Blog Posts

Understanding Procrastination

Brief: Create an informative, engaging, and practical article that explores the reasons behind procrastination and strategies to overcome it. The article should provide readers with actionable advice on how to manage procrastination and improve productivity.

“I’ll do it later.” A common phrase we have all said at least once in our lives, but for some, that phrase can become their mantra.

Procrastination is something that thousands of people around the world do—delaying a task or not even doing the task despite the outcome. Unable to make that all-important phone call or work on that crucial report. These small acts of inability can be a huge problem for some, affecting their personal and professional life on a daily basis.

People often fall into this endless cycle of avoidance behaviour for their own reasons. Some such reasons can be:

·       A fear of failing – The idea of failing at whatever tasks or goals have been set can be crippling with unknown. Those who struggle with this often come to a point where they would rather not do the task or goal at all than fail completely.

·       Perfectionism – Perfectionism is both a gift and a curse. When it comes to those goals that seem impossible to make perfect, it becomes a struggle for a perfectionist to bring themselves to even begin.

·       ADHD – ADHD is one such factor that can hugely impact a person's ability to follow through with the great goals they have set for themselves. If a task doesn’t bring instant dopamine, that feel-good, happy hormone, then it may feel almost impossible to do, as though there is a giant wall between you and that all-important task.

·       Lack of motivation – This again can be linked to a lack of dopamine in a task. Something as simple as doing the dishes just may not be all that appealing and the person can struggle to motivate themselves to do those small tasks, putting it off until suddenly it has become a huge task.

·       Overwhelming tasks/deadlines – Huge tasks or tight deadlines can be too overwhelming for some. They may struggle to bring themselves to ever begin, feeling as though it is too big of a job.

·       Depression – Something that many struggle with, and anyone who has suffered from depression knows just how difficult it can be to even bring themselves out of bed in the morning. When it comes to tasks and goals, it can often feel impossible to even try, let alone complete.

·       Anxiety – Anxiety can be linked with many of the above reasons; the task or goal raises someone's anxiety so high that it can feel unbearable.

Procrastination can be worse than people realise, causing a person to fall into an endless cycle. It can hugely impact their mental health, making them feel as though they have failed before they have even begun. Or heighten their stress levels on something that has already brought them stress. It can be a gateway to conditions such as anxiety and depression, or even lead to unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. This one thing, this act of just not wanting to do something straight away, can impact a person's lifestyle and mental health before they have even realised what has happened.

However, there may be a technique out there for you. Practice bringing one of these techniques into your everyday lives:

Break tasks into smaller steps: Rather than looking at the whole picture, take a moment to really look at it and break it into smaller tasks. Make each task last no longer than two minutes.  Before you know it, you’ll have managed to complete the whole thing.

Set specific and achievable goals: Don’t give yourself impossible expectations. Perhaps you are procrastinating with your housework. Rather than giving yourself the goal of ‘tidy every room in the house and keep it spotless,’ work on giving yourself a better goal, breaking it down into a room a day and then giving yourself a routine. These small changes will help you achieve that goal without feeling overwhelmed and unreachable.

Practice time management techniques: Something like the Pomodoro method is perfect for this when given a task that needs to be done. Simply set a timer, use a manageable time such as 25 minutes, and then work on the task. Once the timer goes off take a short break for five to ten minutes and then set your timer once again. Just repeat these steps until the work is done.

Build a rewards system: This one is for those who need that instant happy hormone. There’s nothing quite like a good reward for hard work, and it is something we often do for children, so why not for ourselves? Make a mental agreement that once you finish the task, you’ll take yourself out for coffee or something else that brings you happiness. The bigger the task, the bigger the reward can be, just make sure you don’t fill this reward system with things that could become unhealthy habits, such as smoking.

Re-frame mistakes: For those perfectionists out there, learn to forgive yourself. You are human too, and we all make mistakes. Perhaps these mistakes can be useful, something to learn from or even an accidental improvement. It’s okay to make mistakes. Find that self-compassion and look at your work from a different perspective before you rip up the project and never return.

“I work best under pressure,” you might say or “I don’t need techniques, I’m just lazy.” I’m here to tell you how very wrong you are. People are most critical of themselves; it’s a matter of nature, and for that, you may not see the reasons why something may feel impossible to do in the moment. Procrastination can be linked to so many deeper reasons within a person, and that feeling of panic may not be the healthiest motivation.

Use the techniques, and see what works for you. At the end of the day, life is full of trial and error. Mistakes need to be made, otherwise, you’ll never learn the amazing things that you can do. Learn to have patience with yourself and take action in your daily life. With the tools in hand, perhaps the thought of ‘doing it later’ can become a thing of the past.