Ah, procrastination: putting off until tomorrow what could (and should) be done today – and usually against your better judgement, too. Just think about how frustrated you feel when you postpone a (usually unpleasant or difficult) task that you know will come back to haunt you! And, yet, we do it anyway.
“This is why we say that procrastination is essentially irrational,” psychologist Dr Fuschia Sirois says. “It doesn’t make sense to do something you know is going to have negative consequences. People engage in this illogical cycle of chronic procrastination because of an inability to manage negative moods around a specific task.”
Why we do it
Procrastination is essentially a way of coping with the challenging emotions caused by certain tasks, such as boredom, anxiety, self-doubt and beyond.
“Procrastination is an emotion regulation problem, not a time-management problem,” explains psychologist Dr Tim Pychyl.
Put simply: you’re more focused on the immediate urgency of managing negative moods than getting on with the task itself. Ironically, putting things off won’t make you feel any better.
A recent Swedish study, published on JAMA Network Open, showed that higher levels of procrastination contributed to symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress, as well as poor sleep quality, more physical inactivity and loneliness. So serial procrastinators might very well have to stop delaying and get things done.
How to stop procrastinating
1. Find the bigger, better offer
Give your brain a better deal, suggests psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr Judson Brewer.
What would make you feel even better than the short-term relief of avoiding the challenging emotions around an unpleasant task? Perhaps the positive feelings elicited by a tough job done well – or just done?
2. Forgive yourself
Studies have shown that practising self-compassion in the face of your failures decreases psychological distress (a main culprit for procrastination), while actively boosting motivation, feelings of self-worth and positive emotions, such as optimism and curiosity. It also makes it more likely that you’ll positively adapt your behaviour in the future.
3. Reframe the task
Consider a good aspect of the thing you’d rather avoid. Perhaps remind yourself of a time that you did something similar and it turned out okay, or think about the beneficial outcome of completing the task. What might your boss or partner say when you show them your finished work? How will you feel about yourself? This will help keep you motivated.
4. Set a time limit
If you really hate a task, commit to just doing a short amount of time. This may feel more achievable than doing it all in one go.
You could try the Pomodoro Technique: breaking down the task into short, timed intervals followed by a brief break. You don’t need any special apps but you can use the Pomodoro timer if you find it helpful. It times for 25 minutes then you can choose between a five or 15 minute break.
5. Break down the task
If it’s a complicated task, break it down into smaller chunks. Take this a step further with SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.
For example, your goal may be to get fit. This may feel difficult to achieve. But if your SMART goal is “I want to exercise three days a week for at least 30 minutes”, that is much more specific and achievable.
Newsletter
_(1)_11zon_(1).jpg&h=193&w=250&c=1&s=1)
