Why We Procrastinate? And 5 Powerful ways to Kill It!

Would you put more effort to save a 1000 dollars or stop someone from stealing 1000 dollars from you?

Well the answer is obvious isn't it? You will do everything in your ability to ensure that no one ever steals your money. Though the question that comes up is WHY?

What drives us to take immediate action when we realise someone could steal our money as against an opportunity to save it ourselves? I mean, it's the same amount of money, isn't it?

The primary reason for this response pattern is Pain.

Your need to avoid pain is biological. It's built into your nervous system. That’s just how your brain is wired and it is linked to your natural survival mechanism.

Every single person on this earth is driven by two psychological forces.Number one, their need to avoid pain and number two, their desire to gain pleasure.

In most cases, the need to avoid pain is a greater motivator for people than the desire to find pleasure. The stronger the pain the stronger would be your urgency. to avoid it.

We procrastinate on certain things because we feel that doing whatever we are putting off will bring us more pain than pleasure.

Isn’t that true? Think about it…

If you link the same amount of pain to not saving or investing as you link to someone stealing it, your brain will compel you to take action.

Pain and pleasure are the two forces that control every aspect of our lives, every day.

And the problem is that we are programmed to procrastinate. In general, we all tend to struggle with tasks that promise future upside as compared to an immediate gain. The pleasure of eating an ice cream now or sleeping one extra hour is much more than getting fit and active over the course of a few years. 

However, the costs of procrastination are often considerable. Evidence suggests that the habit of leaving things until the last minute generally results in low-quality work performance and reduced well-being. 

So why when so many problems arise out of Procrastination do we still indulge in it? And how do we deal with it? 

Here are 5 powerful and easy ways to kill the habit of procrastination:

1.    Cultivate Self Discipline