Research Strategy To Find A Solution For Procrastination
Dakota Swanson
GEN/200
20th September 2010

Research Strategy To Find A Solution For Procrastination
“Procrastination is the Thief of Time; Year after year it steals, till all are fled”
(Young, 1742, Night Thoughts I. 18).
A more detailed definition, “Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last possible minute, can be a major problem in both your career and your personal life. Side effects include missed opportunities, frenzied work hours, stress, overwhelm, resentment, and guilt. The behavior pattern of procrastination can be triggered in many different ways, so you won't always procrastinate for the same reason. Sometimes you'll procrastinate because you're overwhelmed with too much on your plate, and procrastination gives you an escape. Other times you'll feel tired and lazy, and you just can't get going” (Pavlina, 2001, Overcoming Procrastination by Steve Pavlina).
Procrastination like any other problem can be controlled if not solved. There are various ways in which one can begin the curative process. It is common knowledge that the first step to recovery is admittance of the problem, and then making that conscious effort to remedy that setback. To make that step, you must identify the root causes of your procrastination, how often do you procrastinate, what tasks you procrastinate more for whether is if for job related tasks or personal engagements, and the consequences. How it affects you emotionally, physically and mentally, and how it affects your successes in life both professionally and personally.
There are many sources whereby you can gather the information needed to research your problem. You can acquire information on the causes and effects of procrastination. One fundamental source would be your personal experiences. Over the years as a professional or a parent or friend, how has putting off duties or engagements, or simply doing a favour for a friend, affected your relationships with him or her, or career advancement. Get feedback from other parties who have been on the receiving end of your procrastination, for example, discover how it has affected them. You can also conduct surveys on the effects and causes of other individuals’ experiences with procrastination.
Another method would be Internet resources. In recent times the Internet has become the main source of information gathering. Because procrastination appears to be psychological problem, the best online source would be an online medical library or a website which main purpose is to deal with psychological disorders. If you are the type of person who has no problem talking with a professional, you can visit a psychologist to get a professional perspective on possible reasons for your procrastination and tips on how to control the frequency in which you procrastinate.
After gathering the necessary information from various sources, the next step would be to evaluate the information. Identify what information pertains to your specific problem. You may realise that you procrastinate only when it pertains to personal relationships and almost not at all with respect to professional tasks.
The information collected from the Internet can be verified by authorship, if the author of the information has authority or convictions in the manner in which the information is written. The publishing body that is who is hosting the website, whether or not the information is mainly on the author’s point of view or personal experiences, or strictly factual. Check to see if there are references to other sources. In addition, you can check validity of information gathered via your visit with a psychologist, by reviewing their credentials. It is mandatory in many establishments that proof of qualifications be displayed on the office walls. This is one way of verifying that the psychologist is qualified to give advice and whatever information collected from him or her has some credibility.
You have evaluated and verified the information. You can use the information gathered through your surveys and personal experiences to find patterns and trends. You have realised that you have been putting of tasks pertaining to friends and family. You take on too many personal tasks with not enough time to do them and the easiest solution would be procrastinating. Analyse and employ the solutions relative to your problem, taking into consideration the source, whether it is your visit to the psychologist of the online medical library. If the sources and solutions prove credible, how effective would the solution be for you with respect to how you handle tasks in the future and by extension your procrastination? How much of a positive impact would this have on your relationships? After you have decided what works for you and what does not, you are ready to make the solutions work for you and take the necessary steps in controling your procrastination.