A Case For Procrastination Interrupted Part 1

Hello,


                                       "All The Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
                                       Layin' In The Sun,
                                       Talkin' 'Bout The Things
                                       They Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda Done...
                                       But All Those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
                                       All Ran Away And Hid
                                       From One Little Did."
                                         - Shel Silverstein

Regret and procrastination often go hand in hand. The remedy? Act on your intentions. Don't be afraid of the did. Time is precious. Why waste it? If you want your procrastination interrupted, then just get started, this very moment. Yes, now Is the Time. Take the first step. To begin, just start somewhere. One small action is all you need to start the movement from not doing to doing. One Little Did. That's all. Try it. It works.

So with no further delay, let's expose procrastination by understanding what it is.

The first thing to know about procrastination is that everyone does it to some degree or another. You are not alone. It is for many a habit. A delay by choice that is unnecessary and serves to keep us off task.* Procrastination is putting off doing something that is important, but unpleasant that you know should be done today. We replace important tasks with less important ones and by doing so often waste time. It is a deliberate turning away from an intended action when we know we could act on it right now.* It is avoidance. A self-imposed delay despite the knowledge that inaction will bring about negative consequences. It reflects a struggle with self-control. In other words, we are unwilling or unable to carry out our intentions. It is a reluctance to act when it is in our best interest to do so.* Procrastination is our way of holding ourselves back and remaining stuck. A form of self-sabotage that undermines well-being. It is working against ourselves, goals and needs. We often do it without questioning our actions.

For many of us, procrastination has become our "go to response" to things we don't want to do, situations we don't want to face, and emotions we don't want to feel. Yes, when faced with a task or situation that brings up unpleasant feelings, the procrastinator in us will seek relief through excuses, rationalizations, and/or denial. We are in essence running away from uncomfortable feelings and seeking ways to feel better using procrastination as our way out. The very act of procrastination is an indication that we are letting our feelings rule over right action and this comes with a price in the long run.
More often than not, procrastination creates guilt-we feel bad about ourselves-with ourselves.* It reflects self-doubts, fears, and low self-worth. And we must not forget that most of our regrets are a direct result and consequence of our failure to act. Furthermore, procrastination causes stress which can compromise our immune system and overall physical health functioning.* Habitual procrastinators often postpone seeking medical attention and following up with their health care needs. The results can be physically harmful. As you can see, procrastination NOT interrupted is a problem that can literally put a life on hold. Sadly enough, this happens to be the story for many who allow procrastination to dominate their lives. What is the cost of your procrastination? Is it worth it?

If you are like most people who procrastinate, you know what you are doing, but understanding how and why can help you make a change. First, it is important to know procrastination takes many forms with some more obvious than others. Here are some examples of how procrastinators do their thing: show reluctance to take on new challenges or positive risks, become physically ill when faced with unpleasant tasks or situations, show discrepancy between what they say and what they do, avoid decisions and/or confrontations, make plans but fail to carry them out, ideas are almost always in the planning stages, wait to the last possible minute to do something, seem to only work under pressure, are often late, stay at a job longer than they care to, too much thinking not enough doing, and struggle with clutter which is a physical manifestation of you know what. Their modus operandi seems to be "do tomorrow what they rather not do today." How often do you find yourself saying, "I'll get to it later," "I just can't right now," "In a minute."

If you are serious about making a start, then pay close attention to the thoughts you keep and the words you speak or else you may find yourself once again putting off until...later. Let's face it, we all have habits. And yes, we all procrastinate some. The problem is when we allow any habit, including procrastination to dominate. When this happens, watch out!
The ways of procrastination are NO FUN. It really does not make us feel that great, especially when we have the emotional awareness to recognize we are just running away from ourselves and our lives. The truth of the matter is, procrastination can be a source of considerable stress and anxiety.* It often makes us feel weak and helpless. So in actuality, procrastination makes life harder and we are less happier for it.

Despite the negative consequences of procrastination, the urge to do so is very strong because essentially it provides us with a way of coping with our feelings. By procrastinating, we get to feel good now and avoid negative emotions now.* A behavior that makes it possible for you to avoid negative feelings is hard to give up. Here are some of the feelings procrastinators try to run away from by staying off task: excessive worry and anxiety about failing, guilt, shame, anger and strong sense of inadequacy. And of course, there's stress, feeling overwhelmed, lack of motivation and boredom. But FEAR seems to be the big one that sets the stage for procrastination. It could be fear of failure and of success, disappointment, looking foolish, making mistakes, rejection and so on. For those who habitually procrastinate, it is possible their behavior serves to protect self-esteem.* For example, if you choose to wait until the night before to study for a big exam and you do well, then this makes you look good. If however, you do poorly, you can always say you didn't give yourself enough time to fully prepare. Either way, self-esteem is not threatened. Procrastination can also help you to not feel the depths of your loneliness, sadness and despair. Your delay in action is an assurance that there is always something to do-something that has to get done...LATER. And so, procrastination is your buffer from pain.

One last thing about the function of procrastination worth mentioning. In many ways, procrastination is a problem similar to that of drinking too much, using other mood-altering substances, overeating, or shopping-all in an effort to avoid negative emotions.* When faced with unwanted feelings we seek relief and these behaviors including procrastination serve as a quick fix. Here's the thing about procrastination, it is a mood changer, but the relief it offers is only temporary and short-lived. You may find yourself turning to procrastination more and more as a way of escapism to the extent that it becomes your primary way of warding off whatever it is you don't want to feel. In the case of habitual procrastinators, however, there comes a time when they feel awful procrastinating and just as bad when they don't. The escape no longer works for them which is actually a good thing because pain can move them to action.

Think on These Things.

Stay tuned for part two.

Enjoy :)


* Partially adapted from Timothy A. Pychyl's Solving The Procrastination Puzzle.