Recent Newsletters
October 2009 -
Procrastination:
Why do we put things off,
and what can we do about it?
There are many reasons why people procrastinate: feeling tired or lazy, disliking the task, or simply feeling overwhelmed. These are all legitimate feelings that can prevent us from doing or finishing a task, but if this is a pattern in your life, there may be something a little deeper behind your procrastination - perhaps a fear of moving forward in life.
Step 1 - Look for the Pattern
When you find yourself putting things off, stop and ask yourself, "Do I always put this task off?" If the answer is "yes," then you need to take some time and ask yourself why.
Two of the most common reasons are: the task is something we strongly dislike, or the task invokes a fear. If it is paperwork such as filling out your monthly expenses, you might just hate the paperwork, or the prospect of this task may conjure fears around finances. If the task you are avoiding is more involved, such as de-cluttering your home, it could be a fear-based response that you may not be aware of. See which category your procrastination fits into. A simple test is to ask yourself: "Does thinking of this task make me anxious?" If it does than your procrastination is probably fear-based.
Step 2 - How to Stop Procrastinating
Let's say you just don't like the task. How do you motivate yourself to do it? If it is simply a task that you don't like, I often advise people to try rewarding themselves when they finish. Think of something you would rather be doing, such as enjoying a nice brunch with friends, or getting a spa treatment. It doesn't matter what you choose as long as you enjoy it. Then do the task you have been putting off, knowing when it's done, you have something great to look forward to.
If you answered that the task does make you anxious, take some time and try to figure out what you are feeling anxious about. Generally it's not the task that is causing your anxiety, but what happens in your life when you complete it, or how you may feel when you force yourself to address it. Find a friend, relative or therapist to talk it out with. Talking it through often helps you realize it is not as scary or overwhelming as you thought.
Let's look at an example of working this through. One of my clients was having great difficulty keeping on top of his paperwork at the office. He said it was an impossible task that he really needed an assistant to do. After digging a bit deeper he realized that the paperwork was not the real issue. He felt that if his paperwork was organized the expectations from his boss would increase and he might not be able to meet these expectations. His fear of failure turned out to be the real issue. It was based in his first job where he tried his best and was let go. My client was afraid that if he gave this job all of his efforts it may not be good enough and he might get fired. In reality, his boss had told him to get on top of the paperwork or he would lose his job. To my client this wasn't as terrible because he hadn't really put the effort in so if he got fired it didn't feel the same; somehow it would be all right. This was his pattern at his last two jobs. So we worked to clear up what happened at his very first job where this pattern began. As we addressed some of the issues behind the pattern, he was eventually able to go back to work and clean up all of his paperwork.
So if you find yourself procrastinating, give some thought as what is actually causing your procrastination. In the words of the English poet Edward Young (1683-1765): "Procrastination is the thief of time." How much time do you want to waste?