We all have things that we don't want to do, things we want to avoid. A good friend of mine used to call it the "eat your vegetables" tasks; you might push them to the side of your plate and eat everything else first, promise yourself that you will get desert after or even try feeding them to the dog under the table. Often when we do get around to doing the task, it is nowhere near as bad as what we thought. Sometimes we will feel pride at doing the task, sometimes we will feel guilty that we should have done it sooner and often, just relief that it is done. So why is it that most of us procrastinate and what can we do about it? Keep reading to find out more and what you can do about it:
Drivers of procrastination:
Procrastination often arises from four core drivers and this can vary a lot depending on the task. A lot of these drivers are based on survival mechanisms and brain chemistry, so you have to work through them "just doing it" is not always an option. When you understand the driver you can find the best strategy to help you work through.
Fear - we can be afraid of the task itself, the situation that surrounds the task (e.g. public speaking) or even be afraid of what might happen when we do the task (if we succeed or if we fail).
Discomfort - doing the task might provide us with a level of physical or emotional discomfort, and we are hard wired to try and avoid this
Overwhelm - sometimes when faced with a huge task, it can feel paralysing and we don't know where to start
Lack of stimulation - for people with ADHD a task can be really important, however if it is not engaging or interesting it can lead to avoidance behaviours
Types of procrastination:
A lot of times when we think procrastination, we think of someone pressing snooze or saying they will do it tomorrow, but in reality it can show up in a few ways.
Avoidance - literally avoiding the situation, task or the parts of the task that are creating fear or discomfort
Delay - putting it off until later or avoiding starting entirely (I will do it tomorrow)
Busy work - doing other activities, anything else, to avoid doing the task
Ignoring or forgetting about it - quite literally putting it out of sight out out of mind until it becomes urgent
Passive resistance- when we say we are doing the task, but not really doing it. We do it slowly, badly or incompetently in the hope that someone will see us doing it like that and take the task off our hands.
Tips to overcome procrastination:
Break it down into small tasks, put them in order and just prioritise the first task on the list (if you have neurodivergence such as ADHD you may need a buddy to help you break it down and put it in the best order).
Set a time limit challenge - challenge yourself with a time limit to help create a sense of urgency and fun around it. Just do what you can in 10 minutes, you will likely find that when you get started, you will just keep going.
Buddy up - get a buddy to come and help you. This is a particularly useful one for people with neurodiversity, the person does not even need to do the task, they just need to be with you while you do it (e.g. can you do a video or phone chat, while you clean the house)
Get to the root of the fear - Understand what is driving the fear or resistance underneath using self-reflection and journaling. When you find out what it is, try to change your thinking on it with CBT or use techniques like fear ladders to get there. It is important to do this safely.
Talk about it - sometimes, just by telling someone what we are avoiding and why, the pressure is released and it is enough to get us motoring.
Delegate - if there is something you really don't want to do and are avoiding, can you delegate it to a peer, a friend, a family member or even outsource it (like a cleaner once a fortnight). Remember, your worst nightmare might be someone else's favourite thing to do.
Make it rewarding - Pair the activity up with a form of reward, (such as listening to favourite tunes while you clean), adding something fun into the routine (such as a coffee after your gym session) or setting yourself a personal challenge (if I clear my inbox in 30 minutes, I get to go for a walk). Over time, you can likely remove the rewards and the associations will remain.
I realise that many of you might be procrastinating right now, by reading this article. If that is you, take 5 minutes now to understand the source of your resistance, how you are procrastinating and choose a technique to try... right now!
If procrastination is getting you down or getting in your way and you want some one-on-one support in working through your procrastination roadblocks - mumshine is open for bookings and offer appointments online and in person in Kingsley, WA.
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