What is holding you back from living your dream life? In this blog post, I want to talk about procrastination which is a big reason people don't get forward and reach their dreams. I have been damn good at this my whole life but never really noticed it until recently.
The thought has not even struck me what it really is. I have just accepted it as something normal that everyone does due to a lack of time or time management problems.
If someone else was telling me about how they procrastinated things and blamed others or the circumstances or other reasons, like task aversion is to blame for not getting things done, I would agree and answer I do the same all the time, happy to have something in common with this person, feeling good to know that it is not only me who is doing this.
And then you leave it with that and don’t consider doing anything about it or ask yourself, why? Just keep doing it year after year, and realize you never ever finish certain things you have started or things you wanted to do to progress in your life.
What Is Procrastination?
A Dr Fuschia Sirois, a professor of psychology, says when we procrastinate, we’re not only aware that we’re avoiding the task in question but also that doing so is probably a bad idea.
This is also what I found: Etymologically, “procrastination” is derived from the Latin verb Procrastinare - and that means to put off until tomorrow. But it’s more than just voluntarily delaying.
Procrastination is also derived from the ancient Greek word akrasia - doing something against our better judgment.
The psychology behind it is really interesting that we voluntarily do things that harm ourselves.. it hinders your self-esteem and leaves you with a feeling of guilt, self-critical thoughts, and shame because of putting things off. And sometimes we aren’t even aware of it!
A Dr Piers Steel, a professor of motivational psychology at the University of Calgary and the author of “The Procrastination Equation: How to stop putting things off and start getting stuff done.” He says, “It’s self-harm”, And yet, we do it anyway. And, yea, it really gives us an unpleasant feeling when procrastinating.
In fact, it makes us feel like we are letting ourselves down, doesn't it? That's at least my experience. Why is it so hard sometimes to do these things? You somewhere inside, you know, will take you from where you are to where you want to be?
I also found this text and a dr Tim Pychyl, who is a professor of phycology and a member of a procrastination research group. He says it is an emotion regulation problem. And here we may have one answer.
In my opinion, when I reflect on things I usually put forward and why I am doing them, it is about fears. Things that are difficult, unknown or uncomfortable and perhaps I am reacting upon my beliefs that I won't be capable of doing it, or not good enough, lack certain skills or don't have the time. This list can grow long…
What We Can Do To Stop Procrastinate To Get Things Done
So what can we do to stop this behaviour? First of all, things don't need to be perfect before starting something. You need to get going. Just take the first step, then the second, and so on.
Another help is scheduling it in your calendar, just as you do with everything else. And during your scheduled block of time, you work on a particular task and make sure nothing will disturb you, like your phone, email, or social media. Just turn them off, and force yourself not to have anything else in mind…
Another good thing is to have an accountability partner. It is so much easier when someone else is helping out, helping you to stay on track and supporting you when needed. I found this invaluable in my progress when I started my new business.
If the task in question seems too overwhelming, I try to break it into smaller parts. For example, when I started working on my first web course, I didn’t know where to start. So I started with the sections in each module I wanted to include and then started to work on each part.
So whatever you want to do, keep it simple, and do one part at a time. And don’t punish yourself if it takes more time than you had expected.
How To Deal With Excuses We Have!
So what to do with all your excuses? I need to be in a better mood, I’ll wait till I have more time, or I need to do this before I can start etc., We all say those things, but they won't help you. Just say Stop!! Be honest with yourself, and this will only result in never starting your project or whatever it is you want to do…
Next thing is, don’t make a huge deal out of something; it won't be a world catastrophe if it doesn’t turn out to be the way you expected from the beginning. Sometimes things become even better, and sometimes take a different route, and this may be what you are supposed to do now.
Be open-minded, try not to struggle too hard, and don’t be too hard on yourself.
Last but not least, focus on your why. Focus on what it was in the first place that made you want to do this and what the benefits will be of completing it.
