reasons for procrastinating are:
Difficulty – the task is difficult and will require a considerable amount of effort to complete. It’s easy to avoid difficult things in order to do those that may seem easy or that give you pleasure and satisfaction right away.
Time – anything worthwhile will take time to complete, this is also true for your career search. In order to find the right job or the next best opportunity it will require time and effort on your part.
Lack of knowledge or skill – you don’t know what to do, where to start, how to begin, and so you put off starting.
Fear – you feel anxiety about interviewing or making a move from your current position. Fear of failure - If you’re feeling discouraged about a lack of progress and you don’t feel then you may avoid working on it in order to avoid feeling the fear.
Step 2: Fix it
Procrastination is a habit – a deeply ingrained pattern of behaviour. That means that you won’t just break it overnight. So try these tips:
Reward Yourself for Not Procrastinating: Give yourself a small reward after you complete a boring task. If you know a coffee and snack break is waiting for you when you are finished doing something tedious, you will be inspired to get it done.
Word of caution to the perfectionists: You need to realize that you cannot and will not do everything perfect. Don’t put that type of stress on yourself, it is bad and it doesn’t help accomplish anything! Also, understand that your self esteem will not be diminished in anyway if you recognize that there are things in life that you are not good at or just don't really care to deal with.
Break down each task into small manageable parts: It helps you to get over the mental idea that the task is too big or difficult to tackle.
Organizing your work area. Sometimes it’s as easy as just organising and structuring your work area.
If you don't break your procrastination habit, it can have serious consequences on your life and the lives of those who you care about. So take some action!
Comments