There are many ways to avoid success in life. Procrastination is the surest one. It can stop you dead on your way to success. It can kill your motivation. It can destroy your productivity. It makes you settle for less when you know that you can and deserve to achieve so much more. It can lead to stress, depression and a sense of guilt. Procrastination has a destructive effect not only on your personal life and your work performance but also on your health and self-esteem.

Do you want to be successful? Then you must learn the secret success formula. Here it is: success equals time, time’s effort, time’s ability. It means that you can have all the time in the world and great ability to do a task. But if you don’t put any effort into the task, your success equals zero. So why do we procrastinate? Because we don’t feel like doing it. We can procrastinate for two reasons. One – because the task seems annoying or two insignificant to worry about. For example, organizing a messy desk or doing the laundry. Two – because the task seems too difficult or time-consuming. For example, starting to look for a new job.

There are three procrastination types.

Number one: the relaxed type. 98% of the population falls under this category. Relaxed type procrastinators intentionally avoid situations that may cause displeasure indulging instead in more enjoyable activities. The most common excuse used by relaxed procrastinators is: “I need to wait for inspiration. I’ll definitely do it tomorrow”. And for some strange reason, tomorrow, you feel even less like completing the task. Of course there is nothing wrong with occasionally postponing unpleasant work for later. But, if procrastination becomes a habit, we can begin to view our responsibilities negatively and direct our energy into tasks that bring immediate satisfaction.

Number two: the genius type. Genius type procrastinators usually care about the task that needs to get done but wait until the last minute to complete it. Generally they have the ability and required skill but they are just lazy with their time. E.g. They know that by putting forth minimum effort they can still achieve good results but if there isn’t a set deadline, their work lags because there is no sense of urgency to complete what they’ve started. If you believe you work best under pressure, you’re most likely falling into this category. But the truth is that doing everything at the last minute rarely allows you to open up your full potential and show others what you are really capable of.

Number three: the avoider type. Avoider procrastinators usually have just one major problem: they have grandeur streams in minds but are absolutely unrealistic about their time. This often makes them feel overwhelmed with pressure, pessimistic and disappointed with themselves. This behavior becomes a vicious cycle of failure and delay. Avoider procrastinators are very sensitive to what other people think and say about them. Being viewed as a failure may paralyze them from trying altogether. If not changed, this type of behaviour cannot only put the full stop to a career, but also have a debilitating effect on personal life and relationships. So, how do you handle procrastination? Stop blaming yourself. But doing it you’re only pushing success farther away from you. Not to mention that it is damaging for your self-worth and self-esteem. Procrastination is natural. Overcoming procrastination is something absolutely anyone can learn. How? By using my three favourite and most powerful techniques that have helped me to overcome procrastination and achieve even the most daring goals. If you want to learn more about these techniques, I’ll be happy to share them with you in my next video.

Vocabulary:

To stop dead – оборвать, остановить.
As a matter of fact – фактически, на самом деле.
To settle for less – довольствоваться малым.
To lead to – приводить к чему-то. It can lead to depression – это может привести к депресии.
To have a destructive effect on smth – иметь разрушительное воздействие на что-то.
Self-esteem – самооценка.
To put effort into smth – прикладывать усилия к чему-то.
Messy – неряшливый. To organize a messy desk – убрать беспорядок с робочего стола.
Time-consuming – требующий много времени. Слово образовалось интересным способом: от time – время и сonsume – поглощать / уничтожать.
An intention – намерение → Intentional – намеренный, умышленный → Intentionally – нарочно.
To postpone – откладывать на потом.
A deadline – предельный срок.
A set deadline – установленный предельный строк.
To lag – отставать.
Most likely – вероятно, по всей вероятности.
Urgent – неотложный, срочный → Urgency – срочность, безотлагательность.
Sense of urgency – чувство неотложности, спешка.
По этому примеру можно образовать и другие словосочетания:
Sense of guilt – чувство вины.
To overwhelm with smth – переполнять, охватывать.
To open one’s potential – раскрыть свой потенциал.
Daring goals – дерзкие цели.