For particularly active and driven people, procrastination is a very uncommon problem. However, not everyone is ambitious or hard-working and it's often easy to fall behind in life with constant procrastination. It's often easier to kill time by watching the news, browsing the internet, playing video games or even oversleeping. It's important for folks that are subject to procrastination to be given a 'wake up call' of sorts. They need to realize that they have responsibilities in life and need to break the bad habit of constant procrastination. Every human being should be an active participant in their life and society at large. How would you go about helping someone break out of their procrastination cycle?
It's not an easy task to open a procrastinator's eyes to the fact they their constant doubts are hindering them from getting to where they want to be in life. They often have spurts of enthusiasm and great ambition only to fall into the deepest self-criticism as soon as a project they attempted fails. It might take months before they find the energy to try again. They will try to convince themselves and everyone around them that it's too risky, too difficult, too laborious, etc. And, hence, nothing happens, they revert back to their previous stagnant state. In my experience, the best way to help a procrastinator, is to direct their focus on small goals. One at a time. It will gradually boost their confidence if they set themselves an achievable goal. Instead of reaching for the sky, a procrastinator might first want to reach for a tree branch pointing towards the sky...
I think if people would worry more about themselves and not be so prone to criticize or judge other people. Mind their own business so to speak. Generally people go about things in their own way. Obsessing over what you think is wrong with someone else doesn't actually help them. Putting that energy in actually harms them. If you are ambitious and someone else is not. Why waste your energy thinking of how they are not? Concentrate on people who are like yourself. It's not your job to help anyone break a procrastination cycle. Perhaps you feel this way because you prefer people to be this way because someone such as yourself would be a threat. Focussing on what you want in another person gives you what that focus is. So this focus on the negativity of this procrastinator gives you the procrastinator. My point is, so what. You create what you focus on. Switch your attention.
I'd not know how to help someone with this, because I do that a lot myself, I often get caught playing a video game for a bit... I know I could finish my tasks earlier, but for some reason I put it off, even though I know it will be harder to do it later, but I can't stop myself from doing that
I can relate having the tendency of procrastinating. It happens quite often, actually. When I have to go to work, I usually let myself taken by some other ephemeral activities, deliberately. Then I realize: Hey, you probably won't have the occassion to work in the future, so just do what's important, not what you think it's important.
I tend to procrastinate often, but I seem to enjoy it though, lol. But you are right, people should try to kick the habit because it wastes time in general. Even if the work is boring we should try to accomplish it asap.
When I was still younger I would always say "later" if my parents will tell me to do or accomplish something that is important at the moment. And sometimes I am doing things to the very last minute where I am always in a hurry. I remembered during that time my parents always got angry to me because of my habit of procrastinating. But as I grew older and I became more matured I realized already the essence and value of time in our life and I am happy to say that now I am not anymore the type of person who is always in a hurry doing things but instead I am now a person who do things in advance before it should happen.