This is a tough obstacle to overcome!
Procrastination is “the act of replacing more urgent actions with tasks less urgent, or doing something from which one derives enjoyment, thus putting off impending tasks to later time”. (wikipedia) So while we can’t argue with the desire to seek enjoyment, leaving tasks undone does not make them go away and can actually add more pressure or anxiety into the mix.
This is something I know about first hand. My schedule is to post every Thursday. I can usually find an excuse why I can’t or won’t. When I procrastinate on this task, I feel I’m not keeping my word, letting down my readers and I lessen the importance on my commitment to you. My usual hang up is finding an appropriate photo for the message. As you can see this week I didn’t even crop the pic like I often try to do. At my procrastination moments I say, Dorothy, get writing. And I DO. Hence today’s post.
There may be small upside to procrastinating. Sometimes while pondering a problem or task, we come up with a solution or more effective way to accomplish it. But overall, the negatives far out weigh this possibility.
Why do we procrastinate:
We don’t love doing the activity
FEAR – we want to avoid the unfamiliar
We are not competent to do the task
We underestimate the time frame the task requires
We believe we must be in right mood to do the task
We are unorganized
We believe we need the task to be perfect
We don’t see the reward by completing the task
Here’s a quick tool to overcome procrastination: Start by doing something that gives you a sense of accomplishment. Choose a small step that can happen in 10-15 minutes. And get it done.
When you complete your goal, pay attention to how you feel. Is there an improvement in your mood?
Reward yourself for achieving a success. Make a list of the daily accomplishments in a journal. It helps us focus on how many things we DO. Read through it daily, smile as you recall success.
