What Is Procrastination And How To Over Come It
At some point in each of our lives, we have all practiced the art of procrastination. How could we not? After all, delays happen.
Sometimes the delay is necessary or prudent, such as getting to the doctor because you have come down with the flu or a child needs help with homework, so you don't get the laundry put away. This type of delay isn't an issue.
The issues arise when procrastination becomes a chronic habit causing problems in your personal or professional life. Procrastination is the tendency to delay tasks necessary to achieve a goal or complete a project. It's essential to realize it's an emotional management problem, not a time management problem. Uncomfortable emotions can arise for multiple reasons, including being overwhelmed with tasks, not knowing or feeling comfortable with the next step, and worrying about how the outcome will reflect your perceived self-worth or value.
Procrastination is our nervous system's short-term solution to escaping the uncomfortable feelings associated with undesirable tasks. If you labeled your actions lazy, think of this as your nervous system's coping strategy instead. When this occurs, you might notice yourself seeking out distractions to avoid these uncomfortable feelings, which you may deem productive to protect your self-worth, or straight-out distraction (nonproductive).
How familiar does this sound to you, "I'll do it tomorrow," "There is plenty of time to work on it," or "I just don't feel like it right now," followed by your favorite distraction?
- Productive: you take to reorganizing your entire closet or every drawer in your kitchen.
- Nonproductive: Checking email even though you checked it twenty minutes ago, getting on social media to update your status only to start scrolling, or catching up on your favorite Netflix series.
Either way, the result is the same; you look at the clock, and four hours have passed, leaving you no closer to getting what you needed to get done. Thereby resulting in the uncomfortable feeling growing along with added stress, anxiety, and self-doubt. Indeed a vicious loop, wouldn't you agree?
Addressing These Uncomfortable Feelings
If you are here reading this post, I bet you have already tried multiple methods that have only proven to be a band-aide solution, such as time blocking, chunking, and setting deadlines. These are all wonderful tools but will only be truly effective with emotional management.
Growing up, you may not have learned how to manage emotions, but the good news is it's never too late! Carl Jung said, "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will rule your life, and you will call it fate." Now is your opportunity to get curious and explore instead of avoiding feelings you don't want to feel.
First, be kind to yourself by acknowledging it's okay to feel how you feel. Go one step further and tell yourself you forgive yourself. Forgiving yourself is proven to assist in releasing and helping you process. Know there are no negative emotions, and you can't control what feelings come up.
Second, begin focusing on your breath to feel through these emotions and process them. As you focus on deep breathing, ask yourself, what do I avoid when procrastinating? Examine where you feel tightness or tension in your body. Is it in your throat? Do you feel pressure in your chest or belly? Listen and connect with where you are feeling these emotions.
Third, examine and reframe your thoughts. Tell yourself, "I am willing to feel uncomfortable to complete the task or reach my goal. It is temporary, and I will be okay."
From Procrastination to Just Getting Started
Be patient; shift doesn't happen overnight; continue investigating your emotions to discover the root cause; as you do, your body will release the urge to numb the feeling by endlessly scrolling social media or binge-eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's chunky monkey.
This procrastination habit can be broken; it might not feel that way right now. As I said above, it's about holding some grace and being patient with yourself by exploring, understanding, and addressing the root causes behind your procrastination.
Realize that strategies such as shutting yourself off distractions, chunking tasks into smaller pieces, and setting realistic deadlines are helpful, but alone won't be enough to help you overcome them. It is processing the emotions you are experiencing and addressing the deeper fears holding back your progress.
