Dear Tacit,
Why am I such a procrastinator – and how can I break this pattern?
Signed: Breaking Procrastination Patterns
Dear Breaking Procrastination Patterns,
We are all guilty of clicking on TikTok or YouTube and getting lost in crazy cat videos or Pinterest posts, when we know we really should be working on meeting an important deadline for work or for some priority in our personal life. We see the clock ticking and the moments slipping away – but we just can’t stop binge watching our favourite show or cleaning the kitchen until it sparkles. The pressure builds – the guilt mounts – and before we know it, we are stressed out and wondering what is wrong with us – we know better, yet here we go again, not staying on task like we should.
Procrastination used to be considered just a simple time management problem. It was thought that if we were delaying things, maybe we didn’t know how to organize our time efficiently – maybe we took on too much at once. Setting alarms and using planners and schedulers (and maybe an occasional babysitter) seemed like the best approach to breaking these habits of delay. But psychologists have realized this is wrong. While some of us might need to have better organizational skills, the experts now know that procrastination is also an issue that stems from managing our emotions, rather than just our time.
We typically procrastinate because the task we are putting off is making us feel bad – perhaps it’s boring, too big or difficult, or we are worried about failing/not doing it well enough. Maybe we don’t like the task, so we have low motivation. Maybe we are facing too many tasks at once, and the idea of deciding about which one to start feels daunting. Maybe we are burnt out, and even a small task feels enormous because of our mental exhaustion. Or maybe we are in need of a quick-fix – and instant gratification seems more appealing than waiting for a long-term result. To make ourselves feel better in the moment, we start doing something else that offers a more pleasant sensation.
Unfortunately, procrastination is a misguided emotional regulation strategy. While it might bring short-term relief, it only stores up more problems for later. We feel guilty, frustrated and even more stressed when we don’t tackle the task that is needing our attention. And research has shown that chronic procrastination is associated with a host of adverse mental and physical health consequences, including anxiety and depression, poor physical health (colds and flus), and even more serious conditions like cardiovascular disease and cancer. Conversely, overcoming procrastination can have a major positive impact on our life – decreasing a tendency to chronically procrastinate can reduce our risk for having poor heart health by 63%. That’s pretty significant!
On a positive note, looking at procrastination as an emotional regulation issue offers important clues for how to address it most effectively. Learning to tolerate uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, staying in the present moment despite those feelings, and prioritizing choices and actions that help us get closer to what we most value in life (staying focused on the real goals in our life) are the approaches most often recommended. Research shows that once just the first step is made towards a task, following through on those tasks becomes easier. So, using self discipline (not waiting for a feeling of being motivated) is what we need to put our energy into.
The next time you are tempted to procrastinate, try breaking the task down into smaller steps. Take just one step towards getting started (rather than trying to tackle the whole task at once). Doing this takes your mind off your feelings and onto easily achievable action. Research and lived experience show very clearly that once we get started, we are typically able to keep going. Getting started is everything.
Set a timer (try the Pomodoro Technique – work for 20/25 minutes and then take a 5 min break). Plan for and allow yourself a “bad first run/draft”, to alleviate the pressure of only starting the task when you feel you can get it done perfectly. Remove all distractions (until your break time) – keep your phone in another room. Get an accountability buddy – tell someone what you will be working on and ask them to check in to see if you are following through. Design a reward system for yourself, and take time to embrace those rewards as you finish each step of the task (don’t just wait until the end result moment).
If anxiety, burnout, or low energy is driving your procrastination, address those issues first. You may not even be aware of where your procrastination patterns are stemming from. And unless you can sort out the root cause of your issue, it is going to be much harder to find the best strategy to help!
Take care!
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