Fifteen Minute Fix to Ending Procrastination
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How often do you procrastinate on important tasks? Don’t you wish you could just get to work and complete everything on your plate? If you are suffering from persistent procrastination, you may wonder if you will ever be able to get anything done. Rest assured that even though you may be a procrastinator you can reign in your tendency to put things off and start accomplishing your goals.
What’s your Why for Procrastinating?
Procrastination can be a really big problem if you let it be. When you procrastinate on important tasks, you are only putting off the inevitable. If you follow the usual pattern, after procrastinating on something you will most likely begin worrying about procrastinating, which only causes you to procrastinate even more. It’s a vicious cycle. However, you are not alone! According to Psychology Today, 20% of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. They procrastinate on everything from paying bills to buying Birthday and Christmas presents.
People procrastinate for a many different reasons. Ironically, one of the biggest reasons is perfectionism. A perfectionist will procrastinate on a task because she doesn’t feel she will do it perfectly. Rather than getting things accomplished, she puts it off further and further because it will not be “just right.” As a result, the task is not done at all. Other procrastinators learn their habits through their upbringing. Procrastination can be a learned behavior that can follow you from your childhood into adulthood.
Procrastination can also be a form of self-protection. By putting off difficult or “scary” tasks, a procrastinator will avoid the pain of completing those tasks. They may also be avoiding tasks because they fear failure, or fear success. Overall, fear is a very powerful motivator that can keep you from getting things done.
How to End Procrastination in 15 minutes
When you break free from procrastination, you will be able to accomplish all that you have wanted to accomplish – and more! If you are frustrated with not reaching your goals, focusing on your procrastination problem can actually help. Procrastination is not a time management problem or a planning problem. It is a problem with self-regulation. However, in order to be able to self-regulate, you need to deal with the emotions involved in your procrastination.
The next time you feel yourself procrastinating, you stop and figure out why you are engaging in this unproductive behavior. Try this 15-minute exercise.
- Write down everything that’s been bothering you lately. What are you procrastinating on?
- Look at this list and take note of your feelings. How do you feel when you review what you have been putting off? Overwhelmed? Scared? Worried? Ashamed?
- Understand that by procrastinating, you are trying to protect yourself. What are you protecting yourself from? Write down any fears you have that are associated with ending your procrastination problem.
- Look at your list of procrastination items again and think about how it would feel to have all of those items completed. Would you feel a sense of accomplishment or relief? Would you feel excited? Overjoyed? What would you be able to do knowing that those tasks are off your list? Write down some of the positive experiences you expect from getting your tasks completed.
- Take a deep breath and forgive yourself for putting off these tasks. Start small with one item on your to do list and revel in the sense of accomplishment that you get from completing it. Build on those good feelings to work your way through your list.
