Self-Help

Procrastination can be a sticky problem to overcome because you avoid taking action at all costs, which leaves you feeling even more frightened or intimidated - which causes you to procrastinate even more!  Eventually you find yourself caught in a vicious circle; wanting to make changes but feeling powerless to do so.

The good news is that once you do begin moving forward, it seems much easier to keep the momentum going.  But how do you motivate yourself to begin moving forward at all?

Try one or more of these strategies:

1) Pump yourself up.

Sometimes simple mind games can be enough to get you moving.  Procrastination usually comes along with a mental conversation that might sound something like this:  “I really don’t want to perform that task or activity right now.  Maybe I should fold some laundry or go to the store.  No, I really should get this done, but I feel intimidated.  Maybe I should put it off until I feel ready to handle it.”  Essentially you argue with yourself – but usually on a subconscious level.

However, you can use this same mental dialogue in a more conscious, empowering way too!  Try engaging in some self talk like this, “You know you can do this!  You’re stronger than any procrastination habit; just get moving, no more excuses!  You’ll feel so great when you finally start making progress!  It won’t seem so bad once you get going.”

2) Give yourself a reward.

Bribery can also work well if you’re having trouble pumping yourself up.  Promise yourself something nice like a new outfit, book, or gadget if you make a specific amount of progress on your task.  You can also choose less expensive rewards like treating yourself to favorite foods or taking some time off once you’ve completed the task.  Just be sure you follow through on your promise or you’ll have a harder time bribing yourself next time.

3) Focus on the satisfaction.

If nothing else works, focus intently on the feeling of satisfaction you’ll gain when the job is done!  Most often when you procrastinate you’re focusing on the negative aspects of the task you don’t want to do, like how hard it will be, how unpleasant or boring, and so on.  By focusing more on the positive gains, you’ll feel more inclined to take action so you can enjoy the feeling of accomplishment.

These motivational tactics and others are only effective if you’re willing to give them a fair chance to work.  When it comes right down to it, YOU have to be the one to decide to get moving – no matter what it takes to do so.

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Have you ever found yourself putting things off without knowing why?  Everyone does this to a certain degree, but it can be frustrating when you keep doing it without a clear reason.  Ignoring the problem will only make matters worse because it becomes more and more difficult to move forward.

There are many causes of procrastination, but here are three of the most common:

1) Feeling Overwhelmed

Many people procrastinate because they feel overwhelmed at the thought of tackling specific tasks or chores.  For example, you may want to lose weight and get in shape, but it seems too difficult to begin an exercise program and change your eating habits.  Or you may want to ask your boss for a raise but feel intimidated about his or her response, so you keep avoiding the issue.  The problem with avoidance is that the situations only tend to get worse the longer you ignore them.  What starts out as a minor annoyance can quickly turn into a major aggravation.

The best way to tackle this type of procrastination is to simply push yourself to do something about it.  If it helps you to feel less intimidated, try breaking down a bigger task into smaller pieces.  For example, rather than starting a whole new health regime, try committing to exercising for 30 minutes each day.  Once you’ve gotten comfortable with that, begin making modest changes to your diet, and continue to make other changes in the same gradual way.

If a task can’t be broken down (like asking your boss for a raise), you might reach a point where you feel you have nothing to lose by going for it, and push yourself to take action anyway.  Simply by taking action you can ease that feeling of pressure and fear that procrastination often creates.

2) Perfectionism

Another reason you may procrastinate is because you’re afraid you won’t be able to complete a task well enough, or that the conditions aren’t yet right to move forward.  You’re waiting for everything to be just perfect (or your own capability to be greater than it is now), so you keep holding back.  Unfortunately, the “perfect time” or conditions never arrive, so you can end up holding back for years!

The best way to get around this procrastination habit is to keep affirming that things don’t have to be perfect for you to proceed.  You don’t have to be perfect in your actions or capabilities, and the conditions don’t have to be perfect in order for you to make progress.  When you let go of your need to have everything “just so,” you free yourself up to better enjoy the journey and leave procrastination in the dust.

3) Lack of Discipline

Finally, a lack of self-discipline can also cause procrastination because you simply won’t put forth the effort to make positive changes in your life.  Let’s face it; anything worthwhile will require some effort to achieve!

You may have to simply push yourself to do the things you know must be done, even if you don’t exactly enjoy them.  When you keep in mind the alternative – problems and stagnation that result from procrastination, you just might find the motivation and discipline to keep moving forward.

There seems to be some very rational excuses for not taking action that we use to convince ourselves that now is not the right time. This can pertain to starting an exercise program, job hunting, going back to school or even smaller projects such as cleaning out the garage.

What is common about making excuses is that there is a part of us that knows on some level that it is an excuse. When is the perfect time to do something?  

Roger Babson said, ” Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present.”

H. Jackson Brown Jr stated, “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

Often once we start doing something it isn’t as bad as we dreaded and it actually is a relief from the anxiety we feel in putting it off. The things we postpone are still part of our awareness and they eat at us because we know we are in avoidance or distracting ourselves. Inaction actually can be very stressful.

When you think about it, is the time ever perfect for anything we do? When we make time for something it becomes part of our lives. For example , once you decide that you are going to exercise forty five minutes three times a week, you then pick a block of time on those three days that can work with your schedule.

When we are honest with ourselves, we know that we waste more than 45 minutes a day between tv, internet surfing and other activities that give us a breather. Write down at the end of the day for three days in a row what some time wasters are that you engaged in . This can be quite eye opening and you can see you have a little more extra time than you realized. 

Of course, there are times when we truly should not add something new on our plate. Self-honesty is what can help us discriminate if our situation right now is one of those times or not. Also you can start slowly with something.

If you genuinely are pressed for time, then take an exercise class one time a week rather than three times a week. Once you see the benefits, you will want to increase your own practice sessions.

When we procrastinate, we don’t get a taste of the activity we are postponing…