“All procrastination is delay, but not all delay is procrastination”.
Tim Pychyl
I’m aiming to keep this brief so I don’t keep you away too long from the task you should be doing.
What we need to do to end procrastination is, of course, just get started. However, if it were that simple then you probably wouldn’t be reading this. So, in this article we will explore what is holding you back and how to move beyond procrastination. Most of the tools presented here are either directly taken or adapted from Solving The Procrastination Puzzle by Tim Pychyl, well worth reading.
You’re not alone in procrastinating, most people do it. In fact, before finally sitting down to write this, I read the news numerous times, looked at how many steps I’d walked today and contemplated what I was going to have for dinner, even though I’d just had breakfast. However, there is a serious side to procrastination because it impacts negatively on our ability (perceived or actual) to do a task, our feelings towards a task, and how we feel towards ourselves. This, in turn, increases the likelihood that we will procrastinate. And so it begins.
If we know it can have a negative impact, then why on earth do we do it? Maybe it’s because we’re lazy, we don’t feel motivated, or it’s just who we are? We quite often tell ourselves these things to rationalise our procrastination, but they aren’t very accurate:
- “I’m lazy” – Laziness is seldom the principal factor behind procrastination. It’s more likely to be caused by negative associations with the task, produced by feelings like anxiety, boredom, being overwhelmed, frustration, self-doubt, stress, fear, tiredness, vulnerability, embarrassment, lack of clarity, not knowing where or how to start, etc.
Exercise: think of a task that you’re currently procrastinating on. Write down all the feelings, thoughts, and sensations that come to mind when you think about it.
- “I don’t feel motivated to act” – We don’t actually need to feel motivated by a task in order to do it. Just think of all the things you do that you don’t feel motivated about. I certainly don’t feel motivated to start my day with a workout, but I do it (most days). Why? Because I’m motivated by a larger goal: to be fit and healthy. When we link a task to a goal or value that is meaningful to us then we are more likely to act, even when we don’t feel motivated to do squats at 7.30am.
Exercise: What goals or values is the task you’re procrastinating linked to? “Why is it important that I do this task?”
- “I’m just a procrastinator” – Watch out for this one. Procrastination is something you do, it’s not who you are. When we equate it with our identity it is harder for us to disentangle from it and recognize that we can change it. Rather than thinking of yourself as a procrastinator, try to identify the tasks that you tend to procrastinate on.
Exercise: Write a list of the things you procrastinate on. What patterns do you notice?
After you’ve done the exercises above, you will better understand what is behind your procrastination (i.e., feelings and thoughts), any patterns to the types of tasks you procrastinate on (instead of a personal trait), and how these tasks link to larger goals or values of yours (intrinsic motivation). With this awareness in place, you are in a much stronger position to reduce your procrastination.
To help you move beyond your procrastination, I have selected three more exercises that I use in my workshop Get Started. By Ending Procrastination which you can experiment with. These exercises will only work if you do them. I’m afraid reading them isn’t enough!
Pick a task that you are procrastinating on and then work through the following:
- Procrastination flags
When you think of this task, what excuses or behaviours do you use to delay doing it? For example, excuses: “I’ll just do this bit of admin”, “I’ll do it tomorrow when I’m less tired”, “If only I had a proper system in place”, “I’m missing some important information,” behaviours: I start tidying my desk, scrolling on my phone, reading the news, making a cup of tea etc.
These are signs that you are procrastinating or about to.
- Implementation Intention “IF…THEN”
This technique is extremely effective in supporting behavioural changes. Pick one of the excuses or behaviours from your list, then write an implementation intention, i.e., what you’ll do to counteract it. For example, “IF I start to scroll on my phone THEN I will tell myself that I’m procrastinating, put my phone down and start to plan my workshop.”
This breaks the procrastination cycle by getting you started.
3. Pre-decision
This involves another list I’m afraid. Prior to doing a task, identify all the potential distractions or interruptions that might interfere with you starting and remaining on task. Next to each item write what you can do BEFOREHAND to remove it and what you can do if it appears whilst you are doing the task. For example, “I tend to get distracted by my phone and often get up and make a cuppa tea whilst in the middle of a difficult task. Prior to doing the task, I’ll turn off my phone, and have a cuppa tea ready to go. However, IF I find myself wanting to do any of these things once I’m on task THEN I’ll stay put and continue working on the task for at least 30 mins.”
Remove all the potential distractions and have your implementation intention at the ready.
To successfully reduce your procrastination, being aware of what your flags are, knowing what you will do when they appear, and creating an environment free of potential distractions is key.
Finally, here are four quick things to think about when you are in the act of procrastinating that will help you to manage it.
- Acknowledge that you are beginning to procrastinate – “oh I’m tidying my desk again.”
- Pause before doing anything else.
- Recognise what is happening – “I don’t want to write this evaluation as it feels utterly pointless.”
- Stay put and use your implement intention – “IF I’m tidying my desk THEN I’ll stop, put a 60-minute timer on, open the evaluation document and start to write.”
Ending procrastination isn’t easy, so start small, pick one task, and then grow it from there. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach so experiment and find out what works for you. Remember, once you start you’ve ended procrastination.
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Good luck with your procrastination, now back to work.
Emma