Procrastination and Stress are Best Friends!
Everyone is capable of procrastination from time to time. This is particularly true when we are facing a task that is tedious, involved or unpleasant. With that shared, when we continuously put off high-priority tasks in favor of low-priority interests, the consequences can become fairly serious.
One of the consequences is added stress. To make things worse, this stress builds up over the course of time and eventually transforms into anxiety.
Did you know that procrastination and stress are best friends? They are!
We can easily justify our inactivity by justifying our procrastination with self-statements that go something like this: “It’s been a rough day … I need some time to relax” Does this sound familiar?
And to keep it real, there are times when the reason for putting off a given task is legit. Life is complicated and not everything is black and white. Cars break down, children get sick and technology fails. All of these are valid reasons for not completing something.
In the final analysis however, if we continue to delay, whatever the task may be, it will weigh on us and likely ruin our relaxation in the here and now as well as create a bigger problem later on. I encourage you to search your feelings on this topic through mindfulness and write down some of your thoughts for self-reflection. This can help you with what follows.
As common as procrastination is, there are concrete things you can do to help get things done and reduce your stress.
Six Tips for Procrastination
Here are six practical tips to help you accomplish your goals and feel more productive during the process:
1. Set clear, measurable goals. Using action statements such as “I will work on my budget for an hour every Saturday of this month” rather than “I will get better at budgeting” will really help.
2. Break up big tasks into smaller steps. A big project can be overwhelming, so try breaking it down piece by piece. This works well for unpleasant tasks since we can generally handle something like this for a short time. Instead of “I have to clean the whole house,” you could focus on one room or portion of a room; “I will clean the kitchen counters, then the floor” (one piece at a time).
3. Use prompts. Write reminders for yourself that you can put in the mirror, your computer screen, desk, etc. Create lists that you can take with you and scratch off the tasks that are done. The more reminders the more likely that you will follow through with the task.
4. Avoid jumping to catastrophic conclusions. If you assume you’ll fail at the task before you even start it’s more likely that you will
procrastinate. Instead of worrying about the “what if’s” try listing the steps that need to be done and get started on one small step at a time. Avoid crisis language like “this is impossible” and focus only on the next step.
5. Avoid the “Contingency Ploy.” Don’t make one task dependent on completing another task first. For instance, you don’t have to read all about fitness before you can begin an exercise program.
6. Celebrate your success. Recognize the steps that you’ve taken and accomplishments completed along the way. Don’t minimize what you’ve done; now is the time to be proud of yourself. This will strengthen your sense of self and help develop a “do it now” attitude.
Summary
The greater your sense of accomplishment, the stronger your motivation will become. I encourage everyone to try utilizing these 6 steps when facing a difficult or unpleasant task, and stop putting off those things that are ultimately weighing you down.
You’ll feel better about yourself and you will get more done. THEN you can truly relax.
I’ve included a poll at the end of this most to help you become more mindful of procrastination. Be sure to come back and compare your results with others!
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