Procrastination Got You In Its Grip?
4 Reasons Why and How to Break Free
You’re a hard worker and you know how to be efficient.
But why can’t you get going on your new project?
It’s not like you have poor time-management skills.
If only you could wave a magic wand, then Poof! Done!
But unfortunately, this isn’t a fairy tale. And you have to quickly figure out what’s sidetracking you, so you can get going and finish the project.
Sounds like procrastination.
And if you think procrastination is all about laziness, think again.
“Then what is it?” you ask.
“And how do you fight it?”
Believe me… I understand how you feel. It had its grip on me with my writing a few months ago.
A mental challenge that deactivates your “action button” because you don’t FEEL like it.
That’s why I went searching for answers.
I was desperate to have one article finished within a reasonable amount of time.
You Can Break Free
First, to overcome procrastination you need to have an understanding of the reasons why you procrastinate and how it functions in your life.
4 Possible Reasons …
Find out which applies to you and you’ll immediately start removing things from your to-do list and empower yourself to take action and get things done.
REASON # 1: You don’t have enough information. You don’t really know how to perform the task because you don’t have enough information. When you hear yourself sighing multiple times throughout the day while attempting to do something, maybe getting more information will help you finish the task and chase away the blues. For example, you know you want to lose weight but you keep putting it off because you don’t know where to start. Try googling something like “desserts to eat when losing weight,” or get help from a nutritionist or health coach to help you achieve your goal. Also, there’s likely an app you can use to help you take the first step.
REASON #2: The job takes up too much time and energy. The last thing you want to do is work on something that takes up a big chunk of your time.
And nobody likes to feel overwhelmed, even if you’re doing a good thing. For example, if you’re in charge of planning the games at the upcoming family reunion but you keep slumping your shoulders at the thought of it.
Don’t keep putting it off. Break it down in parts. First, start by getting a total count of everyone, including the senior citizens and toddlers. That way you can plan games that are age-appropriate for each group. REASON #3: Fear, dread, or anxiety about something. Who wants to fail? Nobody. But the only way to find out if you’ll succeed at something, is if you try. Putting forth genuine effort is not just physically performing a task, it’s also thinking it through before, during, and after. For instance, to get rid of the fear of writing a bad blog is to do your best to collect the information to write one. Edit and optimize where needed, then post. If you fail at it, at least you did do something. Also, try again and use a different writing angle to see if that works.
REASON #4: You’re just not interested. We all make time for what we enjoy. Fun is like a magnet that draws you to something. You and every other human being on the face of the planet can get a job or task done when there’s a fun factor involved. Try to turn a mundane activity into something appealing. How?
By using your imagination. IMAGINE yourself consistently meeting your deadlines … confidently declining an unimportant event… easily finishing a project, even if you don’t feel like it. (This is a good start for everything.)
Admittedly, procrastinators end up suffering more and doing worse than other people.
The quality of their work suffers and so does their well-being. (psychologicalscience.org)
If you chronically procrastinate, you cannot experience the full learning processes. It covers up your potential.
And how on earth will you ever move to the next level burdened with it?
It’s like a cousin to writer’s block — — the mental stop sign that prevents you from writing.
Some research show that habitual procrastination is closely related to impulsivity. You choose to be instantly gratified rather than set yourself up for a meaningful long-term accomplishment.
It’s hard for you to picture a productive future self.
Obviously, there are factors outside of your control that sometimes prevent you from making a decision, taking action, or being punctual or meeting deadlines.
That happens from time to time.
But if you find yourself always saying, “I tend to procrastinate when it comes to …,” or you constantly keep putting off something that needs to be done, then it’s chronic procrastination.
And it’s unproductive and harmful to your progress. And that’s not what you’re trying to do.
Constantly delaying something doesn’t teach you to prepare better for the next time. Instead, that particular behavior is preventing you from growing intellectually.
It’s preventing you from gaining knowledge from the whole planning-doing- finishing process.
“The damage suffered as a result of delay doesn’t teach [you] to start earlier the next time around. Ironically, the very quest to relieve stress in the moment might prevent [you] from figuring out how to relieve it in the long run,” — psychological science.org.
Clearly, procrastination is not progress.
It affects your learning and hinders personal growth.
Keep putting off studying and you fail. Keep being late for work and you get fired. Keep putting off self-care and you experience burnout.
There’s no other way to look at it.
Now I’m not saying it’s easy for everyone to just stop like that.
But I am saying it’s a self-defeating cycle and the best way to get out of it is to DO SOMETHING to move you in the right direction.
MAKE A DECISION…TAKE ACTION…LEARN & GROW
The way you tackle procrastination is to take it one step at a time to achieve small successes.
For example: To study for a test, gather your notes. (Hopefully, you took some.)
Another example: To be on time for work in the morning, go to bed at a decent time the night before.
Another example: If you’re stuck on a project at work, ask a co-worker for advice.
And in my case, I worked on my writing 20 minutes at a time every day until I eventually reached my goal. (Inspired by Kathy Widenhouse’s book titled The 20-Minute Blogger)
Writing this article was much easier to get done than the writings I struggled with a few months ago.
Remember small successes lead you to the finish line.
That means you make better grades … You arrive on time … You meet deadlines…You finish a task … you RSVP for the event you’re looking forward to or don’t attend because it’s unimportant and you’re not interested.
The fuel you get from small successes is the steps to help you CHOOSE to keep growing.
Whether your procrastination falls under NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION, TAKES TOO MUCH TIME, FEAR, or LACK OF INTEREST, it prevents you from personal growth.
And you can never be proud of yourself if you’re plagued with it. So, the next time procrastination tries to weasel its way into your life, fix your thoughts on these reasons, so you can identify what’s going on, take action… and be glad you did.
What are you waiting for?
. . .
Sheronda Lofton is a freelance writer for healthy living and personal development. Visit her website at: http://smloftonwrites.com/
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References:
Why Wait? The Science Behind Procrastination — Association for Psychological Science — APS
