For as long as I can remember, I have always procrastinated, delaying important tasks right until the eleventh hour.
The more I got away with this terrible habit, the more I continued living like this, relishing the thrill that came with ‘beating the system.’ But procrastinating cost me big time.
“While we waste our time hesitating and postponing, life is slipping away.”
— Seneca
While I got good at doing what needed to be done at the last minute, this meant not following through with some of my tasks. I have lost count of the many great articles, interviews and ideas that died at the altar of procrastination. This newsletter could have been a victim too but God…
Apart from missed deadlines and tasks, research has shown that procrastinating consistently can lead to high levels of frustration, guilt, stress, low self-esteem, joblessness, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
Let’s breakdown procrastination
This problem is caused by numerous reasons ranging from waiting to feel motivated or inspired, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, fear of failing, tiredness to getting easily distracted.
According to psychology, there are four main types of procrastinators — The Avoider (very anxious about deadlines), The Optimist (thinks there is always enough time), The Pleasure Seeker (chooses fun over tasks) and The Perfectionist.
I fall into the last group of procrastinators. People like me postpone because we are never satisfied with anything we do, nothing is ever good enough so we delay telling ourselves that we have to get every minor detail right before we can start.
Overcoming procrastinating
Still, I have managed to deal with procrastination and start many projects including this newsletter by doing the following:
Being self-aware
I have learnt the tendency to procrastinate is rooted in emotions. So, I immediately dig into my mind once i start to feel tempted to procrastinate.
“Procrastination is an emotion regulation problem, not a time management problem” — Dr Tim Pychyl, professor of psychology and member of the Procrastination Research Group at Carleton University in Ottawa.
I fight the fear and imposter syndrome masked as doubts and seemingly valid points (excuses) with positive affirmations. It’s okay to feel inadequate or scared but its never okay to let it paralyze you or stop you from doing what needs to be done. Feel it, acknowledge it but move regardless.
I stopped waiting for perfect conditions
Being a recovering perfectionist and procrastinator means I got good at coming up with reasons (read as excuses) for not doing something. So, I would tell myself i needed the right time, the exact mood, or tools to carry out a task.
To achieve my goals, I have learned to start with what I have exactly where I am in spite of my excuses. Actions spark motivation, not the other way around.
Being accountable to at least one person
Telling people I wanted to do this meant I had people checking up on me to ensure that I followed through. This has left me with no choice but to start.
It’s bigger than me
So, what does this have to do with you? Well, apparently I’m not the only dealing with this particular tendency. Turns out about 20 percent of adults have regular bouts of procrastination while “One out of five people, researchers have found, fall into a category they call chronic procrastinators, ” according to writer Heather Murphy. This means we can all relate even if you are not a chronic procrastinator.
I hope this encourages you to show up in spite of your fears and the temptation to postpone what you need to do for Netflix or your phone. Don’t wait to feel ready, it may never happen. Stop waiting for the right conditions and start anyway!
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