Procrastination isn’t really just about simply getting some motivation and doing the work project or activity. Procrastination is at the very heart of it complicated. It tends to run in families with a link to impulsive behavioural traits and is also lifelong trait.

Procrastinators can be seen as lazy but that’s incorrect. Yes, we can put off doing something for a variety of reasons including choosing pleasurable activities over work. But it can also mean we are trying to avoid something negative or we just feel an overwhelming sense of being paralyzed by our own, or other’s expectations of us.

So what does that mean for people who procrastinate? Well we can find some solutions to help us remain more focused and less likely to act on our impulses. We can do this by understanding why we procrastinate, some of the common behaviours and also understand which type of procrastinator we might be in the first place. Then we can seek solutions to help us reduce the times we procrastinate.

Some common behaviours of procrastinators.

1: Overestimating the time left to perform tasks.

2: Underestimate the time it takes to complete tasks.

3: Putting things off and overestimate how motivated you will feel the next day, the next week, the next month.

4: Thinking that you have to like a task in order to succeed at it.

5: Believing you have to be in the mood to perform a task first before doing it.

As you can see these misperceptions are all linked to how we think and feel. They can be tied to negative thinking and cognitive distortions. Changing your way of thinking requires you recognize how you are thinking and can be scary to change. I talk more about how you can do this in my book which includes worksheets to help you. (Link here)

What are the 3 basic types of procrastinators.

1. Arousal types (thrill seekers): They wait till the last minute to complete the task, this creates a euphoric rush.
2. Avoiders: They can avoid a task for a few reasons i.e. fear of failure or fear of success. They would rather people thought they were lazy than incapable of doing the task.
3. Decisional procrastinators: They cannot or have great difficulty making decisions. Not making a decision absolves procrastinators of responsibility for the outcome of events.

As I said, it is very possible to put some solutions in place to help you overcome or minimize your procrastination.

10 tips to help you overcome or minimize procrastination.

Find your root cause.

Understand why you are procrastinating about a particular task or serious of tasks may help you find the root cause. Is this something you always put off doing? Or is it something that you need help with but are afraid to ask someone?

Using the above information (common behaviours/ types of procrastinators) every time you find yourself faced with a task you are procrastinating about ask yourself the following questions to understand your why.

1. Why am I putting off this task?
2. What is stopping me from completing it? Do I need help or to learn new skills?
3. What am I feeling and thinking right now?
4. Am I hurting myself by procrastinating?
5. Am I losing valuable time while waiting for perfection?
6. Am I losing money, a relationship, or something else? What is procrastinating costing me?
7. Is starting the task/project causing me anxiety? Or is it about getting the task/project finished on time?

Is your to do list simply too big.

Are you simply taking on too much? Reviewing your priorities can help reduce the number of task we have on a day to day basis. Are you taking on other people’s responsibilities? This can fill us with resentment, and at time fear of the other person, and we may subconsciously sabotage ourselves as a result. Take some time to review what is on your to do list now. Are you too stressed and overwhlemed? You can find some simple tips here to help you reduce your stress and anxiety.

Is the task or project too big.

When we are faced with a big project we can find our anxiety rising as we simply don’t know where to even start. Breaking down the project into manageable daily steps (item on your to do list), no step should be more than 30 minutes long. Any longer then break it down in to a smaller step. Make sure to rank them in order of priority, what do I need to do first, second, etc.

Are you overestimating or underestimating the time you need to complete the project?

After you have broken down the project your next task is to make sure you fix a start date and finish date for your project, leave some extra time to review it or in case you run into a problem. Even if you know a project is not due for a few weeks (months) you are better off starting the project now and set a closer finish date. Research has shown us that people who do this have a better chance of deleting or minimizing their procrastination.

Build your motivation.

There are a few techniques you can use to help you here.

1. Visualize yourself succeeding and let go of your fears.
2. Make sure you have a treats and reward system in place. Treats are given daily and cost nothing or under €5; rewards are given weekly and monthly and at the end of a project, these cost money over €5.
3. Take a trip down memory lane and remind yourself of everything you have already completed.
4. When you feel negative thoughts rising, take some time to acknowledge them and journal them out. Is there a pattern? Do they really belong to you or something someone said to you? Stop beating yourself up when you feel stuck; you are doing the best you can, show yourself some compassion. I have a blog to help you delete negative thinking here.
5. Minimize distractions, turn off email or phone notifications, set up your environment so it supports your tasks.

Do a small task when you feel stuck.

When we feel stuck or can’t seem to get started it is better to just have a small task to do. This will help you get motivated again. The task should last no longer than 5 minutes. So make list of regular tasks that you can do in 5 minutes or less and have them on hand to complete at times like this. A small action will get your brain reengaged and turn off the negative chatter about not being able to do anything.

Create a power hour.

This is a one hour time slot where we complete similar regular tasks. These can often be ones we dislike doing each week. So put away the distractions set an alarm and concentrate on the tasks at hand. What ever gets done is done the rest wait till the next power hour. I discuss this and other tips on time management and goal setting in my book here.

Optimize your brain cycles.

Your brain has natural cycles with peaks, where you feel more energized to complete tasks and valleys where you lack concentration and need to relax. Are you a lark or an owl? For the most part we have better concentration in the mornings and therefore should utilize this time for tasks we dislike or bigger items on our to do list. I talk more about the how the brain works and how we can use this to our advantage in my book here.

Create an uplifting playlist.

I’d have a few playlists i.e. one that is uplifting, one that is energizing, etc. These playlist can also act as triggers for some tasks and get you into a better mood to tackle the tasks at hand.

Learn to accept yourself as you are right now.

Once you get to know yourself (type of procrastinator/behaviours and why you procrastinate) then you have to learn to let it go and accept yourself.

Perhaps you simply work better under pressure, plenty of people do. So by accepting this we can cut back on the guilt and negative put downs. By knowing and accepting ourselves we can plan ahead and take the actions needed to get the job done.

Or perhaps you are doing work you just don’t want to do. Is it boring, does it belong to someone else, are you doing it out of fear? Yes there will be tasks we all simply don’t want to do. But if you are in a job that isn’t fulfilling you then perhaps it’s time for change.

Letting go of procrastination is possible if you look at the overall or bigger picture. Know yourself first and remember your self-worth is not what you achieve.

Work With Me.

Remember you are allowed to ask for support. No one is an island. If you need extra support then you can also work with me. We all struggle with stress and overwhelm from time to time. If you find this has become a problem for you and you’d like some support then schedule an appointment with me.