Overcoming Procrastination
You know how you are aware of an upcoming test that you need to study for but let the days pass by without as much as cracking open your study materials? Or, the clothes strewn across your room catches your eye but it’s not ‘bad enough’ to clean up until you realize you don’t have any clean clothes to wear? This is what procrastination looks like. You know you need to get a task done, but you delay it because you think of it as unpleasant or time-consuming.
The problem is, putting off the task doesn’t make it any more pleasant. Instead, the energy inside of you every time you think about the task continues to build in an unpleasant way. The more you postpone the task, the more overwhelming or stressful it seems to become.
So how do you stop procrastinating?
STEPS TO BREAK THE HABIT OF DELAYING
LEAN INTO THE DISCOMFORT. I know, there are tons of tasks that are less than desirable, we all experience that feeling. When you first think about the dreaded task, it may seem impossibly hard. But after you take the first step, it generally becomes easier. My general rule of thumb is: Instead of avoiding a task, promise yourself that you’ll do it for 5-10 minutes. You don’t have to do more than that. Usually, once we get in motion, we end up wanting to complete the task so the 5-10 minutes turns into 20. You’ve done it, you’ve gotten yourself started!
Over time, habituation starts to happen. This is the process of taking a typically hard task (at least you think it’s hard) and being rewarded with pleasant feelings at the completion and, over time, your brain begins to adapt and the task becomes less daunting.
CHANGE YOUR INTERNAL DIALOGUE. What you say to yourself about the task at hand has a lot to do with how you feel about it. And how you feel about it then informs your behavior. So if you find youself saying, “Ugh, I’ll never get this done,” then you are declaring it not worth your effort. Essentially, you give up before you even try. Catching what you say to yourself is the FIRST essential step you need to take to overcome procrastination. If you’re not sure where to start on the task, ask yourself, “What do I need to start this process?” If you’re studying, maybe the answer is: I need to have my study guide out and get a highlighter. If you’re facing a cleaning task, it might be: I need to focus on this room only for 20 minutes.
UNDERSTAND YOUR “WHY”. The next time you find yourself putting off your work, stop and remind yourself why that work is so important. What are the benefits to getting it done? For example, if you’ve been putting off making a specific phone call all week because you’re anxious about how it will go, ask yourself how it will feel to finally put it behind you. What is the upside to completing the task? Once you’re in-tune with your WHY, it becomes easier to complete a task when you know there is a concrete benefit once it’s accomplished.
CHUNK IT OUT. Procrastinators often feel overwhelmed with the thought of a task, or many tasks, requiring their energy, organization, and preparation. Breaking a task down into smaller parts, a term I call “chunking”, allows your brain to see the task as more manageable. This can reduce stress and change your perception of the work at hand. Let’s say you want to clean your house before you have company over Friday evening. Instead of thinking of the house as a whole, break it into smaller parts. For instance, you may decide to clean the kitchen on Monday, bathrooms on Tuesday, organize the guest bedroom on Wednesday, and dust/vacuum on Thursday. Friday is left for any odds and ends, but by chunking your week, you’ve accomplished a lot! Focusing on one smaller task at a time can prevent you from getting overwhelmed, which ultimately saves you from shutting down and quitting before you’ve started.
PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION. When I talk to procrastinators, they often have a common barrier. You guessed it, perfectionism. This need or desire for the outcome to be “perfect” actually prevents people from starting a task. With perfectionism on the brain, a task can immediately become too overwhelming or “impossible”. If this is you, make it your goal to get better at being realistic. Trying to do everything perfectly or up to the highest standard is a recipe for stress and anxiety. Also, attempting to have every detail perfect may very well prolong the process, is that really what you want? While it may feel foreign to you, try aiming for ‘good enough’. This means, you give solid effort but may choose not to stress over the little details.
INCORPORATE SMALL REWARDS. Our brains love being rewarded, so use this strategy to your advantage. If you reward yourself for the completion of a task, this strengthens the association between task and pleasure. Small rewards could be a short break after the task, a favorite snack, or an episode of your favorite television show. Another reinforcing reward you can incorporate as you carry out the task, is positive self-talk or feedback. Saying statements such as, “Wow, this wasn’t so hard afterall,” or “I’m proud of you for just getting it done instead of waiting” can really build strong positive associations with the effort and your self esteem.
One more suggestion. If the task allows for it, find ways to make the job more enjoyable. Turn the task into something enjoyable by playing music you enjoy, finding humor in your actions, or listening to a podcast.
Try putting one or many of these tips into practice over the next two weeks and notice how you respond. If you find yourself still procrastinating or struggling to carry out tasks, it may be time to talk to a professional. If procrastinating is something you struggle with, please don’t hesitate to reach out so we can talk about it in session. Procrastination does not have to be a lifelong habit, it can be changed - let’s do the work!