Handling Delay—
1: Understanding
ENHANCING SOFT SKILLS Procrastination
AND PERSONALITY
T. Ravichandran
Lesson
8
Week 2 Unit 3
OF THE LAST LESSON
Focussed on using time efficiently.
Time efficiency implies identifying and doing activities of high value by
managing our habits and perceptions of time.
lazy mind-set, immediate pleasure seeking thoughts,
postponement, not starting if not sure of end results, escapist tendency,
watching TV, finding others’ jobs more important.
Give Due Regard to Your DEADLINES!; Convert Time-Stealers into Time-
Gifters!; Find time for valuable activities
Discussed Steven Covey’s model; 2
Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
Pareto Principle (80% productivity depends on 20% activity).
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
Parkinson’s Law: Work expands so as to fill the
time available for its completion.
Hence, the wise men say that if you want to get a
job done, give it to someone who is busy!
Learn to say “NO”: Everything you do has an
opportunity cost!
Avoid Procrastination by all means, at any cost! 4
Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
PROCRASTINATION
The act or habit of putting off,
delaying or deferring an action to a later time
especially when something requires immediate attention.
Pro: forward cras: tomorrow
The abysmal gap between what is intended and what gets
executed!
Letting the low-priority tasks interfere with the completion of
high-priority ones.
Resulting in panic and regret that I should have started earlier!
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
PROCRASTINATION LEADS TO . . .
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
HANDLING PROCRASTINATION
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
When we develop psychological and emotional fear
for the unknown.
When we fear humiliation, failure and/or rejection.
When we fear we are inadequate and suffer from low
self-esteem
When we worry too much about what others think.
When we are pessimistic about the outputs.
When we just feel lazy!
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
Newton’s first law of motion: “An object at rest stays at
rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the
same speed and in the same direction unless acted
upon by an unbalanced force.”
Inertia:
The tendency for body at rest to stay at rest
and resist change.
Greaterforces are needed to initiate change than to
maintain change.
Lying on the couch is easier than getting up!
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
LACK OF FOCUS
o Getting easily distracted . . .
o Seeking solace in trivial comfort zones . . .
Mass Distraction =
Mind Destruction!
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
WHEN WE SUFFER FROM PETER PAN
SYNDROME . . .
J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan can fly but remains child forever.
The ‘Peter Pan Syndrome’: Emotional/Social immaturity.
People who do not want to or feel unable to grow up.
Possess the body of an adult but think, feel, and act like a child!
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
BUT DELAY CAN LEAD TO DENIAL . . .
As in the case of . . .
Leo Tolstoy’s story “God sees the truth, but waits”
For quick summary:
http://janinetamboliteratureproject.weebly.com/summary.html
For Full Story:
http://www.lonestar.edu/departments/english/tolstoy_god_sees.pdf
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
I don’t fear
commitment;
I fear wasting my time.
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
MUST READ BOOKS . . .
Eat That Frog: 21 Ways to stop Procrastination and get More Done in Less Time
Get Paid More and Promoted Faster
Focal Point
Goals!: How To Get Everything You Want—Faster Than You Ever Thought
Possible
~Brian Tracy
Getting Organized at Work ~ Ken Zeigler
Marty Nemko, "How To Do Life: The Peter Pan Syndrome: Why smart people fail" .
Psychology Today. May 13, 2016. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/how-do-
life/201605/the-peter-pan-syndrome
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Dr. T. Ravichandran, Professor, HSS Department, IIT Kanpur, India
