These days, the term ‘procrastination’ has become a subject of general interest. It is defined by Wikipedia as “the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending tasks to a later time, sometimes to the ‘last minute’ before the deadline.”

Recently, the NIT Post interviewed some students and teachers to find out whether or not procrastination is a pervasive factor in their lives. Of those interviewed, more than eighty percent admitted that they observed frequent procrastination in their personal behavior, and most of them wanted to know about ways to deal with this problem effectively. We thought that they might find the following suggestions (and short quotes from Sun Tsu’s Art of War) to be useful:

First of all, try to identify the reasons why you procrastinate (“know yourself”). Then, you can take concrete steps to eliminate this tendency. Second, divide large tasks into several sub-tasks and then complete each one methodically (“divide and conquer”). Third, try to reduce external disturbances when you are working or studying so that it will be easier for you to concentrate (“know your enemy”). Last but not least, if you are a procrastinator, try hanging out with people who like to get things done on time (“keep your friends close”). Their example will be a good influence on you.