Worlds best procrastinator…!

I procrastinate, I honestly have it down to perfection!! I think I have all the time in world, I leave everything until literally the last minute. I think to myself that it can wait, I really don’t need to do it right now, sometimes I even tell myself it’s not important, or that I don’t care, when I clearly do, yet I always get it done, albeit with so much more unnecessary stress.
The icing on the cake I am a perfectionist, so as you can imagine this has caused me, shall we say many ‘challenging times’ in my life. I have also convinced myself over the years that I work better under pressure, but do I?
Or is this an excuse????

So, recently I asked myself (when I reached a very important deadline and the pressure was full on) why have I not done it? I had literally weeks, so is my lack of ‘doing’ due to my procrastination, or is it something else? This then got me thinking about my patterns of behaviour and my ‘go to’ thoughts. This led to a deeper questioning; is my own procrastination purely about time management, lack of enthusiasm or am I just simply lazy, or is it also as research suggests, related to our emotions and our thoughts?

We know most of us have our own ‘go to’ styles or patterns of thinking and resulting behaviours when feeling stress. For example, we may only see things in black or white, we may totally blow things out of proportion. We may also use avoidance, bury our head in the sand! These are our irrational thoughts and beliefs which often turn up uninvited and are generally unwanted and unhelpful!

For example, when we have something to do, we may feel anxious and fear the task ahead, we may feel overwhelmed and worried, this leads to procrastination as we may already be thinking we are going to fail, tell ourselves “I can’t do it” “I am useless” so why bother? We can overthink the simplest task. It’s this constant battle back and forth in our own mind. We may also procrastinate when we feel depressed or struggle to get our thoughts in order. Procrastination is also an issue in some neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD.

There are many reasons as to why, in some instances procrastination is absolutely normal.

So what can we do, when the procrastinator in us shows up?……

• Firstly, take a few minutes to think of what you need to do, prioritise one task and if it overwhelms you, take a deep breath, then grab a pen and paper, and start to break it down into more manageable chunks, Remember, baby steps.

• You can also make a to-do list for daily chores or particular tasks, but do not add too much, as this will often make you feel worse when faced with a list of endless tasks. Tick any off as you go and pat yourself on the back when you do achieve (no matter how small this may be). YOU DID IT !!!!!

• Be honest and realistic, can you actually achieve it? Don’t set your self up for failure before you have even started!!!

• Take breaks in between, have some fun.

• Turn off your phone and TV, make sure there are no distractions. Try to focus solely on the task.

• Figuring out why we procrastinate is also beneficial, question yourself, what are feeling, what are you noticing.

• Recognising why you procrastinate can help make your own personal plan.

• Set a timer, time limits if you need, work with a friend.

• Ask for help or support if you are stuck or feeling overwhelmed.

• Rather, than tell yourself you can’t do it, counteract that negative thought with ‘I can do this, I am going to try. Thoughts are not always facts.

• If you start to feel overwhelmed, practice your breathing technique. (see our resources page for tips)

• Reward yourself - small treats at different stages.

• Look at the bigger picture, how will you feel when you have competed or started the task or goal?

Remember, none of us are perfect, we all make mistakes!