“My name is Aleks and I’m a procrastinator”. In fact, I’m meant to be writing a report right now and I’m writing this instead! Only kidding…sort of 😉 Many people who know me might describe me as productive but I haven’t always been efficient in my use of time. I’ve slowly learnt to tackle the “do it later” inner voice.
Procrastination is something most of us are familiar with. We know we should start a task but find ourselves doing something else which is more enjoyable. I remember when I was writing my doctoral thesis, I never had my house so clean and for several months I felt like I became Chopin on the piano!
There is also an unfortunate paradox with procrastination. Although we might buy some relief from distress by delaying an obligation, we end up experiencing greater emotional discomfort and jobs may even stack up. You may find yourself caught in a cycle of avoidance and growing pressure.
So why do we do it and how do we break it? The key to answering these questions lie in understanding which type of procrastination you are engaging in.
Headless chook procrastination
Sometimes it can be difficult to get started with a particular task due to feeling like there are too many other competing things to do. Procrastination may temporarily ward off feelings of anxiety and stress associated with being disorganised.
Bigger than Ben Hur procrastination
Have you ever written down a task on a to-do list only to feel paralysed by not knowing where to start? A task can feel so big it can be exhausting just thinking about it.
Fear of failure procrastination
If you anticipate that you will fail at a particular goal, this may trigger feelings of dread, anxiety, guilt, shame, or sadness. It may not be so much the possibility of failure which causes emotional discomfort, as what failure means to you. Procrastination may arise as an attempt to cope with negative thinking and self-doubt.
Perfectionist procrastination
A close cousin of the previous subtype, procrastination which is driven by perfectionist expectations is ultimately a fear of failing. If you hold rigid and overly high expectations of your performance or outcomes, you may find yourself afraid of not being able to meet your expectations, and resort to delaying getting started as a means of avoiding disappointment.
‘Nothing like a fire under your butt to get you going’ procrastination
For many different reasons sometimes it can be hard to find sufficient motivation to start a task. One of the consequences of procrastinating is that inevitably the pressure to take on a task builds. For some people, this nervous energy becomes the very source of motivation. It’s a bit like riding the wave of a busted dam. As a student, having completed many pieces of assessment the night before they were due, I was guilty of relying on this unhealthy method of finding motivation!
Heart is not in it procrastination
Whilst even the most rewarding experiences often involve a degree of effort and struggle, activities that are not very enjoyable, and do not result in meaningful payoffs, can seem incredibly difficult to engage in. You may be putting off a task because your goals do not align with what you truly value.
Steps to overcome procrastination
1) Acknowledge that you are procrastinating.
2) Work through the underlying issue depending on which of the above type/s of procrastination are relevant to you. Often what drives procrastination is an avoidance of emotional discomfort and sometimes your feelings are telling you to consider whether your goals truly reflect what you value. If you feel that the main barrier is anxiety, guilt or stress, it may be helpful to address these feelings by challenging related unhelpful thoughts, or taking a moment to reduce distress by for example taking planned time-out, meditation or relaxation exercises. Mindfulness exercises are a useful way of learning to tolerate uncomfortable feelings, which is useful when pay offs are more long-term rather than short-term. Procrastination can also reflect a deeper difficulty such as an anxiety issues, perfectionism or depression, and it may be useful to talk to a trusted person about these feelings. Cognitive behavioural and acceptance commitment therapy offer useful psychological approaches for overcoming unhelpful thoughts and feelings.
3) Break tasks into smaller goals
4) Commit to a plan. Set specific times for carrying out the tasks.
5) Evaluate your progress. If you meet your goals reward yourself in some way. If you find yourself still procrastinating, be kind to yourself, and try to understand the specific barriers to moving forward.
6) Problem solve around barriers to following through on goals.
Now back to my report…no hold on…I think I need to clean up first 😉
