Procrastination; why we do it and how to change it
‘In a moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing to do, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.’
Theodore Roosevelt
‘Procrastination is the thief of time.’
Charles Dickens
If either of these two quotes resonate with you, you are not alone. Procrastination is a common human behaviour but one you can learn to overcome. However before you can begin to change the pattern of procrastination it is useful to understand the reasons behind it.
Why we procrastinate
Contrary to popular opinion procrastination does not come down to being badly organised or having poor time management (although these things do not help.) Putting something we don’t want to do off or avoiding it all together comes down to our natural fight, flight or freeze instincts. When we’re in a stressful situation our natural defence system kicks into action with the amygdala within our brain automatically triggered to encourage the release of hormones such as cortisol to prepare for fight or flight. This stems back to primitive man who may have had to fight off attackers or flee from danger. However there was another option and that was to freeze. Just like an animal caught in the headlights we can freeze, unsure of the best way to proceed. Procrastination is a modern version of this behaviour as we deal with stress and anxiety.
Professor Tim Pychyl and Dr Fuschia Sirois, professor of psychology at Sheffield University, found in a 2013 study that procrastination came down to the ‘immediate urgency of managing negative moods.’ In other words if a task seems too big for us to tackle, or if we worry we won’t be able to do it to the standard we want or it gives us uncomfortable feelings for whatever reason, then we put it off to avoid those feelings and worries. This is made worse if we are under high levels of stress in the first place as we may be running low on confidence and resilience. The problem can begin to spiral as we worry more about what we haven’t done and continue to avoid the original task all the more.
Tackling procrastination
Knowing how and why procrastination comes about is the first step in tackling the problem. There are then a number of strategies you may wish to implement to help you make changes in your behaviour.
Try to be kind to yourself. Procrastination is a natural part of human behaviour and if you can identify the reasons behind it you can start to break these down to help yourself further. Being self critical will not help.
If you can identify what you get distracted by you can try to make the distraction less attractive. For instance you could remove certain apps from your phone or hide the tv remote in a different room to try to keep yourself focused.
Seek support from a friend. If you become accountable to someone else for what you need to do you are more likely to do it.
Promise yourself a reward if you complete the task.
Tell yourself you will spend 5 minutes on the task. Once you start you may want to continue and if not you have made a start!
Try to make decision making simpler. It’s a fact that we make thousands of decisions on a daily basis. This can lead to overload. It’s a reason why Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama wear virtually the same outfit every day. This helps avoid decision fatigue so they can concentrate on the important things.
Mix it up. If you always do paperwork on the kitchen table can you take it somewhere else where you have a fresh perspective? You could change the time of day you plan to tackle a task or go about it in a new way. This will help you change old habits.
Brian Tracy in ‘Eat that Frog’ describes the buzz you get from completing a task which makes you feel more confident and competent, suggesting that you can get addicted to this feeling so that you increasingly get into the habit of getting on with what you need to. It is true that you can learn new habits to help you overcome this problem, and like anything practice makes perfect.
How hypnotherapy can help with procrastination
There is no doubt that procrastination gets worse when we are feeling stressed or lacking in confidence. Solution focused hypnotherapy can support you in getting back on track so that you can rediscover your confidence and reduce your stress and anxiety.
During sessions there is time to discuss how you would want your future to look which is the key to making it happen, as you focus on yourself as a person who gets things done. Seeing yourself in a positive light is the first step to changing your behaviour. Trance builds upon this by giving your brain a chance to absorb new thoughts and ideas, building blocks to a more successful future.