If you tend to procrastinate what you can do now, chances are that the adjective “procrastinated” sticks to your skin. Reading that horrible word that inspires a subtle blend of emptiness of courage and laziness, you might even want to procrastinate reading this article. But before you give up, try to imagine that procrastination is not an end in itself, but rather a friend who wants you well.
Procrastination: a universal sensation
Few most people what they understand what procrastination is, many even believe that they can combat it with productivity techniques like the pomodoro method . Unfortunately, if this type of method can sometimes help you to overcome procrastination temporarily, in no case do they effectively fight against the mechanisms of this procrastination. Because procrastination isn’t just about time management .
The good news is that everyone procrastinates. that’s because the human mind is naturally designed to seek the least effort and comfort at all times.
For example, if you have to choose between washing dishes and having fun, you don’t think much. Thus, we will all tend to postpone a task we have to do, if we have the opportunity to feel more comfortable doing something else.
There are so many ways to procrastinate
There are several ways to procrastinate, but one of the most common classifications is that of psychologist Neil Fiore who distinguishes 5 namely:
- Perfectionist procrastinators who are so detail-oriented that they spend too much time doing a task;
- Impostor procrastinators who accept many tasks and responsibilities in order to demonstrate to those around them that they are capable of it;
- The fearful procrastinators who as you can imagine do not go towards what they have to do because they find it boring or even unpleasant;
- Overwhelmed procrastinators who, for one reason or another, find themselves with so much work to do that they don’t know where to start;
- Lucky procrastinators who knowingly postpone their tasks until the last minute because they find themselves more effective when under pressure;
“The biggest speeches were written at the last minute because it allows you to have more flexibility once you’re on stage. ”
– Adam Grant, Psychologist & Author –
If you recognize this tendency to put off a job you can do now, identifying which category of procrastinator you belong to will help you master the habit. If you are among the lucky procrastinators, this apparent flaw will sometimes allow you to achieve your professional goals.
Procrastination at work: danger or opportunity?
Indeed, procrastinating can be interesting insofar as the best ideas do not come on the first try. It is after several reflections that we succeed in fine-tuning the most beautiful concepts. In addition, completing tasks at the last minute causes some people to have an adrenaline rush and boost their motivation. If you are the type who waits until the last moment to get things done and it is successful for you, maybe you should just try to prioritize your tasks.
What message is procrastination sending you?
Instead of seeing it as a dreadful blemish, procrastination can be a signal that what you are doing is not passionate about you, what motivates you and inspires you. Suppose a person is passionate about sports, but to fulfill his father’s dream and reassure mum’s economic fears, he chooses to marry the profession of Journalist. There is a good chance that procrastination will become a partner that accompanies him professionally throughout his career.
Use your values to fight procrastination
While it is possible to take inspiring paths that limit your procrastination, for other tasks, or for the inevitable daily chores, finding inspiration seems more complex.
Some tasks like taking care of the garden, doing the accounting, etc., do not animate you at all and call your procrastination to the rescue to escape it temporarily.
In this case you can delegate these tasks or attach them to your values.
Suppose what drives you are your children and you use gardening to teach them a healthy relationship with nature, with the earth, with life.
Have self-confidence, so as not to procrastinate
According to some researchers (1) procrastinating is strongly linked to the fact of not liking the task, to the fact of not having confidence in oneself and in its personal effectiveness, to the lack of self-control and more generally to the lack of motivation.
In other words, the tasks you procrastinate the most often are the ones that often mean little to you and the ones you feel you don’t have the capabilities to do.
In addition to choosing a path that inspires you, develop your self-confidence and your capacity for action. This will boost your motivation to take action and therefore overcome procrastination.
Motivation = (Hope x Value) / (Impulsivity x Delay).
procrastination is linked to a loss of motivation, psychologist Piers Steel relies on four main explanatory factors for motivation to define the procrastination equation as follows:
Motivation = (Hope x Value) / (Impulsivity x Time limit)
In this equation, hope refers to how much you believe in your chances of success, while value expresses how important it is to you to complete the task. The higher these two factors, the greater your motivation and the less likely you are to procrastinate.
Conversely, impulsivity reflects your inability to control yourself. For example, to resist Instagram notifications. When it comes to the amount of time you have to complete the task, the longer it is, the more it also lowers your motivation. Which increases your tendency to procrastinate.
In conclusion
you must work to increase your hope and the value that your tasks have in your eyes, while reducing your impulsiveness and the time to complete them. Only in this way will you be able to boost your motivation and effectively overcome procrastination.
Be smart rebels and take action. Head to the life that inspires you now. As you will understand, this will reduce your procrastination and therefore by maximizing your well-being, you will increase your productivity.