How do you stop Procrastination?

[Taqiyah]

Salaam,

Procrastination is really messing me up bad. imsadimsad I always put things for later and go crazy the last minute, I still get things done but with a lot of worry and uneasiness! How do I overcome this urge, it is sorta becoming a habit now and I don't like it.imsadimsadimsad I do read some dua's in the morning to get rid of laziness it helps and I do wake up but I tend to do the less stressful and fun stuff first and put all the stressful work like studying for later and almost never get enough time for it later so I have to put double the effort and it really stresses me out at the end!:phew:phew How do I break this vicious cycle?

JazakumAllah khayr

[S<Chowdhury]

I feel your pain, I'm Procrastinate alot, well sometimes you just got to tell yourself enough is enough and force yourself to do what ever you need to do that seems to work with me. Or even create a timetable for the day like between certain hours you do the things you need to do, and the rest can spent how you want it to be.

[zakirs]

:sl:

Sorry sis i am the master procrastrinator. I don't work all weekend and worry on sunday ngiht abt tommorows homework. Like now :( :( :(

Let us hope we reduce our lazy ness :(

[Ğħαrєєвαħ]

Ameen to the Dua..
Lol i feel the same way, i guess we all got to overcome this InshaAllaah..
i usually do things like just before its supposed to be given in or done..
Try to do things that are supposed be done first, and then do the fun bits at the end, thats what i do my advice InshaAllaah hope it helps. InshaAllaah

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[AlHoda]

:sl:
I am the worst out there, sister Taqiyah, btw I learned that you are Somali sister, just curious because you are the first Somali sister I 've seen on IB, anyway I hope this helpes.

Overcoming laziness and Procrastination

One needs to form the will to change this habit and take immediate steps to reach one's goal. Once your intention is sincere and you follow it up with consistent action, trusting in the Lord, success is guaranteed. Allah assures us in the Qur’an: “And those who shall strive for Our Sake, We shall surely guide them unto Our ways.” (Al-`Ankabut: 69).

While combating laziness, the first thing to do is to recognize that like all negative habits we have formed, it is a habit that we have acquired through consistent practice. We persist in it because we find comfort and gain pleasure in it. So we cannot be expected to get rid of it entirely unless and until we learn to link this habit with ugliness, pain and suffering rather than glamorizing it. So, list all the negative aspects and dire consequences associated with laziness. List everything you stand to lose if you were to persist in this habit. Do this as many times as possible until laziness becomes automatically associated with pain and suffering in your consciousness.

Secondly, every time you have a tendency to feel lazy, take whatever steps you can immediately to counter the tendency and nip it in the bud. By doing these things consistently and repeatedly you will be empowered to overcome laziness.

Here are a few more practical steps you can take to fight this all-pervasive habit:

1. Think of and list all the successes you could achieve if you were to shake yourself free of this negative habit.

2. Think of and meditate on the success stories of the great leaders who, through sheer determination, hard work, and trust in Allah, achieved what was thought to be impossible. Think of the success story of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) who, without hardly any material supports, did what no other person has done. Think of those who have been physically challenged and yet accomplished what others could not do through sheer determination and hard work.

3. List all the positive strengths you have which, even the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or those who have been physically challenged or those who achieved great feats, did not possess.

4. Until such time that you have overcome laziness, it is important for you to associate with those who are successful or hard working. If you are a student, try to choose a study environment to read or study. Fight the temptation of studying at home until you have succeeded in mastering laziness.

5. Last but not least, start your day by counting the blessings of Allah and thus focusing on your strengths rather than on your weaknesses; and pray to Allah to grant you a day of glory, blessings and success. You may consistently make the following du`a’s:

Allahumma inni asbahtu minka fi ni`matin wa `afiyatin wa sitr fa atimma `alayya ni`mataka wa `afiyataka wa sitraka fi ad-dunya wa al-akhirah

(O Allah! I enjoy this morning Your gift of blessings, well being, and protection, all because of Your sheer favor; so consummate these gifts for me in this world and the next).

Allahumma inni a`udhu bika min al-`ajzi wa al-kasal wa al-jubni wa al-bukhl wa a`udhu bika min munkarati al-akhlaqi wa al-ahwa’

(O Allah! I seek refuge in You from feeling of helplessness, laziness, cowardice and *****rdliness; I also seek refuge in You from all despicable traits and whims).

Allahumma inni as’aluka khayra hadha al-yawmi nasrahau wa fat-hahu wa barakatahu wa a`udhu bika min sharri hadha al-yawmi wa sharri ma ba`dahu

(O Allah! I beg You to grant me the best that this day holds out in terms of success, victory, and blessings; and I seek refuge in You from the worst that this day holds out and the day after).”

Also

“The perfect remedy for procrastination is to nurture sound faith in the manner of the Salaf As-Salih (pious predecessors).

Prior to Islam, they were a people without any sense of human achievement or performance, but once they were exposed to the empowering message of the Qur’an, they became energized and utterly transformed; they shook off their complacency and lethargy, and became peak performers and achievers. Whatever they touched was changed anew through their dynamic faith.

The Qur’an spoke thus about their faith, “Is he - who was once dead and then We revived him (through the message of Islam) and thus We appointed for him a light whereby he walks among people - comparable to one who is steeped in darkness, never able to come out of it?” (Al-An`am: 122)

The remedy for fighting procrastination, therefore, is to nurture such dynamic faith.

Coming to precise tips based on such a vision that one can readily apply in order to empower oneself and shake off the habit of procrastination, let us state the following:

1) Procrastination is a learned habit; habits are formed by repeated acts. So the best way to fight procrastination is to take immediate steps to do the thing one is postponing. So every time one is tempted to procrastinate, one must do whatever it takes to do just the opposite. It may be hard in the beginning, but by repeating it over and over, one learns to break the habit. This process must continue until one has learned the new habit and thus it becomes a second nature.

2) As you rise in the morning put yourself in a positive mind set by counting the blessings of Allah thus emulating the beautiful example of our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and praying to Allah to grant you a successful day full of blessings.

3) Try to start your work after Fajr for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed to Allah, “O Allah, bless my Ummah in their early morning endeavors.”

4) Turn to Allah in supplication and seek His help in fighting sloth, laziness and helplessness through the following prayers (Du`a’s):

Allahumma innee a`dhu bika mina al-‘ajzi wa al-kasal wa al-jubun wa al-bukhl wa ghalabati al-dayni wa qahri al-rrijaal

(O Allah, I seek refuge in You from helplessness, sloth, cowardice, *****rdliness, and burden of debts and domineering men.)

Laa ilaaha illa Allaahu al-`azeem al-haleem, la ilaaha illa Allaahu rabbu al-`arshi al-`azeem, laa ilaaha illa Allaahu rabbu al-ssamaawaati wa al-ardhi wa rabbu al-`arshi al-kareem

(There is no god but Allah, the Glorious and Clement; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the Great Throne; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the heavens and earth and the Noble Throne).”

Taken from Islamonline

[AlHoda]

Delete this post------------------------------

[Salahudeen]

I feel ya pain, I went through the entire semester in uni not knowing what the teachers were on about, and fluked the multiple choice exam at the end of the semester. got like 58% alhamdulilah.

I have to start studying and make my mind a vessel of knowledge, it jus gets boring memorising all that stuff they expect you to know.

try going into geek mode that sometimes helps.

[Life_Is_Short]

The solution to your problems are all in your head and you know that.
Do little everyday and remove everything that distracts and therefore prevents you from fulfilling your tasks/goals.

This is easier said then done, i think you'll agree. ;D

[Italianguy]

Get a PDA or planner or something and stick to it.:hmm: Plan out your day. You make time and plan out time for your 5 prayers...yes?...no?. Between your prayers make a list of things to acomplish and do them.........and stop playing video games, that would help;D

['Abd Al-Maajid]

:sl:
Remember the doha of kalidas!;D
kaal kare so aaj kar
aaj kare so ab
pal me pharle hoyegi
pher karega kab

Translation
Do it today, what you've planned for tomorrow
Do it now, what you've planned for today
<I don't remember the last two lines;D>

I don't know if this is ever going to help you or not...

[Taqiyah]

:sl:
I am the worst out there, sister Taqiyah, btw I learned that you are Somali sister, just curious because you are the first Somali sister I 've seen on IB, anyway I hope this helpes.

Overcoming laziness and Procrastination

One needs to form the will to change this habit and take immediate steps to reach one's goal. Once your intention is sincere and you follow it up with consistent action, trusting in the Lord, success is guaranteed. Allah assures us in the Qur’an: “And those who shall strive for Our Sake, We shall surely guide them unto Our ways.” (Al-`Ankabut: 69).

While combating laziness, the first thing to do is to recognize that like all negative habits we have formed, it is a habit that we have acquired through consistent practice. We persist in it because we find comfort and gain pleasure in it. So we cannot be expected to get rid of it entirely unless and until we learn to link this habit with ugliness, pain and suffering rather than glamorizing it. So, list all the negative aspects and dire consequences associated with laziness. List everything you stand to lose if you were to persist in this habit. Do this as many times as possible until laziness becomes automatically associated with pain and suffering in your consciousness.

Secondly, every time you have a tendency to feel lazy, take whatever steps you can immediately to counter the tendency and nip it in the bud. By doing these things consistently and repeatedly you will be empowered to overcome laziness.

Here are a few more practical steps you can take to fight this all-pervasive habit:

1. Think of and list all the successes you could achieve if you were to shake yourself free of this negative habit.

2. Think of and meditate on the success stories of the great leaders who, through sheer determination, hard work, and trust in Allah, achieved what was thought to be impossible. Think of the success story of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) who, without hardly any material supports, did what no other person has done. Think of those who have been physically challenged and yet accomplished what others could not do through sheer determination and hard work.

3. List all the positive strengths you have which, even the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or those who have been physically challenged or those who achieved great feats, did not possess.

4. Until such time that you have overcome laziness, it is important for you to associate with those who are successful or hard working. If you are a student, try to choose a study environment to read or study. Fight the temptation of studying at home until you have succeeded in mastering laziness.

5. Last but not least, start your day by counting the blessings of Allah and thus focusing on your strengths rather than on your weaknesses; and pray to Allah to grant you a day of glory, blessings and success. You may consistently make the following du`a’s:

Allahumma inni asbahtu minka fi ni`matin wa `afiyatin wa sitr fa atimma `alayya ni`mataka wa `afiyataka wa sitraka fi ad-dunya wa al-akhirah

(O Allah! I enjoy this morning Your gift of blessings, well being, and protection, all because of Your sheer favor; so consummate these gifts for me in this world and the next).

Allahumma inni a`udhu bika min al-`ajzi wa al-kasal wa al-jubni wa al-bukhl wa a`udhu bika min munkarati al-akhlaqi wa al-ahwa’

(O Allah! I seek refuge in You from feeling of helplessness, laziness, cowardice and *****rdliness; I also seek refuge in You from all despicable traits and whims).

Allahumma inni as’aluka khayra hadha al-yawmi nasrahau wa fat-hahu wa barakatahu wa a`udhu bika min sharri hadha al-yawmi wa sharri ma ba`dahu

(O Allah! I beg You to grant me the best that this day holds out in terms of success, victory, and blessings; and I seek refuge in You from the worst that this day holds out and the day after).”

Also

“The perfect remedy for procrastination is to nurture sound faith in the manner of the Salaf As-Salih (pious predecessors).

Prior to Islam, they were a people without any sense of human achievement or performance, but once they were exposed to the empowering message of the Qur’an, they became energized and utterly transformed; they shook off their complacency and lethargy, and became peak performers and achievers. Whatever they touched was changed anew through their dynamic faith.

The Qur’an spoke thus about their faith, “Is he - who was once dead and then We revived him (through the message of Islam) and thus We appointed for him a light whereby he walks among people - comparable to one who is steeped in darkness, never able to come out of it?” (Al-An`am: 122)

The remedy for fighting procrastination, therefore, is to nurture such dynamic faith.

Coming to precise tips based on such a vision that one can readily apply in order to empower oneself and shake off the habit of procrastination, let us state the following:

1) Procrastination is a learned habit; habits are formed by repeated acts. So the best way to fight procrastination is to take immediate steps to do the thing one is postponing. So every time one is tempted to procrastinate, one must do whatever it takes to do just the opposite. It may be hard in the beginning, but by repeating it over and over, one learns to break the habit. This process must continue until one has learned the new habit and thus it becomes a second nature.

2) As you rise in the morning put yourself in a positive mind set by counting the blessings of Allah thus emulating the beautiful example of our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and praying to Allah to grant you a successful day full of blessings.

3) Try to start your work after Fajr for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed to Allah, “O Allah, bless my Ummah in their early morning endeavors.”

4) Turn to Allah in supplication and seek His help in fighting sloth, laziness and helplessness through the following prayers (Du`a’s):

Allahumma innee a`dhu bika mina al-‘ajzi wa al-kasal wa al-jubun wa al-bukhl wa ghalabati al-dayni wa qahri al-rrijaal

(O Allah, I seek refuge in You from helplessness, sloth, cowardice, *****rdliness, and burden of debts and domineering men.)

Laa ilaaha illa Allaahu al-`azeem al-haleem, la ilaaha illa Allaahu rabbu al-`arshi al-`azeem, laa ilaaha illa Allaahu rabbu al-ssamaawaati wa al-ardhi wa rabbu al-`arshi al-kareem

(There is no god but Allah, the Glorious and Clement; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the Great Throne; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the heavens and earth and the Noble Throne).”

Taken from Islamonline

Salaam sister! JazakaAllah this is sooo unbelievably helpful subhanaAllah I read it like 3 times and It is really changing my attitude already:statisfie

[Taqiyah]

Do little everyday and remove everything that distracts and therefore prevents you from fulfilling your tasks/goals.

Yeah! LI forum is my major distraction nowadays:raging::raging:

[Taqiyah]

Get a PDA or planner or something and stick to it.:hmm: Plan out your day. You make time and plan out time for your 5 prayers...yes?...no?. Between your prayers make a list of things to acomplish and do them.........and stop playing video games, that would help;D

Nice..I like that idea of planning my activities around the five daily prayers!How come I never thought of that before:hmm::D Video games naah not anymore I only used to play it to beat my bros in high school

[bewildred]

Sister, I think I'm the queen of all procrastinators. It's a trait of personality and it's hard to get rid of. If there are people who succeeded to overcome their procrastinating character, I'd love to know their tips.

[Minniiee..Mee..]

A/Aleykum,,
Procrastination really is bad. To be honest Ive only heard this word today lol. what I always do and find its really good is that you do things way before hand so when it actually comes to the event you dont have anything to worry about. Say you want to plan an Eid gathering. Depending if you want it to be a big gathering or a small gathering is how long it would take. Say its a small one then start a week planning everything food, drinks, entertainment maybe. That way you won't have a hard time when it gets to he day. I Hope Advice helped :)

W/Salaam

[rabiabegum786]

find the source of motivation in your life........mines is inshallah to go umrah this year and study law at bham uni........let that be your driving force

[Cabdullahi]

^ mashallah good advice rabiabubblegum

[Italianguy]

Nice..I like that idea of planning my activities around the five daily prayers!How come I never thought of that before:hmm::D Video games naah not anymore I only used to play it to beat my bros in high school

Glad I could help:D .......I don't play video games, i wasn't allowed to as a kid:hmm: so I guess I never got into them. .....My wife loves doing the "wii fit" thing and she makes me play the Mario Brothers game.....but I die all the time and she starts screaming at me in Tamil!:raging: She and my son will play for hours sometimes:p........I just watch them and talk to everyone on LI;D

[Taqiyah]

find the source of motivation in your life........mines is inshallah to go umrah this year and study law at bham uni........let that be your driving force

MashaAllah this statement really got to me.JazzakaAllah.

[Uthman]

I've so been there. :hmm:

http://www.islamicboard.com/educatio...stinating.html

[Najm]

AsSalamOAlaikum WaRehmatuAllah WaBarkatuhu

Heres a thread which maybe handy....

http://www.islamicboard.com/general/...stination.html

May we all use time for the best benefit...Ameen

FiAmaaniAllah