How to Overcome Procrastination…
There are a number of reasons why people procrastinate, ranging from the psychological to the practical. Let’s have a wee look at each of these.
Psychological Reasons for Procrastination
Fear of failure, fear of success, low self-esteem and a negative view of oneself and one’s accomplishments have all been cited by many experts as some of the main psychological reasons why people procrastinate.
You may think going to therapy is the only way to solve these issues, but then you procrastinate so that you never go. A more practical approach is to look within to see which of these reasons is causing your procrastination. Then you can tackle each issue one by one.
Fear of failure? Stop judging yourself by comparing yourself to others. Plus, a failing grade is simply a reflection on your work, not you as a human being.
Fear of success? Success brings many rewards, but also the responsibility of having to maintain high standards. This can lead to perfectionism, so the work will never be completed. It does not need to be perfect; it just needs to get done.
Low self-esteem? This in essence is seeing yourself as inadequate, unacceptable, unworthy, unlovable, and incompetent. These beliefs tend to create negative, self-critical thoughts that affect your behaviour and your life choices, often lowering your self-esteem even further.
An excellent way to build your self-esteem is to stay connected to yourself… Mindfulness can help you to develop a sense of connection to yourself and reduce your people-pleasing ways by allowing you to stop the autopilot thinking and behaviour that keeps you jumping to please others without thinking of your own needs.
Practical Reasons for Procrastination
There are a lot of practical reasons for procrastination that you may not be aware of. Again, a personal inventory may help you spot patterns and counter them with a range of success strategies.
A Lack of Focus
You might try to sit down to work only to start answering emails, tweak your Facebook page or fiddle with your website. These are all useful tasks for marketing your business online, but they can be done at any time. They are not usually mission-critical compared to meeting important deadlines.
Turn off all distractions and schedule a couple of times a day only to check your email or go on the internet, so “research” does not become random surfing.
Hyper-focus
Hyper-focus means you give so much attention to one task or project that all the others you need to do get neglected. Hyper-focusing once or twice may not be a big issue, but if it happens frequently, it could be a sign of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). One of the ways to combat this is to prioritize.
Lack of Prioritization
We all remember that sinking feeling at school when every single teacher started setting lots of work by a particular deadline. You probably started with the ones you like the best or found the easiest, only to discover that you had left your more important and time-consuming math or history project until the last minute because you did not pay attention to the deadlines.
It can be the same in business. Keep track with a list of things to do, PLUS their completion dates. Check your calendar at the start and end of each day to track your progress and count down to each important deadline.
A Lack of Concentration
Concentration might be an issue if your mind is racing all the time. Even if you have turned off all distractions and are sitting at your work desk, you can’t seem to get going or keep going.
One idea is to push forward with the work no matter how bad you might think it is. It can always be edited and improved upon later. A blank piece of paper can’t be.
If you try all these tips and still can’t seem to concentrate, consider getting a medical check-up. You might be suffering from ADHD. Or, you might be taking medications known to cause changes in memory, such as antihistamines for allergies, antacids, and statin drugs to lower cholesterol. Discuss alternatives with your health practitioner.
Procrastination can hold back even the most talented people from the success they deserve. Assess your reasons for procrastination honestly and see what a difference it can make to your life.
***
Are you ready to make personal and spiritual changes in your life? Consider a one on one private session with Moira or a reading to free yourself from limitations and open yourself up to greater possibilities? Click here to open the door.
Please share this article with your friends using the links below.
