“Never put off ‘til tomorrow what you can do today.” – Thomas Jefferson
I have been a procrastinator for as long as I can remember. I’ll procrastinate easy things (thinking of a shirt that’s been hanging on my wardrobe door for a couple of months now that just needs a 60 second sewing button job!) I’ll procrastinate difficult things. I procrastinate sleep, and I love sleep! I even procrastinated writing this blog! So now I feel the time has come to say, “Enough’s enough!”
We all, at some point, fall victim to procrastination. Because procrastination is easy. It feels safe. We are not entering a formidable zone of discomfort when we put things off, rather we are giving ourselves instant gratification in another form, whatever we chose to do instead. Who wouldn’t prefer to spend an hour on YouTube watching videos of cute puppies? When we procrastinate, we are choosing immediate results over long-term accomplishments. But are we creating happiness or satisfaction by procrastinating? How do you feel when you realise you put it off? Again! Yes, that hit of instant gratification is so good, but is the self-loathing or disappointment you feel later on good?
Placing things in our “I’ll get round to it” mental filing cabinet is not good for us. It kills productivity and negatively affects our stress levels and sense of work-life balance. On a happiness scale, I’d say procrastination is up there with one of the biggest threats to our contentment levels. Because that thing you didn’t do, it’s still THERE! Waiting to be done. Looking at you and pointing it’s big fat finger at you yelling, “Why didn’t you cross me off your list, you said you would?!”
In his TED talk, ‘Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator,’ Tim Urban talks of two types of procrastination. One with a deadline and one without. And the latter is the dangerous one. The first one will get done, it may stress us out and involve an all-nighter, but ultimately, that deadline does hold us accountable. To have no deadline, though, can leave things always floating around in the ether. And they are often things that mean the most to us. A change of career, dealing with a relationship issue, starting that book you always wanted to write. These are meaningful things, things we really want yet we just can’t get around to them.
Often, fear fuels procrastination – both the deadline and non-deadline type. Okay, not the button sewing kind, but I might at times feel a sense of dread and fear of judgement if I have to submit a work project that I'm not feeling so confident about. So, I put it off. Easy. Putting off the stuff with no deadline can also stem from fear. Everything’s just fine as it is, right? Take a of change of career; giving up the security that you know isn’t fulfilling you but pays the rent. Yep, that sparks fear. Procrastination can come from a place of deep emotion. We aren’t just bad at time management when we procrastinate, we’re avoiding negative or anxious feelings. In a way, we procrastinate to protect ourselves by doing something more positive (call your friends, YouTube those puppies) but only create more unhappiness as we do. Vicious circle or what? We put off the task because we don’t feel like it – we begin to feel stressed about it – we are then too stressed to focus on the task – we put it off until tomorrow. Tomorrow becomes today and off we go again! Procrastination can lead to stress, anxiety, guilt, overwhelm, overwork, burnout. Is that not enough reason to do something about it?
So, how can we overcome procrastination? #Procrastination can creep up on us absolutely anywhere. Ever wanted to fold the laundry, but found a thousand other things to do until it was bedtime and the pile of laundry still lies there untouched? We had the good intentions, but procrastination reared its ugly head. Once again, we go to bed dissatisfied and disappointed in ourselves. Here's some things to get us on the road to action.
Awareness is an important step. Once we realise and identify across how many areas of our lives we are procrastinating, we can label what’s happening and we will become more and more aware of it. Realise that you’ve done it, accept it and forgive yourself. Beating yourself up will likely cause you to procrastinate more. It’s done, it’s over, move on.
Small Steps - As a coach, I look at things in stages and break goals down into smaller, more achievable steps. Look at Step 1 – seems manageable right? Doesn’t look so scary anymore? Completing step 1 for me always feels like a lifted weight. Starting is the hardest part. Often step 2 follows swiftly after and I make bigger strides than I had planned on day 1. Your brain gets a hit of dopamine when you experience the satisfaction that comes with a task being crossed off your list. Break each project you have down into small steps and see how you can find it within you to be that person of action, not procrastination. When coaching clients, I often ask, “What is one action you could take today that would move you closer to your goal?” Well, what is one small step you could take today on the task you are procrastinating? And really go small here. Sometimes, for me, it’s as small as creating a Word document, giving it a title and saving it where it needs to be. Once I do that, I rarely stop there and close the document. That hit of dopamine we get from accomplishing tasks, even broken-down tasks, will give us a confidence boost. We begin to feel capable after all. We CAN make progress! With confidence comes motivation. Now we are in a better place.
5-minute rule - One thing that helps with making the first step is giving yourself a 5-minute rule. Commit to giving the task just 5 minutes of your time. You’ve now crossed that procrastination threshold and I’m pretty sure you’ll end up giving a little more time to the task as well or maybe even doing the whole thing. This step really works for me with household chores I'm putting off.
Enlist the help of a coach – if what you’re procrastinating is a goal with no deadline, say a change of career, a coach can help you break it down into milestones and begin taking action. You are accountable to your coach and therefore it might provide the initial push you need to get started.
Reflect – at the end of the day, reflect on what you did. Did you take the first step or commit to 5 minutes? Write down your progress. Seeing your progress will motivate you to carry on. Reflect on how it made you feel, and remember that feeling of satisfaction next time you think about putting something off.
Reward yourself – how will you celebrate having achieved your goal and accomplished the task you were procrastinating on? Do something nice. Meet a friend, take a bath, just do something knowing it is your reward for your achievement.
So now you are equipped with some tools to help beat your procrastination, what are you waiting for? Time to go from procrastination to action! Well, maybe after a cup of tea.
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