We are guilty of it. We all do it from time to time. The real question that we should be asking ourselves is why do we do it at all?
The famous proverb by English poet Edward Young wrote “Procrastination is the thief of time”. Procrastination steals valuable, irreplaceable time, leading to missed opportunities, increased stress, reduced productivity, and negative impacts on mental well-being and future success, as time spent putting things off is time wasted from doing more important things or enjoying life. It highlights how putting off today’s responsibilities burdens future selves and prevents personal growth, ultimately leaving one with less time and more unfinished business.
If procrastination is so negative, then why do so many of us do it? Do we even know what causes procrastination? First, to correct it, we need to define it. Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily delaying tasks, even when knowing it leads to negative consequences, often stemming from fear (failure, overwhelmed), perfectionism, poor motivation, or low self-discipline, and it results in stress, guilt, poor performance, and can link to mental health issues like anxiety or depression.
Procrastination is caused by an emotional regulation (not laziness) stemming from a desire to avoid negative feelings like anxiety, boredom, or fear (of failure, judgment, or imperfection) that are associated with a task. This leads to the delay for short-term mood relief. Some of the key factors that can be attributed to procrastination are perfectionism, feeling overwhelmed, low self-efficacy (belief in your ability), lack of motivation, poor time management, distractions, and underlying conditions like ADHD or depression.
Ok, now that we have read all about what it is and what causes it, how do we address it and fix the issue.
First, to start towards the path of overcoming it, we need to break the task that is being put off into smaller steps. We can make to do lists, eliminate distractions and ultimately address the emotional cause that specifically we are experiencing (anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, and more). You need to understand that you are NOT lazy.
Procrastination is caused by stress and not because you are lazy. Identifying the root cause will make things a whole lot easier.
Second, just start the fucking task already! Stop thinking and over analyzing and start the fucking project! When you break the task into smaller steps, it becomes more manageable and visually our minds can say, ok, I can handle that. Set time frames like 30 minutes max to work on a step so that you reward yourself with a 15-minute break before you move onto the next step.
Become more organized. AKA, get your shit together. Create strategies, list the tasks, prioritize them, delegate if needed and schedule realistic deadlines for yourself. Set realistic goals that you will be able to achieve when working on the task. Schedule yourself time for the task. Time management will help elevate some of the stress that you are creating. Make sure you are being realistic with the needed amount of time that is needed to complete the task.
Increase your motivation. Make it a game. Create a reward for yourself once you finish. This creates positive motivation internally. Increasing positive thoughts can increase your motivation and decrease the anxiety that you are associating with the task. Make sure you know your personal why and why you want to start and finish the task in the first place. Connect with the purpose and use it as motivation.
Now, where there is a negative, there is also a positive. Kind of a ying and yang to the overall viewpoint of what procrastination is. The positive side of procrastination helps with creativity. Research shows that procrastination is not only good, but important during the creative process. Setting aside the project for a few hours, days, weeks, months allows the mind to wonder and creates extra time to come up with more creative ideas that will boost the overall project. Stuck on a topic where you can’t find the answer, step away for a period and then come back to it. Putting separation between you and the assignment can create a positive thought process and allow you to clear your mind.
Procrastination is the subconscious’ aspiration to feel good right now and in this moment. The subconscious is trying to make you feel a little less stressful in the now as it doesn’t look into the future. The mind is telling you don’t do the task that seems hard in that moment. The mind is making you avoid the task to provide you with a sense of relief.
So many of my clients tell me that they feel out of control when it comes to procrastination. Is this how you feel about it? They are partly correct as they are not in control until they know the real reason that they procrastinate. When we replace the difficult task with something easier, we get a temporary boost of feeling in control and feeling like you are in a good mood. That feeling will eventually go away.
Need help trying to figure out why you procrastinate so much, give me a call and together we can identify the root cause. Remember, “You may delay, but time will not.”
– Benjamin Franklin
