NEWSLETTER #2
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PROCRASTINATION
Understanding procrastination…
Procrastination is the act of delaying or putting off tasks until the last minute, or past their deadline. Procrastination is defined as a “form of self-regulation failure characterized by the irrational delay of tasks despite potentially negative consequences.”
The word “procrastination” comes from the Latin term pro crastinus which, translated, means “for tomorrow.”
As per behavior psychology, time inconsistency refers to the tendency of the human brain to value immediate rewards more highly than future rewards.
Our brain values long-term benefits when they are in the future (tomorrow), but it values immediate gratification when it comes to the present moment (today).
And, the pleasure principle adds to it!
We may prefer to avoid negative emotions by delaying stressful tasks. As the deadline for the target of procrastination grows closer, we are more stressed and may decide to procrastinate more to avoid this stress.
TYPES OF PROCRASTINATOR
- wants things to be perfect
- overwhelmed by expectations
- feels there is always room for improvement on their work
- trying to avoid being embarrassed by or judged for substandard work
- thinks they shouldn’t have to work hard to get what they want; it should all fall in their laps
- underestimates how long things will take
- gets bored due to need of variety in life, role or tasks
- lacks clarity in planning
- driven by fear (can be fear of failure/judgment/success)
- seeks safety by procrastinating
- trait of the worrier is imposter syndrome
- commits to doing too many tasks.
- difficult to prioritise their tasks
- difficult to say no to things (results in too many demands being made on their time)
- takes too much on their plate & then feel overwhelmed
- doesn’t like to be told what to do, even by themselves
- many tasks seem unfair or unnecessary use of their time
- prefer to maintain control over situations
- retain a sense of individuality by being rebellious
- feels like they work better under pressure so leave things to the last minute
- always found panicking and rushing tasks
- seek rush in pushing off tasks which results in poor time management
DEALING WITH PROCRASTINATION
- say it out loud : perfection does not exist
- remind yourself : getting something done is better than spending ages making something perfect
- try to celebrate completion and reward themselves for getting tasks done
- setting small, daily, achievable goals
- being realistic about the task + how long it will take to complete
- make a clear plan
- make yourself accountable by telling peers/colleagues what you are working on
- reward yourself on completion of small tasks, to help stay motivated
- take time to explore their fears fully
- start a journal where they ask themselves, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’
- break up your day with stress-reducing activities such as breathwork, meditation, yoga or going for a walk
- having a supportive team to turn to in times of anxiety can also be useful
- acknowledge your limitations + try not to take on too many tasks
- learn to say no to tasks where necessary
- prioritise your tasks + make a daily to-do list to help maintain these priorities
- strive to act rather than react.
- ask themselves whether long-term regrets are worth short-term pleasure
- choose one task every week to complete in your own way to satisfy the need for individuality.”
- identify healthier challenges + motivators for the task rather than using stress as the motivator
- create deadlines for yourself as a way of using your natural adrenaline rush to complete tasks earlier
COPING STRATEGY
A fantastic way suggested by James Clear.
Find a way to make the benefits of long-term choices more immediate, then it becomes easier to avoid procrastination. One of the best ways to bring future rewards into the present moment is with a strategy known as temptation bundling. The strategy suggests that you bundle a behaviorthat is good for you in the long-run with a behavior that feels good in the short-run.
The basic format is: Only do [THING YOU LOVE] while doing [THING YOU PROCRASTINATE ON].
For example,
Only get a pedicure while processing overdue work emails.
Only eat at your favourite restaurant when conducting your monthly meeting with a difficult colleague.
Only watch your favourite show while ironing or doing household chores.
For example, if you are exercising alone, skipping your workout next week won’t impact your life much. Your health won’t decline immediately because you missed one workout. The cost of procrastinating on exercise only becomes painful after weeks and months of lazy behavior. However, if you commit to working out with a partner at a particular time + day, cost of skipping your workout becomes more immediate. Miss this one workout and you look like a fool!
In short, the idea here is to add some risk + create a new consequence that happens if you don’t perform the behavior.
Psychologists use “commitment device” as a tool to overcome procrastination. Commitment devices can help you stop procrastinating by designing your future actions ahead of time.
For example, you can stop wasting time on your phone by deleting games or social media apps.
- Choose a task you’d like to get done.
- Set an alarm for 25 minutes
- Work on the task until the alarm rings
- Checkmark the task as soon as the alarm goes off
- Take a break of 5-10 minutes
- After the the 4th cycle of 25 minutes, take a longer break of 20-30 minutes.
To simply say, add reminders that prompt you to take action. You can set alarms or reminders to start a behavior, to measure the progress on a behavior and celebrate once the behavior has been performed.
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