How To Deal With Procrastination
- Anna Bowman
- Jul 9, 2018
- 4 min read
Procrastination is when we avoid completing, or even starting tasks that need to be done. We’ve all done it, it’s easy to put things off that we don’t feel like doing. There could be a number of reasons why we do it, from laziness to fear that we’re not up to the task. Here I’ll try & help you to avoid procrastinating & get cracking on those jobs you’ve been avoiding!
TYPES OF PROCRASTINATION
Believe it or not, there are some situations where procrastination is good! If there is no time pressure it could be beneficial to wait before starting a task as you could find out more information in the meantime, or the situation could change completely.
Now let’s look at why we procrastinate & how we can deal with each reason.
COMPLACENCY
“I can do it any time”, “It won’t take long anyway”
This is you feeling complacent. Your self-confidence (whilst brilliant in most situations & is definitely encouraged!) is too strong in this situation. You feel so certain of the outcome that you don’t feel like you need to make an effort.
To deal with this you could set yourself a more challenging goal. If you’re so sure that you can easily complete your task, make it a bigger & better one. The satisfaction of completing a trickier job will be more rewarding too!
If that doesn’t work for you, keep the task as it is & just get it done. Once it’s out of the way you’ll be available if something else comes up - & it may be something fun!
AVOIDING DISCOMFORT
“I’m not going to enjoy it”, “It’s going to take ages”
No-one likes to do things we don’t want to, but we have to take responsibility & get things done. It’s easy to find more appealing things to do to avoid completing a task (I’m very guilty of this!).
If the task is very large try breaking it into smaller tasks that are more manageable. You’ll find that once you get started on these more minor jobs, you’ll find yourself on a roll & will have everything completed in no time!
FEAR OF FAILURE
“I won’t be able to do it”, “I’ve failed before, so I’ll fail again”
Failure is scary & most people will avoid it at all costs, therefore never getting anything done. If you’ve done the same or a similar job before & failed, of course you’ll want to avoid it as you don’t want to feel that way again.
This is all to do with fear, & how you see yourself & your abilities. When we fail at something, we carry that with us & accept we won’t be able to get it right in the future. This is a limiting belief. Just because you failed once does not mean you will fail again. Think about what you failed on last time - what could you do differently to ensure success? Think positively.
EMOTIONAL BARRIERS
“I’m too stressed to do it now”, “I’m not in the mood”
Understandably we all have periods where we feel down or stressed, & we don’t think we can cope with anything. We can feel like we should put off tasks until the ‘perfect moment’.
Unfortunately there really isn’t a ‘perfect moment’, it’s just something we tell ourselves to make us feel less guilty about procrastinating. Think about how you would feel if you left it to the last minute. It would no doubt be much more stressful, only adding to your already negative feelings.
ACTION ILLUSION
“I’ve been so busy with it, I must be making headway”, “There’s so much to do, I can’t stop”
Sometimes we can feel like we’re working too hard on something but not actually getting anything done. Often we can feel like this because we’re actually using our time poorly & focusing on things that aren’t important to the end goal.
Before you start a task, take time to understand what the important elements are of the task. Ask yourself - “What is a successful outcome, & how can I achieve it?”.
HOW DO I DEAL WITH IT?
Along with the advice above, there are a few things you can do to help you get to work.
START SMALL
Do 5 minutes at a time
Work during advert breaks, while your dinner is cooking etc
After the 5 minutes, ask yourself if you can do another 5
GOALS & REWARDS
Set goals for the day
Make sure your goals are realistic to avoid failure
Once you hit your goal, give yourself a reward
The reward should be appropriate to the work done
(Not a chocolate cake for 2 minutes of reading!)
BE GOOD TO YOURSELF
Think positively about yourself
Today is a new day
Think about how much worse you’ll feel if you leave it to the last minute
Don’t leave everything to “tomorrow you”
ASK FOR HELP
Ask anyone who you think can effectively help you
Friends, family, co-workers
So, we’ve seen that there are lots of different ways to procrastinate. Find which one you’re guilty of & use the tips to help you deal with it. You’ll become a much more effective, confident, & motivated person!
Thank you for reading!
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