We all procrastinate. Even the super-productive person who gets a lot done procrastinates occasionally. The difference between high achievers and the rest of us is that they don't make a
habit of putting things off. They prefer to prioritize accomplishing things,
even if they would rather be doing something else.
They delay a reward until later. Undoubtedly, they would prefer to vacation, spend some downtime with their friends, or do many other things rather than work hard. Yet they choose to do the work. Many of us jump online or on our phones or engage in behavior other
than doing hard work.
We can always get to it later. It won't do itself, so it will always be there. The rationalization and
justification processes begin. We can come up with many seemingly good reasons why there's no need to tackle a responsibility or task right now.
What's driving our behavior is mood management.
The Good News Is That Most Procrastinators Aren't Lazy
Do you remember your parents scolding you for not doing your chores as a child? They never stopped telling you to clean up and organize your room. At some point, after you went several days
ignoring that dreaded task, one of your parents said some variation of the
following.
"You still haven't cleaned your room! Why are you solazy?"
They might have been right. Laziness could have been at play, but it probably wasn't. That's because procrastination is all about choosing one emotional experience over another.
This is great news. It means that you can stop beating yourself up emotionally and mentally when you put things off until later. You are not lazy. You're just trying to choose the better of two
experiences.
Compare Your Eventual Feelings over Your Current Feelings
If you have a task that needs to be done and avoid it, your feelings are at play. You're doing it because whatever you choose rather than that task is more enjoyable.
Beating procrastination means comparing how the avoidance will make you feel now versus the feelings involved with eventually doing what you will have to do.
There might be hours or days of dreading the task before you decide to act. It's common to experience a blow to your self-esteem for putting it off. Will it cost you time, money, or some
other resource to avoid it? If so, there are no doubt lots of negative feelings
that will accompany the experience.
Before you procrastinate, think about what's really happening. You are simply choosing a better emotional reality now and putting off a less-than-enjoyable experience until later. Look ahead.
Remember past situations where you did the same thing. You will often see that
procrastinating leads to a much worse experience in the future than if you go
ahead and handle the task now.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to have positive feelings. That's why we procrastinate. However, sometimes you trade a slightly less enjoyable experience for a terrible experience later. Does that
make sense? Remember this the next time you think about putting something off,
and you might procrastinate less.
This post is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered therapy. This blog is only for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered therapy or any form of treatment. We are not able to respond to specific questions or comments about personal situations, appropriate diagnosis or treatment, or otherwise provide any clinical opinions. If you think you need immediate assistance, call your local doctor/psychologist or psychiatrist or the SADAG Mental Health Line on 011 234 4837. If necessary, please phone the Suicide Crisis Line on 0800 567 567 or sms 31393.