I would be surprised if anyone could tell me that they have never procrastinated! We all know the feeling of THAT job (that really needs doing) repetitively nagging us as it sits there boldly on the list, but that we can’t quite find the impetus to start and suddenly the excuses that something else more urgently needs doing arrive in abundance!
I am sure the reasons for procrastinating are subtly different for everyone but – like with most things I write about – I ask: have we made ourselves conscious of what’s going on for us when we do it? And obviously our motivation to complete the task that ticks all our enjoyment boxes is going to be different from the job we consider a tiresome chore!
When I have dragged my heels and eventually ‘got to it’, I have invariably not only found the job wasn’t as bad as I had perceived it to be, I have also felt the pleasure of achievement for getting it done. I guess that’s point ONE! Rewrite the perception. The feeling of a job done is much better than an elongated and incessant niggle and nag in the background! When we can, we probably should just do it (or, in the accent round these parts: ‘Just dirt!’).
I am also very conscious that the start of a job can be a sticking point. That first step can become an unnecessarily big hurdle! What has worked for me, which I guess is point TWO, is physically making the first step very ‘there’. If it’s a computer job, the file is open; if it’s a ‘needs tools’ job, the tools are ready; if it’s a go-somewhere job, I have visualised the journey and found my bike keys! I make that first-step hurdle as small as possible.
Also linked to that first step can be a sense of vagueness about what we specifically need to do. Lack of clarity can become a big block for starting something and sometimes we’re so busy procrastinating, we haven’t consciously clocked that we’re a big vague about the task. This is helpful point THREE: check you know what the task is and if you don’t, make efforts to find out – although of course, you can end up procrastinating about finding out!
Another obvious issue is that procrastination isn’t really about time management, but about mood management. If a task triggers boredom, anxiety, resentment, self-doubt or even mild dread, we instinctively reach for something that gives short-term emotional relief. The brain quietly chooses ‘feel better now’ over ‘feel better later’. That’s also why we might tidy our house from top to bottom rather than get on with the pressing job: we’ve made a bargain with ourselves that, ‘at least I am still doing something worthwhile instead.’ That’s point FOUR: it’s about having emotional awareness when we’re procrastinating. We need to be prepared to ride the unenjoyable emotion of getting on with the task. Of course, invariably, the reward of completion makes smug old ‘hindsight’ say, ‘why didn’t you get on with that in the first place?’
While we’re on awareness, we can also look at our thinking and how that contributes to procrastinating. ‘I’ve always hated admin’ or ‘I’m not creative.’ These statements that we can identify with don’t help us – especially when we have to get on and do the job anyway. They just wobble our confidence in doing the job – a job there is likely evidence that we are perfectly capable of – as we have done it (or something similar) many times before. (And talking about comfort zones – it’s always good to challenge them in the name of building our confidence!)
Something I have also noticed (that links to the Myers-Briggs personality profiling I blogged about recently) is that we have different preferences and approaches to completing tasks. Some of us work steadily towards a deadline; others need the pressure of the deadline upon them before they can focus. In my youth, the latter described me to a tee. However, since writing (sometimes big!) books, and realising I can’t write them the night before the deadline, I have become better at not leaving things to the last minute. My compromise seems to be that I plan, sketch and/or map well in advance, but fine-tune last minute. I have consciously trained myself to adjust my preference because I had to. I notice I have stopped counting.
Another potential cause of procrastination that I definitely suffered with in my youth is fear of the judgement of whatever I completed. I know, as a teacher, some children never finished their work as an unconscious way of putting off ‘the final judgement’! If we perceive we’re going to struggle to achieve something (or do it badly), then the barrier to getting on with it is likely to increase – especially if we’re not being truthful that this is happening for us!
So, and you know what I am going to say, next time you find yourself procrastinating, make yourself aware of all the feelings excuses and mental barriers you’re letting yourself believe and remain unchallenged… 2) Just dirt!