5 steps to help with Procrastination.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.”
{Author’s Notes: I made a decision that a sign was needed to let me know that I was on the right track (intuition and all that jazz...). Today’s Facebook memory was my youngest daughter at age 9, sat in an IKEA trolley, reading a Charles Dickens book of short stories. When I thought about procrastination, I thought I would start with a quote to get the creative juices flowing and there it was, the very first quote that google presented to me, was the one by Charles Dickens. That was the sign I needed and now here is my blog.}
We would all agree that we have procrastinated at some point in our lives over certain areas ~ jobs or decisions that we felt needed to put off for one reason or another.
In my previous career as a teacher, at the end of every term we would have to annotate lots of assessment forms on children’s progress, a job I deeply disliked. My colleagues would always know when I had to do this, as I would start putting sticky labels on the top of plastic wallets. One fellow teacher would come into my classroom and see a plethora of clear plastic wallets (some call them poly pockets) strewn all over my desk, laugh and say, “Is it that time again?”.
She knew plain well it was “that time again”, as she had the same paperwork to do as me. Her notice of the sticky notes was her indicator that I was in avoidance mode and that I was just happy to make things look pretty and organised, rather do the job that I was supposed to do! In other words, procrastination. I wasn’t aligned with annotating assessments quite yet.
I discovered as well doing my masters degree (24 years after completing my first degree) that I had even more amazing ways to put off doing my dissertation which included:
Making “Elf on the Shelf” videos
Scrolling through social media to see who had the perfect life/body/partner, and general stalkish behaviour. There was no “mainstream” internet back in 1994 when I was an undergraduate. You just wrote silly notes and made paper aeroplanes in the library.
Seeing what celebrities had died that year.
Wondering if I could make a croc shoe out of babybel red cheese wax.
So what causes Procrastination in us?
I think procrastination is caused by fear of failure, or perhaps a fear of success. We are worried that we might not get it right. We procrastinate because we are dealing with perfectionism, low self-esteem, or negative self-belief.
Procrastination is a way of coping with challenging emotions and negative moods induced by certain tasks — boredom (definitely in the case of annotating assessment records), anxiety, insecurity, frustration, resentment, self-doubt (with the masters degree) and beyond.
Are we really perfectionists or are we just scared of putting our mistakes out there and fear the rejection, if it is not 100% right? We make excuses about not being ready and that we have to complete X, Y and Z first, because… (name your poison here).
In business there have been many times I have procrastinated over not getting my website ready, or posting events or services because it is overwhelming, new, and completely out of my comfort zone. Fear of failure is what holds many of us back, and yet we cannot embody the human experience without positive and negative feedback, there has to be a balance. So I thought a blog of five of the best ways to avoid procrastination and get the job done was timely.
Here are some helpful tips to tell Procrastination to “Please go away”
Eat the Frog first (other amphibians are available)
Getting the task that you are dreading the most, done first, is often the best way to tackle a project or job. That way you know that whatever you have to do for that day, you have got the hardest part out the way first. I even have a huge sticker that I made on one of my notebooks that has the phrase and the picture of a large frog as a “gentle” reminder!
Eliminate distractions
Move your phone away from you and switch off any notifications so that you won’t get side-tracked whilst trying to complete a task. According to a University of California Irvine study, “it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task.” Even a quick one second notification that flashes up on your phone or computer can set you completely off balance.
Give yourself a reward
Once you have set aside the time to complete the task, rewarding yourself with something at the end will motivate you. It might be something as simple as making a coffee (I can’t relate to that being a non coffee and tea drinker) but maybe a snack (there is always food involved), calling a friend, going out for dinner, walking the dog, .....something that gives you pleasure.
Get an accountability partner
Obviously if it is just a small task you won’t necessarily need support with this, but for larger projects it might help to have someone to cheer you on and set deadlines for completion. That way you know that you have to be answerable and give reasons why you might not have completed a project. This could be a family member or a life or business coach.
Ask for help
Sometimes when you are struggling to finish something, asking for help can be a huge benefit, because that person might have experienced a similar situation and undergone the same difficulties. They may now be in a position to offer you guidance and much needed inspiration.
When we love doing things that we are passionate and excited about, it is easy to get things done. The more boring, mundane tasks, not so much. Many people even procrastinate and make excuses for the big decisions as well, such as moving house, changing jobs or leaving partners.
Some of us label ourselves as chronic procrastinators, it’s an easy label to attach to yourself but there could be a deeper meaning behind it rather than saying, “I am Lazy” or “I cannot hold my concentration for long.” It could be worth discovering the blocks that are potentially holding you back from some amazing decision-making and action.
I would love to hear your stories. If you feel inspired to share, please do get in touch. Click here
With love and gratitude,
Siân
