Are you someone who struggles with procrastination? You continually put things off until the last minute. Maybe you don’t want to do them or maybe there are other reasons.

During my years in practice it seems as there are some clients who want to get that task completed as soon as they can. They don’t like having a deadline looming over their head. Getting it out of the way reduces their anxiety.

On the flip side I have worked with clients who are not anxious about that task until the deadline is right in front of them. Then they will work hours and hours on it all at once until it is done. They need that anxiety to motivate them.

However, it becomes problematic if it impacts your performance on the job, harms other people, or hurts you in some way shape or form. It may even harm your relationship.

There are many reasons for procrastination and various strategies to overcome it.

Reasons for procrastination

Fear of failure

Some people fear they won’t do a good job, so why try? They don’t want to let others or them self down.

Lack of motivation

Let’s be honest here, some jobs or tasks are so boring and mundane. Doing the wash, cooking the meals, cleaning the house is a never-ending job. I’m guessing all of us at some point in time didn’t want to do those things or put them off for a while.

Perfectionism and procrastination

Some people feel the job needs to be done perfectly. They may put it off, as they aren’t in a mindset to be able to do it perfectly. The pressure may also be so great that they are so anxious about doing it.

Overwhelm

The job may be so large in the person’s eyes that they don’t even know where to begin. So they do nothing.

Distraction

There are so many things to distract us these days. Our phones are at our fingertips and we all know how easy it is to get sucked into social media. One thing leads to another and then hours have gone by.

How to overcome procrastination

Break it down into small pieces

You are much less likely to become overwhelmed that way. Think about when you learned to drive. That may have seemed overwhelming in the beginning. Did you just get out there the first day and drive on the freeway? I’m guessing not. The steps were broken down into small pieces.

If you are like most of us, someone sat down in the car with you and showed you where all the controls were. You probably went to a parking lot some place and practiced starting, stopping and driving around slowly. Then you went out on a side street that wasn’t busy. Once you got comfortable you went on busier roads and freeways.

Set achievable goals with deadlines

If you start with the step above, you want to break it down into small parts that will set you up for success, and it will be much less daunting. The difference here is that you are putting a timeline on it, which is very different from having an open-ended time. Again, if you are someone who needs a deadline to motivate you, this is a good way to do it.

An example for this might be a school assignment. If you have a big term paper due, set a deadline to get your research materials. Set another deadline to read them. Then set a date to write your outline, your rough draft, etc.

Get rid of procrastination distractions

What gets in your way? For most of us it’s our phone or watches. You know what you need to do. Put them in another room while you are working. Also be sure that they are on silent so you won’t hear anything. We are like Pavlov’s dogs. When we hear that bell we can’t ignore it.

If you have young kids at school or daycare, adjust your phone settings so only certain people can get through.

For other people the location is a distraction. If you have kids at home, you may need to leave the house, unless you need to do tasks at home. Perhaps your partner can take the kids to the park or away from home so you can do what you need to do.

Self-compassion

Many people struggle with procrastination. Remember, you didn’t get here overnight and you won’t change overnight. Don’t beat yourself up over this. Recognizing that you need to change is the first step. Beating yourself up will just make you feel bad about yourself. Remind yourself that you are working on it and each day is a new day.

Start with the hardest task

If you start with the thing you dread the most, it will be off your plate. You wont’ have to worry about it the rest of the day. This may also help motivate you to keep going, because the rest of it is easier.

Accountability

If you share your goals with someone else and state them out loud, you are more likely to follow through. You can have an accountability partner to help you. This person can also check in and see how it’s going. There are also apps to help you with this if you don’t have that accountability partner.

Overcoming procrastination is a learning process. It requires self-awareness, discipline, and compassion. Hopefully recognizing why it happens and tools to overcome will help. If not, you might want to try therapy. Give me a call at 713-304-6554 and we can get you on the right path.

Take care,

Debbie