Procrastination: The pesky thief of time

Procrastination. That annoying thing we have all experienced one time or another when we have a task or project we need to get done but the motivation refuses to show up.

It can be categorised as the irrational delay of a task. Usually, it happens when we ignore an unpleasant but necessary task, to instead enjoy a more pleasurable activity, despite the consequences.

Procrastination is a prominent problem nowadays that can be even more difficult to surpass when working or studding from home. In the privacy of our household, we have no outside supervision to ensure we keep our focus on the tasks we need to accomplish.

Typically, procrastination does not indicate a deeper problem, it tends to be something all of us have experienced. However if it starts to happen with more frequency and causing damage to our daily routine, it might be helpful to seek help.

One important part of defeating procrastination is understanding what lies beneath. What are the reasons a particular task is so difficult to finish, or even start?

Procrastination is a defence mechanism. It’s the way we deal with feeling bored, overwhelmed, stressed or scared. Normally, it appears when we need to face a task we associate with negative emotions. To avoid this pesky feelings we seek outside distractions.

As such, it’s important for us to recognise triggers that can lead to procrastination, so we can find a way to deal with it in a healthier way.

What causes procrastination?

Perfectionism

Perfectionism, since it gets us trapped on the idea that whatever we are doing needs to be perfect to be complete. Since perfection is an impossible thing to achieve, it will eventually lead to feelings of failure and overwhelm. Having a perfectionist mind set will get us stuck and unable to finish our tasks.

Boredom

Boredom, is associated with a sense of wasting time, our most precious resource. It leads to feelings of restlessness and impulsivity. This can be entirely contra productive, since fear of wasting time on the task we need to accomplish, leads us to waste time on meaningless activities.

Cognitive distortions

Underestimating or overestimating the time and effort a project or task will require. Or even overestimating our future motivation or inspiration to finish the task later on. This often acts as an excuse to avoid the pressure that goes along with working on the task and leads us to postpone it. Which leaves us with having to face the consequences of finishing the task in a hurry.

Self-doubt

Feeling inadequate or feeling that we don´t have what it takes to complete a task, can get us caught on a spiral of negativity. This is connected with fear of failing. However, failure is an essential part of learning, it allows us to recognise what we need to change to succeed. And in most cases, not completing our goals because we are scared, is a certain way to fail.

Fear of asking for help

Feeling lost or lacking information to finish our projects should have an easy fix: just ask for help! But asking for help is not always easy, a lot of people get stuck when a project needs outside assistance to get done. This is often associated with the fear of being a burden to others or showing weakness. However, asking for help is essential to have a healthy, balanced life. And true strength comes when we start facing our fears and fighting for our goals.

Strategies to deal with procrastination

Strategies to deal with procrastination, can vary from person to person, what works for one, may not work for another. However, when we are troubled with this problematic it can be helpful to analyse our triggers and develop our own strategies to use when the problem surfaces.

Here are a few practical suggestions:

• Have your goal in mind

All our actions have consequences. Remind yourself what you are working for, what is your final goal? How will your life change when you reach it? Or even what are the consequences you will face if don’t complete it.

• Evaluate your triggers

Ask yourself what is so difficult about completing this task. As we saw previously, our defence mechanisms tends to be counterproductive. Since procrastination is an irrational mechanism by rationalizing it and understanding it we might find the motivation we need to complete our tasks.

• Find the right space

Find an adequate place to work, where you have no distractions or interruptions. If possible this should be a space you associate with work and nothing else. Your bed or your couch are associated with relaxation and therefore it could be harder to get things done in this spaces. A space you associate only with work will put you on the right headspace to be productive.

• Get rid of outside stimuli

This can be turning off your music or your TV. It can mean putting your phone in silence and leaving it in a place you can’t reach when you enter a work period. Whatever you think can be a distraction should be put away so you can focus on the task in hand while you are working.

• Set boundaries with yourself and follow them

Make a compromise with yourself and follow it, without excuses.

You can write it on a calendar, or set a reminder on your phone. Some people find it useful to tell somebody of their plans as an encouragement to achieve them.

The important thing is that you believe in the commitment you are making and respect it.

• Plan ahead

Plan your strategies before you start working, you can use a schedule, a planner or a list.

You can divide your goal into smaller tasks and plan what you will be working on and at what time. Focus on one task at a time.

If you still feel difficulties following through, you can set yourself an alarm with the specific time of the task this will force you to keep your concentration on the task during that period of time, without interruption.

Plan an appropriate amount of time. If you find sitting still and keeping your focus for an entire hour is challenging, maybe 20 or 30 minutes are more easily attainable. If the task is not finished by then, you can go back to it after a small break.

• Allow yourself to take breaks

It’s impossible to be productive when you are tired, so take breaks to relax between periods of work.

If you feel that timing your work is helpful, maybe it can be easier for you to time your breaks as well.

• Plan a reward

Plan a reward for when a task is finished as a way to congratulate yourself for achieving your goal. This can be anything that makes you happy (eating a nice snack, watching an episode of your favourite show, going for a walk, etc). It will also serve as an incentive while you are working.

“My advice is, never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.”

- Charles Dickens