“While we waste our time hesitating and postponing, life is slipping away.”
Seneca
What’s procrastination?
Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something.
If you are reading this article is probably because you are a procrastinator or have a procrastinating issue at hand. If this is the case the last thing I want you to do, and “yes” I am talking directly to you, is to dive into an in depth analysis of what procrastination is…instead of getting you out there to do what it is you need to do.
So, let’s get to the point as quickly and efficiently as we can!
Is Procrastination the same as being lazy?
Procrastination is not laziness. Lazy people are simply lazy and happy to carry on doing nothing. Laziness indicates apathy, inactivity and an unwillingness to act. Procrastinators, instead, have the desire to actually do something but for whatever reason they can’t start it. Procrastination is an active process because people actively choose to do something else instead of the task that they know they should be doing.
Why is the difference in meaning between these two words important? Because by providing an accurate description of your situation you’ll better understand how to tackle it.
Why fight procrastination?
Procrastination is one of the main barriers that stops us from achieving our dreams. It’s starts with putting off doing a chore to postponing learning a skill and before we know it our life is static and our dreams are out of the window.
A study on a large number of elderly people revealed that one of the biggest regrets was ‘not having done things’ or simply ‘not having done more’. The study also revealed that this sense of regret was far stronger than the sense of regret over not having done something really well. In addition to this, studies show that these feelings of regret from missed opportunities often can lead to a deep sense of guilt which can hamper a person’s sense of self worthiness.
Even minor episodes of procrastination can make us feel guilty or ashamed which can lead to reduced productivity and missed opportunities. What’s worst, long period of time spent procrastinating can make us feel demotivated, disillusioned and even lead to depression. In extreme cases it can even lead to losing our job.
A lot can be learnt from understanding the human function curve, which explains the different stages of pressure and stress and how they link to one another. This knowledge can help us perform more efficiently while learning how to de-stress and live better.
Types of procrastination
Here’s two facts: we all procrastinate from time to time and procrastination comes in different forms. Knowing the reason why we procrastinate can help us beat it!
Fun and tomorrow procrastinator = lack of self-discipline
This happens when we’d rather continue to have fun than do what needs to be done (generally something boring or less fun!). Sometimes, it may be that we find it difficult to start a project when we know the deadline is a long way away. Yet, even as we get close to the deadline, we still cannot bring ourselves to do it. Other times we seem to be distracted by everything and even staring mindlessly at our smart phone watching pointless clips takes precedence.
We know we should use self-discipline and self-control but we can’t and that’s when feelings of guilt and dread start to appear.
How to defeat it:
Firstly, it’s important to remind ourselves that time isn’t limitless. Postpone, postpone and days, weeks, years can pass. Don’t waste away your life! Secondly, being disciplined is a habit! To assimilate this type of habit takes time, structure and a positive mindset. The power of our thoughts is simply astonishing, but it takes time and practice. If the mindset is not there yet, picking a smaller less daunting task could be a way to kick start. Personally, I find that setting deadlines with friends or family works well. Even if they have nothing to do with my project, I find the public commitment can help me keep motivated and on track. Being my own boss, I have sometimes reverted to giving my work deadlines to a close friend, whom I know finds it funny to check up on my progress, pushing me to meet my goals.
Or…simply count “3, 2, 1 …GO!” and surprise yourself.
Anxious procrastinator due to decision paralysis
Neil Fiore, author of “The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-free Play” defined procrastination as “a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision.” He suggests that people who procrastinate a lot are usually bad at managing their time and often end up scheduling in more work than they can actually do, leaving no time for fun activities or resting. Unfortunately, these unrealistic expectations can cause stress and anxiety.
How to defeat it:
Fiore suggests the “unschedule” as a way to combat anxious procrastination. It’s important to schedule time to do the fun or downtime stuff. It’s a chance to unwind, relax and recharge our batteries. It’s also important to make happy memories even when times are tough or when life is under a lot of pressure. Allocating some time to do this will also prevent us from overscheduling. I recently found myself having to sort out many things at once (relocating to a different country, house hunting, launching a new business, finding time to exercise and do family stuff). I was starting to feel overwhelmed and even starting to blame myself for not being able to manage it all. It was a dear friend to reminded me that I needed to schedule in some daily fun time too. Of course, I was already familiar with this concept, but I had forgotten! Sometimes, a little reminder is all we need. Scheduling some downtime gives us the chance to relax while preventing us from over scheduling. It brings balance between fun and call of duty helping us to unwind and enabling us to better focus when the time comes.
Or…simply count “3, 2, 1 …GO!” and surprise yourself.
Perfectionist procrastinator
Perfectionists seek perfection…but perfection does not exist. It’s attainable and frankly, what’s perfect to one may not be so perfect to another. Yet perfectionists are always striving for the best and constantly criticizing their own work. To them, the fear of failing, or producing work to a low standard, can be so overwhelming that they’d rather not start it at all.
How to defeat it:
Reminding ourselves that nothing is perfect is the first step! It also helps to look at past jobs that we did with good end results without them being perfect. Stop giving yourself a hard time and get on with it!
Or…simply count “3, 2, 1 …GO!” and surprise yourself.
How to Overcome Procrastination
It is possible to overcome procrastination using some simple techniques but, although the techniques may be simple, training yourself to change your habits may take a little longer. Here’s some tips:
Step 1: Acknowledge when you are procrastinating and forgive yourself for having procrastinated in the past.
Step 2: Identify why you are procrastinating.
Step 3: Use the techniques above to defeat it before it gets out of hand. Learn to prioritize, minimize distraction, commit to a task, make it known to someone who can help you keep focused, try not to look at the whole job and learn to take a step at a time. Finally, remember to schedule in some fun and downtime and reward yourself when the job is done!
The Wellness & Purpose Top Tip
If all the above seems too much to take in, then it’s rather simple. At Wellness & Purpose we suggest a very simple step that you can take right now: Count 3, 2, 1 … then GO! You’ve read the article, time to take action!
