American philosopher William James said, “Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” Each one of us has experienced the pressure and stress that come from procrastination, and it can leave us feeling very overwhelmed.
Practically speaking, procrastination is putting off something that you know you should do now or delaying or postponing an action. It can look differently for each of us, but some examples that come to mind include packing for a vacation, studying for a test, writing a paper (and having to pull an all-nighter), doing taxes, cleaning the house, or having a difficult conversation.
It’s easy to be lulled into a false view that procrastination is no big deal or not hurting us. That couldn’t be further from the truth; in fact, the results can be very detrimental.
- We don’t get the work done on time.
- Stress goes through the roof.
- Our work product is less than excellent many times.
- In worst cases, we can get “in trouble” with our employer, the IRS, etc.
I would argue that the biggest result of procrastination is that we don’t reach our full potential. We never get done that thing we’ve always wanted to do–that trip to Rome, writing that book, starting that business, getting that degree. It leaves us with a mountain of regret.
Why do we procrastinate?
- We are essentially avoiding the pain. Procrastination is the path of least resistance. We know what we’re putting off may cause us some pain, so we don’t have that driving desire to accomplish it.
- We have lost clarity on our purpose. It’s easy to forget our “why” and lose passion for the end result. The reason we should take action has become unclear to us.
- The task seems too overwhelming. It’s too big for me to know where to even start, so it’s easier not to start at all.
- We just get distracted. We have a lot of things that compete with our to-do lists. Things such as cell phones, friends, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram…and they all provide hits of dopamine. So, of course, we’d rather do something that makes us feel good as opposed to doing something that may, in fact, cause pain.
How do we break through our habit of procrastination? Although it will look differently for every person, I believe these simple steps will help us.
1. Review your reasons.
We need to remind ourselves of the desired outcome. Maybe this would include creating a vision board. What is your “why”? It may simply be that you’ll feel better having accomplished something, or you’ll move closer to your long-range goal such as your degree, your weight or fitness goal, or possibly a larger income.
2. Choose the right pain.
Yes, there may be perceived pain in completing the task; however, there is pain associated with waiting, too. The difference is the pain associated with going ahead and doing the work leads to results.
One of my favorite quotes is by Jim Rohn, “We must all suffer one of two things: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” Which will we choose?
3. Optimize your environment.
Try to create a work environment that minimizes distractions such as interruptions, notifications, dings, pings, and anything that takes your mind off getting the work done.
4. Chunk down the task.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, try breaking it down into smaller steps to make it more manageable. It will also reduce the perceived pain associated with it.
5. Get some help from friends.
The people around us can help us…or they can hurt us. We must be sure to surround ourselves with the right types of people who will care enough to encourage us to reach our full potential.
Brian Tracey said, “Procrastination is the greatest enemy of productivity.” I don’t want to go to my grave without having reached my full potential. What about you?
Questions to ask:
- What task have you been procrastinating with completing?
- Which of the 5 steps above will help you accomplish that task?
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