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Sometimes it’s hard not to procrastinate.
It’s actually a very,veryunhealthy one.
Procrastinators also experience “reduced satisfaction” in their income and work.
According to researchers, psychologists, and overall procrastination experts, these are therealreasons you procrastinate.
It doesn’t help that people who procrastinate have long been labeled this way.
But procrastination doesn’t really have anything to do withlaziness.
In fact,some very successful peoplehave battled procrastination.
Would you view any of those people as sloth-like?
No, procrastination is definitelynotcaused by laziness.
Rather, it’s linked toyour emotions in a lot of different ways.
Robbins compared procrastination to taking a “smoking break.”
Because procrastination is a byproduct of stress, Robbins doesn’t recommend addressing procrastination directly.
Instead, she said it’s important to first address the underlying problem: stress.
According to the expert, a “starting ritual” like a five-second countdown can be useful.
Could a lack of self-compassion be making you procrastinate?
Stressis ahugecomponent of procrastination, but a lack of self-compassion is also a factor, as one2014 studyproved.
According to the research, “self-compassionmediated the relationship between stress and procrastination.”
It may sound counterintuitive, but being nice to yourself when you procrastinate is a good way tostop procrastinating.
“Talk to yourself with kindness,” she advised.
“Accept that you’re human, and be an optimistic coach rather than a negative critic.”
Delaying the inevitable obviously doesn’t prevent the inevitable from coming.
He told the publication that procrastination is really “an emotion regulation problem.”
Procrastinating is all you know
Can procrastination be learned?
After consulting the experts, Hara Estroff Marano revealed their findings in an article forPsychology Today.
“[Procrastination] is one response to an authoritarian parenting style,” she wrote.
All hope is not lost, though.
Garcy recommended, “Talk to yourself about the negative consequences these role models faced when they procrastinated.
A2014 studyfound that the tendency to procrastinate may come down to our genes at least in part.
Interestingly, being a woman means having a greater tendency toward procrastination.
Is your procrastinating because of the task at hand?
Like other destructiveavoidance behaviors, procrastination is considered a coping mechanism.
Although procrastination is emotion-based, the task we’re facing also plays a role.
“Use the task as an opportunity to combat your bias,” she shared.
Just remember to be kind to yourself in the process.
Do you procrastinate because you doubt yourself?
Are you telling yourself you won’t do a good job?
This combination of self-doubt and anxiety can be paralyzing.
In an article forPsychology Today, psychologist Leon F. Seltzer dubbed it the “perfect recipe for underachievement.”
It’s also a recipe for procrastination.
He continued, “The push-pull dynamic underlying such ambivalence invariably leads to hesitation and procrastination.
It makes you apply the brakes with one foot even as the other is pressing on the accelerator.”
And, as a result, you stall.
It’s also important to keep taking action in opposition to procrastination.
Nevertheless, that’s exactly what it is.
By choosing to procrastinate and not giving your all, you’ve found a way to guard yourself.
Even those critical statements you tell yourself are a form of protection, according to psychologist Leon F. Seltzer.
People who procrastinate do tend to be moreoptimisticwith regards to time, however.
Still, procrastination really isn’t about poor planning or the inability to schedule tasks effectively.
As such, it can’t be solved by simply sitting down and drafting a plan.
It won’t work nor is it kind.
This phenomenon is referred to as “the planning fallacy”, Garcy explained in an article forPsychology Today.
While it is not unique to just procrastinators, people who procrastinate are often affected.
This might compensate for any deficiencies in time estimation,” Garcy revealed.
“Then, give yourself a reward for completing the task early or on time!”
Replacing the mental high that comes with avoidance with a reward for completing a task is a great idea.
Procrastination has become a habit
Procrastination is a particularly hard habit to break.
Aspreviously highlighted, a procrastinator feels instant relief after putting off a task.
Thankfully, making procrastination a less attractive reward can help you stop procrastinating so much.
Anderson School of Management, toldThe New York Times.
Through Hershfield’s research, the psychologist discovered that we view the future versions of ourselves like strangers.
Our minds also don’t deal well with future threats.
Instead, they work to conquer the here-and-now problems.
As far as your brain knows, that is the task ahead of you.
Unfortunately, that provides the perfect breeding ground for procrastination: a very temporarily rewarding “solution.”
News & World Report.
“Many people who are depressed procrastinate,” he continued.
That said, not all those who procrastinate are battling depression.
Thankfully, cognitive behavior therapy can be helpful for combatting procrastination.
