Social networks and the Internet are available to us, we can follow people and their lives, while ourselves waiting for some illusory miracle and happiness. If you are waiting for something for a long time, and it still doesn’t happen, you may be trapped in your own thinking and incorrect psychological attitudes. Deferred life is what prevents us from enjoying current moments and planning events that will most likely never happen.

Are you suffering from delayed life syndrome?

How to understand that you are at a dead point? If you are 20-30 years old, then it seems that everything is still ahead, everything will soon get better. People can live in terribly run-down apartments, do nothing and not renovate them for years, expecting that they will soon be able to move and start from scratch. You can spend 10-15 years in this standby mode without changing anything. Or a woman with a small child thinks that she will take care of herself when the children grow up and go to school. Then she will have time for herself, but for now there is no time.

You expect something to change as soon as you graduate from school, college, change jobs, get married or divorced, have children, or when autumn comes. But... nothing changes.

The feeling “now, now everything will change” has not left people for years. We live by the ideals of the future, completely ignoring the facts and current possibilities. One day we dreamed about something, drew pictures for ourselves, but then we got stuck in a routine, although on a subconscious level we still continue to live an unrealistic dream.

Why shouldn't you put off life until later?

Living in a dull rhythm, not getting what you want for years, is very difficult. You become mentally tired, and your ability to change something atrophies.

If you are not getting radically new results, but continue to blindly hope and believe, then it’s time to admit something to yourself.

First, separate facts from dreams.

Compare what you dream about with what you have now. Do you want to live in a beautiful and cozy apartment in another city? Take a look at your home now. The less it matches your dream, the more modest your chances of getting what you imagine. After all, nothing is stopping you from improving your living conditions now. Instead, you procrastinate, hoping that everything will somehow work out on its own.

The delayed life syndrome is largely manifested in the fact that people do not know how to act locally, but at the same time think globally. If you put off your life until tomorrow, then you have definitely fallen into a trap.

Another mistake is blaming others for everything.

Neighbors, the state, children, parents, spouses and even friends. People usually say that if they moved to another country, everything would be different. Or everything will get better if you get a new profession. So you can walk in circles unsuccessfully, becoming more and more immersed in unrealistic dreams and desires, making unrealistic demands on other people.

5 steps to getting rid of delayed life syndrome

1. Admit to yourself that you are living poorly now.

Usually you put off your life until tomorrow, and today you follow others on social networks. Or you’re saving money for something, but you’re afraid to spend it today. If you feel like you are living in a waiting mode for something. First you need to acknowledge this and identify the problem.

2. Reality and expectation - recognize their percentage ratio.

The syndrome of a life that is put off until later is characterized by an almost complete denial of reality. A person thinks that everything is bad at the current moment in time, but it will get better in the future. You can be immersed in illusions and not see reality at all. You may try to avoid emotional intimacy with other people. Some people feel uncomfortable when they accidentally show their talent. They are “not ready yet” to act.

There is also a syndrome of “living at half capacity” - when you live as if in energy saving mode. In this mode, it is not necessary to try, work and give 100%. If a person avoids mobilizing strength and concentrating on something, then this is a sign of postponing life for later. Assess your reality and how much time you spend daydreaming. You will see where the time goes.

3. Develop the habit of not thinking about the future, but acting in the present.

The future will never come. Every next minute of life is the future. And you put life on hold every time you think again and again in large five-year increments, rather than in the present time. Stop hoping that everything will change tomorrow! If you don’t act now, in the current moment, then everything will remain at this point.

4. Realize that life has no second part, no performance and no rehearsal.

You have already begun to live and have been living for quite a long time. Have you already begun to wonder where the last year, two or five went? The question is how well and joyfully you while away your current days.

5. Make a list of 5 things that you can do today.

The best thing to do is to constantly write down your next 5 steps that will lead you to your dreams and goals. Another secret is that appetite really comes with eating. Even if you don’t have goals right now, you’ve forgotten how to dream big and live according to already established standards, a list of 5 things to do will help you get out of this dead spot. Someone needs to clear out the closet of junk, someone decides to spend their savings on a trip they have long dreamed of, someone finally finishes their studies at university, moves away from their parents, or sends out their resume.

If you have already understood why you shouldn’t put life off until later, then you are on the right track. If you find it difficult to take action, you can contact a psychologist. His task is to help put you on a path as quickly as possible, free from fears and false beliefs that prevent you from living. Remember that the most valuable thing in life is life itself, maybe stop wasting time?

Let's not lie: each of us is familiar with procrastination firsthand. Most are even able to courageously admit that from time to time we intentionally (or not?) delay making an important decision that can affect our lives. It could be a trip to the dentist, a large or small task waiting to be completed, or something as simple as cleaning the house. Today we will try to find out in what situations one should be on guard and what can help in the guerrilla fight against this unfavorable quality for a person.

Without delay, let's get started.

1. Determine if you really need to do it

Perhaps the reason for your procrastination lies in the lack of a compelling reason to take action. A job that you can’t stand, or something else that you haven’t loved since childhood, that you always wanted to get rid of, is in a completely different category, which does not include dreams and real goals.

In such situations, I would advise you to first approach the assessment of the upcoming task critically: For what Wasting time on something that is absolutely not to your liking, if there are many other tasks that are a pleasure to take on?

2. Conduct a little “reconnaissance in force”

Once you've figured out which tasks are idle, take one of them and complete a small portion of it to get a feel for the difficulty level. Based on the impressions received during the process, decide whether you need help.

Often we overload ourselves with thoughts about how many things need to be done, and then we cannot move, imagining an endless list of tasks: there are many of them, but the worker, that is, you, is alone. This approach is obviously wrong. What if you spend, say, 15 minutes or half an hour on a pressing issue? It is likely that you will get a taste for it, thereby moving the needle.

3. Listen to yourself. And do the opposite

Best friend “I’ll do it tomorrow” - “I don’t want something.” If rebellious sentiments grow in the soul, we must fight them as decisively and harshly as international terrorism. After all, if you follow your desire to do nothing, what will happen next? Right, Nothing.

So, before you take on something that cannot be avoided, try to get into a new mood: meditate, take a walk, or resort to another method that works for you.

4. Order comes first

The environment around you can successfully both contribute to procrastination and help in the fight against it. Take a quick look at your desk, your home decor, or any other place where you will be working.

Surely not everything around you is in a state of perfect order, so find the strength to tidy up: get rid of the trash, put everything in its place so that the eye is happy and the work goes smoothly.

By the way, after a little cleaning it seems easier. See for yourself.

5. Accustom yourself to the thought: now it will always be like this

As a rule, the first steps in anything, be it sports or new responsibilities at work, are always difficult. Probably the simplest example would be a situation in which each of us found ourselves at least once in our lives. Remember the magic Snooze button on your alarm clock? I bet you may not know what this English word means, but you absolutely know how this button works: there is nothing easier than pressing it and continuing to sleep peacefully.

So, it is forbidden succumb to this kind of temptation, listening to your inner voice calling you to put everything on the back burner. Forget about the rules of etiquette when he once again sounds in your head: cut off his tirade mid-sentence and do what you have to do.

6. Tell a trusted person about your important decision.

It could be your business partner, wife or best friend - or anyone, the main thing is that he is in the know. Express your intentions to this person, identifying key points, dates and deadlines. Ask him to monitor you as an experiment.

It may very well be that your ally in the struggle for productivity himself needs help and additional motivation in life. Therefore, we urge you to be honest with each other: gently but firmly point out places that, in your opinion, require special attention. And take action.

7. Don't allow yourself to be a victim of circumstances.

Have you ever wondered why the expression “being a victim of circumstances” is so popular? Why do stories from the mouths of losers attract crowds of sympathizers? The answer is simple: people want to be sure that there are always those who are weaker, unluckier, more unhappy than themselves.

Let's think productively: digging into your own problems will not help you find solutions. Keep your nose up! Try to dispel despondency, convince yourself: “I’m fine.” Then everything should work out.

8. Apologies are not accepted.

In general, you need to apologize as little as possible. To apologize is, in essence, to forgive oneself, that is, our main enemy. If you forgive yourself left and right, you will eventually become dull and begin to live guided only by instincts and natural needs. Is this life?

There can be an infinite number of reasons to come to an agreement with yourself, following the path of least resistance. Eradicate the slightest beginnings of this bad habit in yourself.

9. Learn to focus in a short time

If you want to be successful, learn to manage your time. Start small: learn to be focused during the short periods of time required to complete a particular task.

Once you have mastered this technique, you can begin long-term planning. As my favorite poet said, “big things are seen from a distance.”

10. Listen to Indian mantras

Even if you are not a regular at ethnic festivals and have never thought about traveling to Nepal or Goa, pay attention to the national music of the country of elephants and curry sauce. Mantras are positive attitudes, by listening to which and meditating, you can find peace and tune in to the right mood. The first thing to learn is to control your breathing. When you are able to do this, you can begin to comprehend more complex states - concentration on what you need.

By the way, there are many mantras. You can experiment and choose what you like and what works.

11. Leave your comfort zone

Our eternal enemy is the inner voice. If you let him speak, he will quietly convince you that he is right. And we know for sure that in most cases he is wrong. Try to distract yourself from it in any way you know.

Most often it occurs in those moments when we tend to doubt our abilities. Therefore, if you are not sure whether you will reach the end of the path, try to drown out the words of doubt with positive attitudes: “I can, I will get there, I will do it.”

12. Visualize your goals. Imagine success

Visualization is a powerful tool for achieving goals. It has been proven more than once that this technique helps kill procrastination in the bud, motivating you to succeed.

Looking ahead helps you focus on your ultimate goals and how achieving them will affect the quality of your life in the future. Get a vision board if you want to achieve success as soon as possible.

13. Create some problems for yourself

Or a lot, depending on who needs it. What am I talking about? The fact is that suffering and various types of grief are also sources of motivation: a feeling of unsettlement pushes us forward, and we change jobs, move, learn something new.

Having reached a certain point of awareness of a situation that he does not like, a normal person begins act. So, if you are still sitting still and prefer not to think about the problem, then everything suits you, nothing else.

In general, you are the very wizard who can help you cope with everything. As the wise Mahatma Gandhi taught us, if you want a change in the future, become that change in the present.

14. He who dares wins

Curb your fear! Fear of something is the surest accomplice of procrastination. Just tell yourself: “No, I’m not afraid of anything, I will succeed.” Repeat this more often, write it down on a piece of paper and hang it in a visible place - we have already talked about the benefits of visualizing thoughts in point number 12. If you manage to gain control over fear at least once, you will continue to succeed in the future.

How to do this? Talk to yourself - everyone has done this at least once in their lives. So why not make it a good, healthy habit? Alone with your thoughts, you can not bend your heart and not look for excuses for your negative traits: fear, laziness, reluctance to change something. Try to identify your problem areas and start dealing with them.

15. Work on self-discipline

To be honest, the choice is often not that great: either muster all your willpower today and take the path of change, or reap the bitter fruits of disappointment in the foreseeable future. Leaving the solution to important life issues for later is too easy and, alas, completely ineffective.

Many people know the proverb “If you sow a thought, you will reap an action; if you sow an action, you will reap a habit; if you sow a habit, you will reap a character; if you sow a character, you will reap a destiny.” Charge yourself with the right thoughts, acquire good habits, because everything is in your hands.

In general, each of us is nothing more than a collection of habits and ways of life. You can train yourself to do absolutely anything. Take advantage of this feature of human consciousness!

16. Scales must be true and deadlines must be foreseeable.

It's easy to make promises, isn't it? Many songs have been sung around the world on this topic and even more words have been said. The same applies to deadlines, as it has become fashionable to say now. It only takes half a minute to assign them, but they can take weeks or months to complete.

What should I do? Let's think strategically: imagine that, as punishment for disrupting your work schedule, you will be deprived of the opportunity to, say... drink coffee for a month! Not a very happy prospect, is it?

17. Declare war on perfectionism

In fact, there is absolutely nothing good about it. First, let's look at the definition. Perfectionism is the belief that the best result can (or should) be achieved. It would seem that there is nothing bad, but by thinking in this way, we move infinitely away from the true goal, which is to get the job done - get sh*t done, as they say overseas.

The main mistake that many people tend to make is substituting concepts. Perfectionism has nothing to do with high quality. No matter what anyone tells us about this, the answer will be the same: time is money. Learn to control it the same way an experienced commander controls his army.

18. Don't forget to encourage yourself

It happens that we lack the reward for a task completed successfully. We must not forget about encouragement, because it is one of the most powerful sources of internal motivation. That's why it's so important to celebrate your victories, both big and small. Have an extraordinary day off, treat yourself to a purchase you have long dreamed of, and be imbued with the joy of triumph!

After all, fighting procrastination is not easy. As Jim Rohn, a famous American speaker and business coach, said in his book “Vitamins for the Mind”:

We all must experience two kinds of pain: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. The difference is that discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs tons.

Are you prone to procrastination? What and for what reason do you tend to put off over and over again? Share with us your opinion and successful experience in dealing with the scourge!

Psychologies: Many of us have at some point had to subordinate our lives to some important but distant goal, to sacrifice something for it, sometimes for years. Does this mean that during that period we lived a “deferred life”?

Of course not. The desire to achieve a goal and sacrificing something for the sake of it is not yet a neurosis of a deferred life. The defining moment is how a person himself perceives his life here and now. Does he think that his current life is preparatory, “rough”? And the “real” one will begin only after he achieves his goal? In this case, the “preparatory period” can take 10, 20, or 30 years. And all this time a person infringes and deprives his needs. It may, for example, not start a family, not establish friendships, not allow oneself to fully relax or arrange a home.

The term “delayed life” was coined by psychologist Vladimir Serkin, who conducted research among those working in the North. Many of these people believe that they will only truly live when they earn enough money and move “to the mainland,” as they say. This sometimes takes decades. And even if the goal is ultimately realized (which is not always the case) and they buy themselves, let’s say, a house in the south, they still face disappointment. They suddenly realize that a huge piece of life has been missed, not lived to its full potential, especially emotionally.

Behind an overly significant goal, other natural meanings in life are lost. Children, relationships, nature, art - a person leaves these outside the brackets and then discovers that he has nothing to remember. This causes real suffering.

It happens that a goal only “lulls you to sleep” and helps a person come to terms with the fact that life does not suit him. He doesn't really do anything to bring her closer. Years go by, and he doesn’t even begin to write his cherished book or create a company. There are many such examples around. Is this also a deferred life?

Yes, this is also an example of the neurosis of postponed life. A healthy strategy is “I want, I can, I do.” The strategy of deferred life is “I want, I can, I put it off” (and more often forever).

The phenomenon of “delayed life” rests on the feeling of inability to change and control one’s life

How can we explain this choice?

One of the reasons, in my opinion, is a fatalistic attitude towards life and the future: it is as if we are unable to change anything. It seems that we have neither the strength nor the internal resources for this. It seems that there is no point in trying; anyway, our efforts will not lead to the desired result.

This is very close to the “learned helplessness” syndrome, which was described by the American psychologist Martin Seligman: a person feels as if he is unable to control his life. It is on these two pillars - the feeling of the impossibility of changing and controlling one’s life - that, as it seems to me, the phenomenon of “deferred life” rests. I'm talking about feeling because it often doesn't correspond to reality.

There is also such a depressive feature: on the one hand, we have a certain ideal - simply cosmic - image of “I”, and at the same time there is a very deep idea of ​​ourselves as a worthless, insecure, lost person with no resources. Between these poles there is a gap that we cannot overcome. But neither one nor the other is true. The truth is somewhere in the middle: we are not so perfect and we are not so helpless.

That is, with “delayed life” we dream of changes and at the same time resist them?

Yes. I remember one of my clients. She was a young girl who had recently graduated from college. She cried bitterly and told how bad everything was for her: she lives with her family in a communal apartment, because of this she cannot realize herself in the profession, or build a relationship with a young man.

I ask her a question: “Do I understand correctly that you don’t like your life at all”? She nods: “Yes!” - “When will you start living the way you want?” She thinks and says: “When I have my own place, I will start living differently!”

But it is clear that a young girl who receives little money cannot earn money for her own housing. I ask: “Why don’t you rent a room or apartment with some friend to start a life independent of your family?” And she begins to assure me that this is impossible for such and such reasons.

This is a very typical story for a “delayed life” situation. A person usually does not make any decision that can change life for the better right now; he always finds a lot of arguments not to do it. That is, during the period of preparation for “real” life, he abandons his needs and deprives them.

In fact, he does not live in this life. He devalues ​​it very much and does not consider it life. This is such a purely neurotic trait.

“I would rather do nothing than fail and suffer the pain of my failure.”

Can we talk about infantile behavior here?

This is partly true. Because such a person does not take responsibility. By the way, he can lead an independent life, earn good money, and at the same time remains an immature person, incapable of making serious decisions. This may occur because the independent part of the personality is not accepted, is not recognized by the person himself.

Is there any fear of failure here? Because as long as I don't act, I have hope for a better life. And if I try to change something and it doesn’t work out, then I will lose this hope.

We are known to have two main motivations: motivation to achieve and motivation to avoid failure. Which of them will be the leader depends on the upbringing in the family, on whether the child’s parents taught him to overcome obstacles, and whether they supported him.

The motivation to avoid failure, of course, really slows a person down: “I’d rather not do anything than fail and experience the pain of my failure.” This may be a psychological reason for postponing life until later.

If we see ourselves wanting to put life on hold, will that help us change course?

This usually requires a lot of external support. This could be a psychologist or a good friend who understands what needs to be done. Although I know cases when a person copes on his own. I had such a client - a young woman, a talented musician, who endlessly complained about her illnesses, dreamed of being healthy, but did absolutely nothing to improve her well-being. It seemed like a hopeless case. Then I didn’t see her for two years and suddenly I met her on the street. I ask how she feels. She replies: “Wonderful!” and says: “One morning I woke up and realized that I was tired of being sick!” I began to harden myself, douse myself with cold water, do some physical exercises - and life got better. I listened to her and was surprised because I didn’t think it was possible.

1. Learn to live here and now. Focus on what is happening at a given time, learn to find pleasure in it.
2. Start taking action by planning your actions step by step. As they say, you have to eat an elephant piece by piece.
3. Refuse to devalue your life, see that our real life is no worse, and maybe even better, than the one we dream about.
4. Stop chasing results while ignoring the process.
5. Eliminate learned helplessness. It is useful to start reading Seligman's books.
6. Search for meaning in your current life. For example, a very good technique is to look at a particular situation, for example, your today, placing it in the context of your entire life. This promotes well the awareness of the value of life and a particular moment.
7. Work on changing your thoughts, learn to think optimistically.
8. Seek support, friendly and professional.

About the expert

Consulting psychologist, psychotherapist in an integrative approach, director of the Higher School of Psychological Counseling.

“Tomorrow I will go on a diet”, “Starting Monday I will quit smoking”, “Starting next month I will sign up for the gym”, “From the first day of spring I will go to bed earlier” - we vow all this to ourselves several times a day, but for some reason we are never in a hurry to fulfill it. “Next week” turns into never. And spring, which is still so far away, risks dissolving into eternity, leaving everything as it is. But, you see, as soon as we make a promise to ourselves, life becomes easier, junk food tastes better, and the sofa that replaces sports training for us becomes softer. Why does this happen and what to do about it?

I want to feel good now

We are not in a hurry to start a business from which we cannot immediately expect results. The languid wait for the first successes seems almost unbearable, because it is much easier to sit in a chair than to go for a run in the cold and slush, especially since training is unlikely to be able to immediately deprive us of ten kilograms. It must be said that irregular exercise can even harm the body. Great! If daily activities are impossible, then there is nothing to start, and aimlessly scrolling through a magazine or Facebook news feed requires much less mental effort than, say, reading a classic novel. What can we say about sweets, which now will instantly bring physical and moral pleasure to our body, much more than steamed vegetables.

Nothing bad will happen

At school, for failing to complete an assignment on time, we were threatened with bad grades and a severe reprimand from teachers, but at home, while our parents were at work, nothing stopped us from doing all sorts of nonsense without fear of being punished right away. Surprisingly, a similar principle applies when we become adults. We think: if you spend an extra hour on the Internet, nothing terrible will happen, and the extra pounds acquired on the couch will appear not now, but later. Then you can start fighting them, whereas in a happy now you can eat another chocolate candy. Well, an excellent reason to extend the siesta until the critical moment.

I hope it gets better in the future

We often tend to overestimate our future. Many of us have a long, even endless list of things that we plan to do later; it seems to us that the situation in the future will change dramatically, which will allow us to start a new life much faster, wake up earlier, eat right, quit a job we don’t like, and so on. . Reality is usually not favorable, but who said that in a year it will be much better? The problem is that, most likely, our future will not be any different from the present, because, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, only we are able to radically change it.

You need motivation

Motivation and procrastination are inversely proportional. All you have to do to beat procrastination is motivate yourself. Think how much you will extend the life of your vision if you turn off your computer right now and go for a walk. And how much pleasure you will get simply from your reflection in the mirror if you start going to the gym tomorrow morning. Even if you just turn off the TV, opportunities will open up for you that you never even dreamed of - books, walks, travel, after all. Can't resist buying sweets and fatty foods? Take a calculator and calculate how many rubles a week you spend on desserts? Impressive, right? And if you give up baking in favor of apples and dried fruits. How much can you save? Inspiring, isn't it? Try it right now and then today you can start planning trips with the money you save and buying a new dress.

Substitution mechanism

To begin with, instead of frankly meaningless activities during bouts of procrastination, try replacing useless activities with useful ones that do not require much effort. Wash the dishes, hammer in a nail, dust, clean out a closet that has been in need of it for a long time. An activity that is different from your main task is always better than a “pseudo useful” activity.

When you keep procrastinating, those “laters” tend to accumulate. There comes a time when there is nowhere else to put off; you have a huge list of things to do that require immediate implementation, which you simply cannot complete in a short time. It is natural that you begin to consider yourself a person who is not capable of anything, and this is a direct path to deterioration in self-esteem. It seems to us that “later” will be better. For example, “I will have another job,” “My daughter/son will grow up, then everything will be fine,” “when I lose weight, then real life will begin.” In fact, there is no “later”, and therefore it has no opportunity to come true.

You either have to do something now or never. You either have it now or you don't. There are no other options. There is no such thing as: “I will be happy when I get married.” This is impossible. You are either happy now or never. All you have at your disposal is only now and now. Any action, even a mistaken one, is better than inaction. Thanks to your inaction, destructive thoughts little by little begin to enter your head, while activity, on the contrary, will add energy and self-confidence to you.

Life must be lived now, it cannot be postponed endlessly.

Irvin Yalom.

Don't put off life until tomorrow,
Tomorrow may not come.
Every hour, every day irrevocable,
Hurry up to live like the last one.

Alla Kelina

Don't put off life until later
What then only heaven knows.
Do you dream of something big?
By acting dishonestly today.

Tatiana Lakotosh

Procrastination as a personality quality – a tendency to postpone life and happiness for later; putting off solving problems and doing important things until later; postpone their implementation to a later date.

When my wife died, forty days after the funeral, I began to examine her things. She had never worn most of the dresses, blouses, fur coats, and shoes. She lived in thoughts about the future, putting off life until later, as if she was going to live for two hundred years. I saved everything for a special occasion. I put it off and saved everything. I didn’t understand how you could live in the “here and now” mode; I didn’t want to accept the idea that every day is a small life, that it is this special occasion.

Now he lies in a coffin, and I am painful and bitter from the thought that I was never able to wean my half from the bad, vicious habit of postponing life until later. I often think: “What would she have done if she knew that she would die so suddenly and tragically?” She probably would have stopped saving the “Madonna” set for some unknown reason. On the contrary, I would use it every day. In a word, I wouldn’t put off until later what brings comfort, joy and happiness to life.

Don't put off happiness for later. Live today to the fullest, breathe deeply. Don’t create the trap of illusion for yourself that a real, wonderful life will come later. People are accustomed to putting off life for later - for a year, for a decade, but life goes somewhere in the past and goes away forever, irrevocably. And it becomes sad, because you can only mentally touch the past, but nothing can be changed...

Don't put off life until later,
Maybe “later” won’t come...
If you were born, live, the moment will come
And then you will leave your home...
Don't put off life until later.
Postponing solving problems and doing important things until later.

I found a cool article “How to stop procrastinating.” Saved. I'll read it tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow. Maximum - next week.

Unlike the mind, our mind is aimed at obtaining pleasure, therefore it requires doing what it likes, which can become pleasant or, at least, not completely unpleasant. Caught in a chaotic, lustful mind, a person cannot bring himself to solve the main problem and leave alone minor issues that solve nothing. The mind, if something needs to be done, chooses the pleasant and puts off the unpleasant. The main task may turn out to be unpleasant, and secondary tasks may be pleasant. If you do not force your foolish mind to act correctly, you can quickly slide into the swamp of ignorance and degradation. The human mind is designed in such a way that if it feels forced somewhere, instead of pleasure, pleasure and happiness, it runs away from there like the devil from incense.
The mind is full of flexibility and rudeness,
when he is in a struggle with his conscience,
we don't lie to anyone that often
and as luckily as you like.
I.Guberman
A person who puts off solving important problems until later does not know how to set priorities and is not able to be organized.

For many people, it will be a revelation that only 20% of the effort is required to get 80% of the results, and the remaining 80% of the effort (time spent) produces 20% of the results. A sane, organized person will naturally figure out those 20% of things that give the maximum result and start with them. Think about it, 4/5 of our time and effort have virtually nothing to do with what we planned to do. This rule of thumb was introduced by sociologist Vilfredo Pareto and has had a huge impact on successful, successful people.

A person who knows how to set priorities, that is, an organized person, having realized this principle, optimally solves many life problems. For example, he reads, first of all, books that are important to him, because 20% of books have 80% of the value. It is these books that develop the mind, “plow” the soul, and provide personal growth. Low-grade “defects” - “Mortal Murder”, “The Dead Don’t Sweat”, romance novels - “Love Love”, “Voluptuous Impotent”, do not provide food for the mind and only take away precious time.

A person who knows how to prioritize will make a list of useless contacts and actions and get rid of them. Arriving at work, he will draw up a work plan for the day, concentrate on important matters that give maximum results, and cross out petty, secondary, distracting issues. If a person who knows how to prioritize is busy with business, he understands that he needs to focus on 20% of the sources of income that provide 80% of the profit.

An unorganized person will miss the knowledge of where the main influx of profit comes from and will waste time on trifles, that is, on passive sources of income, while truly important issues will be postponed until later.

An organized person always has everything at hand before starting work. This creates the right psychological attitude. Brian Tracy writes: “Start by tidying up your desk or workspace, making sure everything that doesn't belong to the one task you're working on is put away. Now surround yourself with all the necessary materials you will need. Make sure that everything is at hand and you don’t have to get up, leave the room, etc. to obtain the required material."

In short, a person who knows how to set priorities knows how to clearly distinguish between what is of paramount importance and what may lose its importance depending on the development of the situation. A person who does not know how to set priorities gives preference to decisions on minor secondary issues, but on important, fateful issues for the organization he hesitates, puts off their decision until later, pulls “the cat by the tail” in the hope that everything will be resolved without him.

In other words, putting things off until tomorrow is choosing some things over others. This is the choice of easy and comfortable actions instead of difficult ones (get up and run) or uncomfortable ones (an uncomfortable conversation with your boss). Don't give yourself this choice.

It is important to understand that any postponement of problems only takes away a person’s strength. Every day it takes more and more strength; over time, it is very difficult for a person to tackle a serious problem.

The most successful strategy for defeat is procrastination, postponing until later what needs to be done immediately. Anyone who likes to put things off until later is irresponsible. Irresponsibility owes its birth to a person’s tendency to put things off until later.

The tendency to procrastinate is instilled where procrastination feels free. The essence of procrastination is precisely putting off important things for later and procrastinating. That is, a person tends to hesitate, hesitate, think for a long time and leisurely about an upcoming decision, put off completing an important task, finding more urgent tasks.

At the same time, efficiency does not go along with the tendency to postpone solving the most important problems until later. Efficiency as a personality quality is the ability to correctly, quickly and effectively carry out certain practical tasks; solve basic problems immediately, without putting them off for later.

Sometimes procrastination is like death. The one who acts immediately gets chances and opportunities, the one who hesitates and puts it off for later often takes away the chances to survive. The person hesitates, does not see a doctor, and then hears the verdict: “You have stage 4 cancer.” There's nothing you can do now. Nobody will help. I knew that I had to go to the doctors, but I kept putting it off until later, procrastinating, procrastinating...

Petr Kovalev 2018