TABLE OF CONTENT
- WHAT IS PROCRASTINATION
- WHY DO WE PROCRASTINATE
- TYPES OF PROCRASTINATION
- HOW TO OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION
Procrastination, or as I like to call it, the waiting game, a game we play with ourselves by putting things off until the last moment. We have a love-hate relationship with it and yet we keep playing this game over and over again.
Procrastination, my dear friends, is not a disease or a sign of weakness. It is a habit that is affected by our feelings and we all experience it from time to time. These feelings are the ones that make us feel uneasy or uncomfortable, which by procrastinating we put them under the carpet.
But the question is, how many feelings can you put under the carpet ?
At a point the carpet is going to come off and we are left with nothing but a stack of negative feelings about ourselves.
Procrastination may seem like self-sabotage, but in reality, it’s a way of protecting ourselves, a coping mechanism.
WHY DO WE PROCRASTINATE
- Lack of motivation: When we don’t feel motivated, it can be difficult to find the energy to get started especially when the task at hand is something we don’t enjoy or find it interesting or when the task is something we have to do, but don’t really care about. It can also be due to Lack of interest in the task
- Fear of failure: If we’re afraid that we might not succeed, it can be tempting to put off the task in order to avoid the possibility of failure. We may be afraid of not living up to our own or others’ expectations, or we may worry about making mistakes.
- Afraid of success: this might sound strange, but it’s actually quite common. Sometimes, the idea of succeeding at something can be intimidating and they might fear that they won’t be able to maintain their success once they achieve it, as it can bring with it a whole new set of challenges and responsibilities.
- Being a perfectionist: When we hold ourselves to impossibly high standards, we may avoid starting a task because we fear that we won’t be able to do it perfectly. This fear of not being perfect can be overwhelming and cause us to avoid the task altogether.
- Not knowing where to start: This can be a major roadblock for some people, leading to feelings of overwhelm and confusion. This can be especially true for complex tasks or projects that require a lot of planning and organization or when a person doesn’t have a clear action plan.
TYPES OF PROCRASTINATION
- Situational procrastination: This happens when someone avoids doing tasks that they don’t like,Something that is specific and only situation based.such as laundry, cleaning, or having a difficult conversation.
- Chronic procrastination: Where people struggle to finish any task and have a hard time committing to anything. The task could be anything and everything under the sky.
- Deadline procrastination: People who experience this type of procrastination tend to rush to finish a task right before its deadline causing unnecessary stress and anxiety.
- No deadline procrastination: working on your health or your relationship, seeing your family etc, in these cases there are no deadlines which means we don’t have any panic or pressure to start it and this can lead to long-term unhappiness and regrets.
No matter what kind, we all tend to get into this habit at some point in our lives. Some people are able to overcome it, some may not be.The important thing is to recognize when it’s happening, and take steps to break the cycle.
HOW TO OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION :
As a dedicated procrastinator myself, one thing I learned was that Self reflection is key to the entire process.
- Developing awareness: The first step is to become aware of your procrastination tendencies. This means paying attention to when and why you procrastinate, and being honest with yourself about the impact it is having on your life.
- Setting/breaking goals into smaller tasks: Set specific, achievable goals for yourself. Make sure your goals are realistic. Sometimes a task can feel overwhelming, which can lead to procrastination. Breaking the task into smaller, more manageable steps can make it feel less intimidating and easier to start. For e.g. working on a 25 slides presentation seems like a huge task. One can start and focus only on 1 slide at the beginning.
- Gratitude and positive self talk: In a cycle of procrastination, it can be easy to focus on what we haven’t done, rather than what we have accomplished. Taking a few moments each day to focus on the things we are grateful for and adopting an experimental mindset can help shift our perspective and boost our motivation,allowing us to take risks and learn from our mistakes.This could be as simple as writing down three things you are grateful for in a journal or taking a few minutes to meditate on what you appreciate in your life or giving yourself a positive pep talk.
- The 5 Second Rule: Mel Robbins, a known podcast host and a motivational speaker talks about the 5 second rule. She says, it takes 5 seconds for our brain to get us out of something, which means we have only 5 seconds to take action before our brain can talk us out of it.
When procrastination strikes, Don’t be too hard on yourself. Instead, try aiming to understand why you delay tasks and appreciate yourself for making an effort. Remember, small steps count and every attempt gets you closer to your goal. So, take it easy and give yourself credit for trying.