This is a hard topic for me to write as every so often, I suffer from procrastination. I must say, it’s greatly improved in the last 5-7 years.
People do say I am a very organised person and not to beat myself up. I am pretty organised. There is something about being the eldest child, having to care for yourself and your siblings that adds a layer of structure and organisation into your life and in turn your habits.
Not to mention, coming to boarding school in the UK at an early age of 17 far away from parents and family. It teached one the importance of prioritisation and structure – meaning there is less procrastination.
This can be the case for some areas of my life not others. I’m certain a few can relate to this. So, it begs the question, how do I overcome procrastination? Before, I delve into this, can I share with you what I consider to be procrastination? For me, its dealing or putting off doing something; giving reasons ( putting it bluntly – excuses) for not doing something you have set out to do. Which leads to wasting time in getting a task done and completed.
I find that, if the task is mind-numbing or boring, I tend to make up excuses to not do it. Who is with me on this?
In this blog post, I wish to debunk some of the myths surrounding procrastination and hopefully, share with you ways to overcome it in the future.
First PROCRASTINATION Myth
Procrastination is due to laziness. I will be the first to put my hand up and say in some instances I procrastinate. Am I lazy? Not that I wish to make myself feel good by saying I’m not lazy.
I’ll let you decide after listing out some ( not all) of what I do daily. So, I run two start up businesses; I also run a personal brand which involves creating contents daily for social media namely Instagram Feeds and Reels, IGTV live sessions (monthly); Youtube; creating blog posts. I also work full time in Commercial and Property Law. I am a wife and I run the home; my husband runs his businesses and I help him with his accounts, invoices, responding to queries on his behalf to help him focus; I own properties which I manage without a management agent. OK, I’ll have to stop otherwise, it might seem like bragging.
Anyway, my reason for sharing this with you is not to brag as I have only listed 50% of what I am involved in. The reason to share, is for you to decide whether someone with my workload is lazy.
So, if procration ISN’T laziness, could it be lack of self-control?
Second PROCRASTINATION myth
Procrastination is lack of self-control. The inability to plan one’s day in an organised and structured manner to complete the tasks set out to do. Well, going back to my analogy, then would you consider me to lack self-control or the inability to plan and execute my daily task? I’ll leave that to you as the judge.
If procrastination is neither laziness or lack of self- control, what then is it?
According to Dr Piers Steel a professor of motivational psychology at the University of Calgary and the author of “The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done.”, procrastination is “Self-Harm”.
In his study, he concluded that the irrational behaviour of self-sabotage i.e. putting things off until tomorrow. That actualisation that you are choosing not to do something that can/will potentially move you forward in life but doing it nonetheless, it was makes us feel so condemned. And it is understood that people engage in this negative pattern that is detrimental for them due to negative moods surrounding a task or series of tasks.
The negative mood is what causes procrastination. You may ask, what are the negative moods?
These negative moods are primarily: boredom, anxiety, insecurity, self-doubt, frustration and it goes on.
According to Dr Tim Pychyl, professor of psychology and member of the Procrastination Research Group at Carleton University in Ottawa, “Procrastination is an emotion regulation problem, not a time management problem”.
Let’s look at ways we can manage procrastination to ensure we have a much fully rich life.
Here are a few ways to deal with procrastination–
- Intrinsic Motivation- we all agree and subscribe to the notion that if we are motivated to do something, then we will not suffer the negative moods. As true as this is, where do we find that motivation? We have to find meaning and a vision that is long-lasting to satisfy the motivation in the short term to keep us engaged and perform to our optimum capacity. When a person sees the purpose in their actions, more especially, when they want to perform these actions, a stronger form of motivation arises and this is called intrinsic journey-based motivation. This motivation focuses on the actions, rather than the results. Therefore, focusing on the journey and not the destination.
- Personal Goals/Visions – Once we are able to connect with our purpose in this life, we are motivated to achieve it. Knowing your personal goal and going about to set it up will keep you going even when the going gets tough and you want to procrastinate.
- To-do List – Having a ‘To-do’ list is a great place to begin your procrastination journey once you have established your vision and mission purpose. It helps as your check and when do first thing in the morning, it enables you to systematically go through you list for the day ticking off tasks done in the process. I don’t know about you, I love to tick off my to-do list. There is a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment as a result.
- Habit List – Sometimes, the procrastination is due to frustration and self-doubt. These can be fuelled by lack of skills. If you refocus and create habits that will motivate you to learn and grow. You are dealing with the negative moods by instilling positive habits. These habits could be learning new skills which can be exciting to practice the skills on the task – your brain is rewired to look at the task as an exciting challenge rather than a bore.
- Book a date with yourself – This date could be whatever you want it to be. At this date, I suggest you treat yourself but also have a meeting with yourself. Look at how you’re doing, to ensure you’re still aligned with your goals and visions for life. It is a time for yourself to reassess and review long terms goals. Be retrospective during this time with yourself. Ask yourself the hard questions and see what the answers are ( be completely honest with yourself).
- Self-Care – You know me, I am a massive fan of pampering and looking after you. Incorporate rewards for yourself after you have achieved the tasks set out. The more challenging the task and bigger your reward. This I have seen to be useful on those days I do not want to get going. It might be worth watching my vlog on time management.
I hope you find this post useful, if so, please comment below and do not fail to subscribe to my blog and social media accounts.
Until, next time – BE SAFE.
Lots of love,
C x
