The reasons we procrastinate when we are, preparing to cold call that employer or writing that cover letter seem to be same as those behind delaying getting on with study.  Check out this TedYouth@TheScotsCollege talk by Vik Nithy. Vik was the founder of 3 companies at the age of 20, including his own marketing consulting firm.  This is despite being diagnosed with ADHD after finishing his school exams. He also has an Honours degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, and facilitates workshops in high schools and Universities on mindfulness, procrastination and social entrepreneurship.   So he is deeply familiar with the whys and wherefores of shilly-shallying (as my mother would call it).

Vik says it all boils down to:

Why?

• Not knowing where to start
• Dreading the displeasure of doing the task
• Fear of failure.

To overcome the naturally the “lazy monkey” brain that Vik talks about, here are some tips to ensure that job application/assignment/essay deadline doesn’t go sailing past:

• Plan goals
• Plan time
• Plan resources
• Plan your process
• Plan for distractions
• Plan for failure

If you want to know more, watch Vik’s TedYouth talk. It’s ten minutes well spent. But just ten minutes, mind.

Featured image credit to The Oatmeal and Matthew Inman.