It's a common problem and luckily it is one which can be fixed if it's addressed properly.
Alternatives
One of the best solutions to procrastination and rampant disorganization is to get the person in question to admit that he has a problem and to get him to admit that he's preventing himself from functioning at his highest level of productivity and success.
Introducing general organizational skills to Carl could be a crucial factor in his success. Carl might never have received such basic training when he was developing. "Employees in the workplace must have general organizational skills, which allow them to determine the supplies they need, how to arrange their files and whom to contact for specific information. Managers who work with employees will often organize the work of employees to keep them busy, especially those that require a lot of direction, like file clerks or contract workers" (Suttle). In conjunction with that skill, Carl will need to learn basic planning skills and how to get projects completed within specific time periods, and how to plan accurately to bring tasks to fruition and to anticipate problems that could potentially delay the project (Suttle). Carl also needs to be taught skills that orbit around scheduling, resource allocation, and meeting deadlines and time management (Suttle).
Proposed Solution
The alternatives proposed above are all viable ways to correct the problem and are all skills that Carl needs to learn in order to do so. However, the most important solution that is liable to be the most effective is any one which is targeted for procrastinators. So the solution would have to start with asking Carl to do some soul-searching and come up with his fears or anxieties related to finishing tasks, or other issues which could be getting in the way. All organization techniques have to be paired with a tip or strategy that is targeted to procrastination.
For example, in the case study provided, the following tip could probably...
Procrastination appears to be a common problem in western worlds, specifically with college students in relation to academic-specific tasks in comparison to normal adults with everyday tasks. Varied perspectives have been applied to the research of procrastination and some have come to their conclusions as to the nature of procrastination and the reasons behind it. Indirect evidence points to a correlation existing between self-esteem and procrastination. The evidence briefly displays
Procrastination/Self-Esteem Procrastination and Self-Esteem Research The summary statistics resulting from the ANOVA analysis suggest that there is a definite correlation between procrastination levels and self-esteem in the population examined. Procrastination scores from the procrastination scale (Lay, 1986) covered a wide range of responses, however a mean score of about sixty with a standard deviation of just over twelve, meaning that the majority of the study population had a (self-assessed) procrastination level of
Evaluating the information received from these sources, especially popular magazines, websites, and even many of the self-help books -- which are written to make the author a profit, it must be acknowledged -- is at least as important as gathering it in the first place. One of the most important considerations in evaluating the information I gather will be determining the purpose and intent of the author/provider of the information.
Procrastination "Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow," is the procrastinators motto. Although many of us have a joke or two at the expense of our procrastinating friends, it really is a problem that can be so severe for people that it affects their life and work. Students are often prone to procrastination in completing school work and studying for tests. To understand why people procrastinate it's necessary
Procrastination THE FUNNY THING ABOUT PROCRASTINATION body remains at rest...unless acted upon by an outside force" Newton's First Law If there are any corollaries to Newton's Law of Inertia that apply to people, they would seem to be: person remains at rest unless the consequences of continued procrastination outweigh the unpleasantness of interrupting his rest." Procrastination is a very natural urge. It is most likely to overwhelm any competing inclination to action where there is
Procrastination, I pay for it often. It's bad enough that I have trouble sleeping most nights, but when I put off studying for exams until the last moment and was up all hours of the night studying, it certainly did not help my day. By the time I was satisfied with my familiarity of the material I had to learn there were only a couple of hours left for sleep.
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now