Overcoming Procrastination: How to Stop Delaying and Take Action
How familiar is this scenario? Do you have a stressful work assignment that must be completed by EOD, but before you participate, you check your email for the fifth time in 15 minutes, scroll through Instagram, and maybe even listen to your favorite podcast.
Welcome to the not so wonderful world of delay. We’ve all been there, and it’s nothing new. Human beings have been procrastinating for thousands of years. The ancient Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato had a different word for it: Akrasia– but it still meant the same thing.
The Real Reasons behind Procrastination
Procrastinating is delaying or putting off a task that you know needs to be done. The end result is often regret, depression, and self-hatred. So why do we do this to ourselves? And what can we do to reverse the annoying trend?
First, let’s debunk the #1 myth about why we procrastinate in the first place: because we’re disorganized. This is not true. “Procrastination is not a time management problem. It’s an emotional management problem,” says Petr Ludwig, author of “The End of Procrastination: How to Stop Procrastinating and Lead a Fulfilling Life”. In other words, we procrastinate because of how we feel about homework, not because we’re bad at making to-do lists.
In an exclusive interview on the Write About Now podcast, Ludwig shared his science-backed insights into why we procrastinate and the helpful tools we can use to combat it. He argues that the real reasons we procrastinate are lack of intrinsic motivation, willpower, and fear of failure.
Lack of Motivation
Many of us feel a lack of purpose at work. In a post-pandemic world, in the midst of a global economic crisis and political turmoil, feeling inspired by the world can be challenging, let alone your job. “We are not motivated at work because we don’t believe in what we do,” explains Ludwig. “If you’re working on a project and you lack purpose, it’s really hard to stay motivated.”
The result is escaping the stress and strain of a particular task by doing something you know you shouldn’t be doing. As the great American writer Mark Twain once quipped: “Never put off until tomorrow what can be done the day after tomorrow.”
Fear of Failure
Another reason we procrastinate is because we are anxious, often irrationally, that the outcome of our work will not be well received. “We are often so afraid of failure that we can’t get started,” says Ludwig.
Lack of Willpower
When faced with high demands or stressful situations, our willpower often wanes, making it harder to resist the temptation of social media, video games, and other procrastination tools.
Effective Strategies to Stop Procrastinating
Now that we understand the underlying reasons for procrastination, it’s time to explore some practical strategies to overcome it and take action.
Rekindle Your Purpose
As we noted earlier, procrastination points to a bigger problem: you lack overall purpose in your life, so it may be time to get it back. Ludwig encourages you to think about the activities that you really enjoy doing in your life and the tasks that make you feel most fulfilled.
“At work, ask yourself what your strengths are and how you can implement those strengths on a daily basis,” he advises. “These are small steps that can improve your daily life because the more intrinsic motivation you have, the more often you find yourself in what is called a flow state. You enjoy the process. Time stands still for you.”
Enjoy the Path, Not the Destination
Ludwig encourages people to focus more on the journey than the end goal. “The process is the best solution to combat procrastination because when you enjoy the process, you love what you are doing and you don’t put it off.”
Break Big Tasks into Smaller Tasks
Sometimes the overwhelming nature of a task you are afraid to do can be paralyzing. Overcoming this paralysis often means breaking the task into smaller, more manageable steps, making it feel less overwhelming and more achievable.
This is what Ludwig describes as emotional management. “Your very intense negative emotion towards the task goes down and your willpower kicks in,” says Ludwig. “Stronger willpower also leads to greater satisfaction because when we are able to prioritize better, the reward centers in our brain are activated, dopamine is released, and we experience positive emotions.”
Give Yourself Some Slack
The next time you catch yourself procrastinating, practice a little compassion instead of beating yourself up for it. “Self forgiveness” is a useful strategy to combat procrastination, says Ludwig.
He points to a study conducted at Carlton University in 2009, in which 119 freshmen were asked to complete measures of procrastination and self-forgiveness immediately before two midterms. The results revealed that students who forgave themselves for putting off preparing for the first test were less likely to put off studying for the second test.
“Sometimes it’s just about forgiving ourselves and starting over,” says Ludwig.
Conclusion
Procrastination is a common struggle that affects many individuals. However, now armed with a greater understanding of its underlying causes and effective strategies to overcome it, you can take control of your productivity and achieve your goals. By rekindling your purpose, focusing on the journey, breaking tasks into smaller steps, and practicing self-forgiveness, you can overcome procrastination and lead a more fulfilling life.
Remember, it’s not about being perfect or never procrastinating again. It’s about progress, learning, and growth. So the next time you catch yourself delaying, take a deep breath, remind yourself of your purpose, and take that first step towards action. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish when you conquer procrastination.
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How familiar is this scenario? Do you have a stressful work assignment that must be completed by EOD, but before you participate, you check your email for the fifth time in 15 minutes, scroll through Instagram, and maybe even listen to your favorite podcast.
Welcome to the not so wonderful world of delay. We’ve all been there, and it’s nothing new. Human beings have been procrastinating for thousands of years. The ancient Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato had a different word for it: Akrasia– but it still meant the same thing.
Procrastinating is delaying or putting off a task that you know needs to be done. The end result is often regret, depression, and self-hatred. So why do we do this to ourselves? And what can we do to reverse the annoying trend?
Related: Are you a procrastinator? Here’s how to beat it with biohacking
why we procrastinate
First, to understand the real reasons we procrastinate, let’s debunk the #1 myth about why we procrastinate in the first place: because we’re disorganized.
Is not true. “Procrastination is not a time management problem. It’s an emotional management problem,” says Petr Ludwig, author of The end of procrastination: how to stop procrastinating and lead a fulfilling life. In other words, we procrastinate because of how we feel about homework, not because we’re bad at making to-do lists.
in a exclusive interview on the Write About Now podcastLudwig shared his science-backed insights into why we procrastinate and the helpful tools we use to combat it.
He argues that the real reasons we procrastinate are lack of intrinsic motivation, willpower, and fear of failure.
Lack of motivation
Many of us feel a lack of purpose at work. In a post-pandemic world, in the midst of a global economic crisis and political turmoil, feeling inspired by the world can be challenging, let alone your job.
“We are not motivated at work because we don’t believe in what we do,” explains Ludwig. “If you’re working on a project and you lack purpose, it’s really hard to stay motivated.”
The result is escaping the stress and strain of a particular task by doing something you know you shouldn’t be doing. As the great American writer Mark Twain once quipped: “Never put off until tomorrow what can be done the day after tomorrow.”
Fear to fail
Another reason we procrastinate is because we are anxious, often irrationally, that the outcome of our work will not be well received. “We are often so afraid of failure that we can’t get started,” says Ludwig.
lack of willpower
When faced with high demands or stressful situations, our willpower often wanes, making it harder to resist the temptation of social media, video games, and other procrastination tools.
How to stop procrastinating
rekindle your purpose
As we noted earlier, procrastination points to a bigger problem that you lack overall purpose in your life, so it may be time to get it back. Ludwig encourages him to think about the activities that he really enjoys doing in his life and the tasks that make him feel most fulfilled.
“At work, ask yourself what your strengths are and how you can implement those strengths on a daily basis,” she advises. “These are small steps that can improve your daily life because the more intrinsic motivation you have, the more often you find yourself in what is called a flow state. You enjoy the process. Time stands still for you.”
This flow state, he says, is the exact opposite of procrastination because when you’re doing something meaningful, you’re more likely to have positive emotions.
Enjoy the path, not the destination
Ludwig encourages people to focus more on the journey than the end goal.
“The process is the best solution to combat procrastination because when you enjoy the process, you love what you are doing and you don’t put it off.
Break big tasks into smaller tasks
Sometimes the overwhelming nature of a task you are afraid to do can be paralyzing.
Overcoming this paralysis often means breaking the task into smaller, more manageable steps, making it feel less overwhelming and more achievable.
This is what Ludwig describes as emotional management. “Your very intense negative emotion towards the task goes down and your willpower kicks in,” says Ludwig. “Stronger willpower also leads to greater satisfaction because when we are able to prioritize better, the reward centers in our brain are activated, dopamine is released, and we experience positive emotions.”
give yourself some slack
The next time you catch yourself procrastinating, practice a little compassion instead of beating yourself up for it. “Self forgiveness” is a useful strategy to combat procrastination, says Ludwig.
He points to a study conducted at Carlton University in 2009, in which 119 freshmen were asked to complete measures of procrastination and self-forgiveness immediately before two midterms. The results revealed that students who forgave themselves for putting off preparing for the first test were less likely to put off studying for the second test.
“Sometimes it’s just about forgiving ourselves and starting over,” says Ludwig.
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