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Are you a procrastinator? It might not be your fault

How many times this week have you watched something slip down your to-do list? Or how many times ...
Newstalk
Newstalk

19.26 28 Sep 2018


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Are you a procrastinator? It m...

Are you a procrastinator? It might not be your fault

Newstalk
Newstalk

19.26 28 Sep 2018


Share this article


How many times this week have you watched something slip down your to-do list? Or how many times have you said you’ll do something “tomorrow” but tomorrow seemingly never arrives?

It’s called procrastination and we are all guilty of it at times.

However, new research has shown that maybe it’s not entirely your fault you always leave your tasks until the last minute.

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The researchers took scans of over 260 brains and discovered that those who were known to be procrastinators actually had differences in part of their temporal lobes.

The amygdala is a small part of the brain shaped like an almond that controls motivation and emotions. In the scans of the procrastinators, this part of the brain was seen to be larger than normal.

As well as this, the procrastinators were shown to have a poor connection between the amygdala and the part of the brain that decides what actions bodies take.

So what does that mean? It means that your procrastination might not be down to your poor time management or laziness, it may very well be your own emotions keeping you from getting the job done.

What can you do to improve your procrastination?

For whatever reason you’re procrastinating - by your own doing or ortherwise - it still comes down to anxiousness, feeling overwhelmed or often a fear of not doing well in the task at hand.

So how can you stop it? Luckily, there are a number of ways you can stop yourself from procrastinating. Here are our top tips:

  1. Recognise that what you’re doing is procrastinating first of all and ask yourself why you are doing it. Are you simply too busy or are you stressed?
  2. Break it down. Take the task at hand and break it down into smaller tasks you can tick off as you go.
  3. Allow yourself time to take a break. You don’t have to work non-stop to avoid procrastination. If it’s a long task, use a timer to give yourself a short break at regular intervals.
  4. Avoid distractions. If possible, try to avoid using your phone when you’re working on something important or difficult. Set it to Do Not Disturb and you can always check it on your breaks.
  5. Get your mind in gear. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to help improve focus so check out apps like Headspace, which offers guided meditations or head to a mindfulness class.

So what have you been putting on the long finger lately? Do you still have to finish your spring cleaning? Or maybe you're overdue a trip to the dentist? Or is the car due a service?

Well, luckily for you, Audi Ireland can help with that last one! If you book your Audi Expert Service between October 15th and November 30th, they’ll include free headlamp focusing and bulb replacement, and also add 12 months roadside assistance free of charge. So don't procrastinate this time around. To book yours, head over to AudiService.ie.


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