Why Do We Procrastinate? Learn the Five Effective Strategies to Overcome It

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Good morning, everyone! As I took my breakfast today, I tuned into an interview with Dr. Timothy A. Pychyl, a leading authority on procrastination. His words hit home: procrastination is a challenge that many of us face, whether we're students, professionals, or parents juggling a busy life.

 

Everyone procrastinates. It is seen in many cultures worldwide. In the Philippines, there's a term known as the "Mañana habit," which describes the tendency to put off tasks until tomorrow or later. The phrase comes from the Spanish word "mañana," meaning tomorrow.

We often delay tasks until non-urgent tasks become urgent, creating a mountain of to-dos that has to be completed in a rush. While some people claim to perform well under pressure, that's not true for most of us, myself included.

 

Working under pressure can cause significant stress and anxiety, affecting the quality of your work. As a result, you might make more mistakes when scrambling to meet deadlines.

In this article, let's explore why we procrastinate, how it impacts our lives, and, more importantly, how to overcome it inspired by the book, Solving the Procrastination Puzzle.

Timothy A. Pychyl is a psychology professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, specializing in procrastination. With more than 20 years of research, he explains why people procrastinate and provides practical solutions to help overcome it, detailed in his book, Solving the Procrastination Puzzle.

Procrastination vs. Delay: What's the Difference?

Delaying tasks is part of life, but not all delays are created equally. The key difference between procrastination and delay lies in the reasons behind the postponement and the intended outcome.

Procrastination: The Needless Voluntary Delay

Procrastination is a voluntary delay of an intended action, even though you know it could lead to negative consequences. It often serves as an emotional coping strategy when faced with tasks that create anxiety, fear, or other negative emotions.

By avoiding these tasks, you can temporarily escape the discomfort, but this often creates more problems in the long run. The present self may benefit from this avoidance, but the future self pays the price with stress, rushed work, and lower-quality outcomes.

All procrastination is a delay, but not all delay is procrastination.

While procrastination is a type of voluntary delay, other forms of delay are based on different factors:

Purposeful Delay: This type of delay is intentional and often strategic. It involves postponing a task for valid reasons, such as waiting for additional information or prioritizing other work. Purposeful delays can lead to positive outcomes.

Inevitable Delay: These delays occur due to factors beyond your control, such as equipment failure, personal emergencies, or other unexpected events. Inevitable delays require flexibility and adaptability.

Delay Due to Emotional Problems: Unlike procrastination, which is a coping mechanism, delays caused by emotional problems stem from deeper issues like depression due to the loss of loved ones. These delays might require professional support or therapy to resolve.

Why do We Procrastinate?

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Procrastination is often triggered by task aversiveness, where people feel a strong dislike or reluctance toward certain tasks. This aversion can stem from boredom, resentment, frustration, difficulty, ambiguity, lack of structure, or a sense of meaninglessness. 

When a task is unpleasant or challenging, people tend to delay it in favor of more enjoyable activities, leading to a cycle of avoidance. These negative emotions can create a sense of guilt and needless delay, where tasks are delayed without good reason. This can lead to increased stress and a last-minute rush to complete tasks.

Understanding the underlying causes of procrastination and using the right strategies that make the tasks less aversive can help you overcome procrastination and reduce its negative effects.

Negative Impact of Procrastination

Impact on Productivity. Procrastination leads to last-minute rushes, incomplete tasks, low quality, decreased output, and missed deadlines. When people procrastinate, they often delay tasks until they become urgent, creating a mountain of to-dos that need immediate attention.

Impact on Health. Procrastination has a direct effect on stress levels, which can harm physical and mental health. The stress of having to complete multiple tasks in a short time frame can lead to anxiety and depression, poor health habits, and treatment delays.

Impact on Relationships. Procrastination can also strain relationships, especially when it involves breaking promises or failing to meet commitments. This can create tension and mistrust in yourself, family, friends, or colleagues.

Five Strategies to Overcome Procrastination

1. Make the task less aversive. 

To make a task less aversive, list the tasks you've been procrastinating on and identify the factors that make them unpleasant or challenging. Once you know what's causing the aversion, address those specific issues.

 

For example, if a task feels frustrating or overwhelming, break it down into smaller, more manageable steps. 

If the task seems boring, turn it into a game - set a timer and challenge yourself to complete it within a certain period. 

If the task is difficult, use tools and resources to simplify it, or seek help from someone with more experience. 

If it is meaningless, explore how the task could contribute to your personal or professional growth and make it fun.

Addressing these factors can reduce the resistance to starting and completing the task.

2. Just Get Started.

Choose a small, simple piece from the broken-down task, ideally one that can be completed in a few minutes. The act of beginning can create momentum and build confidence. 

As you complete these smaller tasks, the initial aversion often diminishes, and you find it easier to move on to the next small task, and so on.

3. Eliminate Distractions. 

Avoid the 'Just One Minute' Trap. When you tell yourself it's just a quick check of email or news, it's easy to get sucked into hours of aimless browsing. Instead, disconnect completely from distractions. Unplug and dive deep into your tasks to stay focused and productive.

4. Implementation intentions. 

Create a clear plan to counteract procrastination. Pre-commit to a specific course of action when you have thoughts like, 'I'll get to this later,' or 'I'm not in the mood right now.' 

The strategy is simple, "IF these thoughts occur, THEN I will immediately start on some part of the task, no matter how small."

IF I say something to myself like, 'Oh, I'll feel more like doing this tomorrow,' I will catch myself in this self-deception and add 'THEN I will just get started on the task instead. It works. You'd be surprised.    -Timothy A.Pychyl

5. Be kind to yourself. 

Expect to stumble. Overcoming procrastination isn't always a smooth journey; you might have days where you make great progress and others where you don't. While you should stay committed to changing your habits, it's equally important to be gentle with yourself when things go wrong. 

Studies show that forgiving yourself when you procrastinate can help you procrastinate less in the future.

When we procrastinate on our goals, we are basically putting off our lives. -Timothy A Pychyl 

As we conclude, remember that procrastination isn't just about delaying tasks; it's also about delaying our lives and aspirations. The five strategies I have shared can help you move from procrastination to action, turning those daunting tasks into manageable steps.

 

So take a moment to reflect on what you've been putting off, and use these strategies to make a positive change.

I like to leave you with the words from the English philosopher, Francis Bacon: 

Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake.

So let's make the most of the time we have. Start that task, take that step, and don't let procrastination hinder your goals. Your future self will thank you. 😉

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I invite you to check out the book Solving the Procrastination Puzzle for more insights on overcoming procrastination. 

If you're pressed for time, you can find a 20-minute summary of the book's big ideas in Philosopher's Notes.

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