Overcoming Procrastination Habits
1
Time to Read!
Procrastination is a common issue that many people face. We often delay doing things that we
know need to be done, even though we are aware that it will cause problems in the long run.
One of the main reasons for procrastination is a lack of motivation. When we feel bored or
uninterested in a task, we tend to put it off and find other things to do instead. This can lead to
a tendency to fritter away our time on activities that are not productive, like scrolling through
social media or watching TV.
Another reason for procrastination is a tendency to bite off more than we can chew. We may
take on too many tasks at once, which can lead to feeling overwhelmed and unable to knuckle
down and get things done. This can also lead to a scatterbrain approach, where we are easily
distracted by new ideas and opportunities.
The temptation to give it a miss or pull an all-nighter can also sabotage our productivity. We
may think that we can work better under pressure, but this is often a fallacy. In reality, we may
end up making mistakes or producing lower quality work due to exhaustion or stress.
To overcome procrastination, it's important to understand our own propensity for delaying
tasks. We should try to identify the root causes of our procrastination and develop strategies
to overcome them. This might involve breaking tasks down into smaller, more manageable
steps, or setting specific goals and deadlines for ourselves.
It's also important to be realistic about our abilities and avoid overestimating or
underestimating what we can achieve. If we have a tendency to kick things into the long grass,
we should try to cut our losses and move on from tasks that are no longer feasible or
necessary.
Ultimately, being in the right frame of mind is key to overcoming procrastination. We should
aim to stay motivated and focused on our goals, while also being mindful of our own
limitations and taking breaks when we need them. Remember, once bitten twice shy - the
more we learn from our procrastination habits, the better equipped we will be to avoid them in
the future.
2
Get Creative with Your Writing!
Writing tasks:
1 Write a social media post about a time when you had to pull an all-nighter to finish a
project. Use at least 5 target vocabulary words in your post.
2 Imagine that you are a scatterbrain who struggles with procrastination. Write a blog post
about your experience and share some tips on how to overcome this habit. Use at least 7
target vocabulary words in your post.
3 Write an email to a friend inviting them to a party that you are organizing. Explain to them
why they should come and what activities you have planned. Use at least 10 target
vocabulary words in your email.
Target Vocabulary:
pull an all-nighter, a scatterbrain, to give it a miss, in the long run, kick sth into the long grass,
bite off more than you can chew, to cut my losses, a propensity, to dilly-dally, to knuckle down,
tedious, temptation, fallacy, get around to, to sabotage, overestimate, underestimate, in the
right frame of mind, to fritter away, once bitten twice shy
3
Can You Match These Words to Their
Definitions?
1 tedious
a to think something is worse or less important than it actually
2 temptation
b to delay dealing with a problem or issue
3 a scatterbrain
c mentally prepared and focused
4 to give it a miss
d boring and repetitive
5 overestimate
e to think something is better or greater than it actually is
6 kick sth into the lon
f to stay up all night working or studying
7 in the long run
g someone who is forgetful and disorganized
8 underestimate
h to waste time by being indecisive
9 in the right frame of
i after a bad experience, people tend to avoid similar
10 fallacy
j a mistaken belief or idea
11 pull an all-nighter
k a natural tendency to behave in a certain way
12 get around to
l to stop doing something that is causing problems or losing
13 to knuckle down
m to finally have time to do something
14 to dilly-dally
n over a long period of time; eventually
15 once bitten twice sh
o the desire to do something, especially if it's wrong or unwise
16 to fritter away
p to take on more responsibility than you can handle
17 bite off more than y
q to decide not to do something
18 to sabotage
r to waste time or money on unimportant things
19 to cut my losses
s to start working hard and seriously
20 a propensity
t to deliberately damage or ruin something
g grass
mind
y
ou can chew
is
situations
money
Correct Answers
3 Correct Answers:
1 d
2 o
9 c
17 p
10 j
18 t
3 g
11 f
19 l
4 q
5 e
12 m
20 k
13 s
6 b
14 h
7 n
15 i
8 a
16 r