Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks, often leading to feelings of guilt and anxiety. It often stems from fear of failure, perfectionism, or a lack of motivation. For instance, a student might delay starting their project because they’re worried it won’t meet their own high standards, which can create a cycle of anxiety and avoidance. This tendency not only affects productivity but can also erode self-esteem and increase stress levels.

To overcome procrastination, one effective strategy is to break tasks into smaller, manageable parts. For example, instead of tackling a whole research paper at once, a student could focus on writing one paragraph or even just conducting some preliminary research. Setting specific, achievable goals can make a daunting task feel less overwhelming. Additionally, using techniques like the Pomodoro Technique—working for 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break—can help maintain focus and reduce the temptation to procrastinate.

In the following I present a few additional remarks about procrastination:

• We urgently need to break the modern hedonistic cycle, that contemporary behavior characterized by the pursue of the least effort. We all want to succeed, and we have to know that success can only be achieved through effort.
• Today, our most important and immediate challenge is to shake off passivity and lethargy, which are the most visible symptoms of mediocrity. It’s a time for sustained effort, steadfastness and perseverance.
• We have to focus at our activities if we really want to emerge as individuals, families and nations of winners.
• We should contribute to science and arts. Motivation is the key. People who do not love their work, do not face challenges, do not find obstacles to overcome… that’s bored (and likely boring) people.
• The human being is a miracle because it has the ability to perform miracles, mainly due to his/her creative efforts. The secret of success is within every person and we should start by sprinkling the seeds of effort, by investing the energy required to achieve all that we want to reach. Let’s put procrastination aside and realize our dreams.
• Obviously, we tend to avoid things that are unpleasant, boring, difficult, or anxiety provoking. However, several of such boring and tiring things help us to realize what are the good things of life. A sound life is a balanced life. We cannot live trapped inside the hedonisctic cycle which is continually looking for pleasure. Every great man has had to carry out boring and unpleasant things. That’s a fact of life.
• Procrastination will hurt your productivity and diminish your chances for success. The first step to fight procrastination is: get started right now.
• Creating a supportive environment is also crucial. This might involve removing distractions such as social media or creating a dedicated workspace. Accountability can further enhance motivation; sharing goals with a friend or joining a study group can foster a sense of commitment. For instance, if you’re trying to write a book, having a writing buddy can help you stay on track. By combining these strategies, procrastination can be tackled effectively, leading to greater productivity and reduced stress.
• A tip I’ve find very useful figthing procrastination: if there’s some task I don’t want to do, I program an alarm to activate after 10 minutes, and work complelely focused on such task until the alarm activates. Then I spend about 30 minutes without thinking about the task (and don’t think on it!). Then, I reprogram the alarm, and so on. Sooner or later, we’ll complete the task. There’s a trick here.