Procrastination – what is it, why do we postpone, and how to stop it?
In the modern world, almost everyone procrastinates, and this is natural and understandable. We often postpone our tasks for the next day or even week, finding various reasons for it. However, it is something we should genuinely fight against and change our habits.
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of postponing (from the Latin “putting off until tomorrow”). In other words, it’s when you promise yourself or others to do something but first push it to another day and, ultimately, do it at the last moment or forget about it.
Experts claim that procrastination is often accompanied by feelings of guilt and sometimes even shame. For example:
A student may procrastinate on important school tasks and start preparing for a test or semester exam at the last minute.
An employee may not rush to complete a work assignment because it’s challenging and requires significant effort.
An athlete may delay addressing the consequences of an injury because they fear missing an important game.
According to Steve Scott in his book “The Power of Procrastination,” different people procrastinate in various ways and in different situations. He suggests that procrastination is one of our defense mechanisms. It warns us about tasks we somehow don’t want to complete.
What feelings can be hiding behind procrastination?
Fear (will I be able to do this?)
Sadness (when a person hasn’t let go of something from the past and it hinders them from making plans for the future)
Anger (dissatisfaction with a task that isn’t really yours, you shouldn’t or don’t want to do it, so you postpone it until the last minute)
Shame and guilt (although these are more consequences of procrastination, people continue to delay tasks because of them, and so on).
How to distinguish laziness from procrastination? Experts suggest asking yourself the question: “Why am I doing this?” If your answer is “to achieve a specific goal,” but something is preventing you from doing it right now, then you are procrastinating.
If your answer is “to achieve a specific goal,” but you’re not sure you even want to achieve it, then you’re being lazy to conserve energy or avoid something worse.
How to avoid procrastination?
The publication “Happy Monday” lists five rituals that can help you avoid procrastination.
Why
If you catch yourself being able to do something right now but are putting it off, ask yourself, “Why do I need this at all?” If the task is genuinely important, think about what specifically is preventing you from doing it right now, analyze the feelings behind the procrastination. Try to identify the true reason for postponing.
Prepare yourself
In every task, there are components that you might enjoy, even if the task as a whole is unpleasant for you. Therefore, start by finding the easiest or smallest task and do it first to “warm up” your brain. Then move on to the more challenging work.
Focus
Neurophysiologists claim there are two modes of brain operation: focused (when you can concentrate, analyze, and find solutions for specific tasks) and diffuse (when you think about everything at once and nothing in particular).
Sometimes, you need to focus on something that requires your maximum concentration. Yes, you create conditions for yourself where nothing distracts you from work. Even a minor message from colleagues can pull you out of the “flow” state, and returning to it can take 20-30 minutes.
Reward Yourself
After every challenging or uncomfortable task for you, you should reward yourself. Everyone has different pleasures that bring enjoyment and recharge their resources. For example, some people enjoy having tea, going out on the balcony to breathe fresh air, while others might get a massage or go to the movies. Find 10 resourceful “batteries” for yourself that can charge you up after dull, routine, or prolonged work.
How to overcome procrastination?
Expert Steve Scott suggests trying the “Pomodoro Technique,” which was proposed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.
The 5 steps of the “Pomodoro Technique” to help you overcome procrastination:
Clearly define the task you will be working on.
Set a timer (referred to as a “Pomodoro”) for 25 minutes.
Work for these 25 minutes without any distractions, and do not check the time. Even if thoughts that hinder your work come to mind, immediately return to your task.
After the timer rings, you’ve likely accomplished a lot of work. Now, take a short break – 5 minutes. Listen to music, have a cup of tea, pet your pet, and similar activities.
After every fourth “Pomodoro,” take a longer break – 15 to 30 minutes. Working in intervals with breaks is much easier. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how productive you can be.