Procrastination
- The Devil You Know
Stuck in procrastination? Understand what's really going on and learn how to re-focus yourself.
You know what needs doing - you might even have a list of things - but there's always something else you can be doing instead! Something small, something you can do without thinking, maybe even something you can do instead of thinking... So you catch yourself procrastinating and you say to yourself "Oh, come on - I should be doing that important thing!" or you feel guilty because something else needs doing and you're putting it off. And even after all that, the procrastination still continues...
so, what's going on? Simply put, you're rebelling. Take a look at the language that you are using to motivate yourself to do what you've been putting off: "It needs doing"
"I should be doing it"
"I must do it"
etc. Needs, Should, Must... That's the language of stern authority, of a patriarch ordering you to do something. And how do we instinctively react to such a one-sided attitude? Like a grouchy child - with feelings of stubbornness and insolence. Think about the benefits of completing what you've been putting off. Even if it's a non-rewarding task, imagine how much better you'll feel when it's out of the way.Now, go back to the language. Change the words to reflect the positive outcome you will get. For instance: "Once I start this, I know I can finish it easily and move on" "I will have the time to do something I really enjoy when I have finished this" When we don't want to do something, we imagine all the laborious steps it may take to complete it. When we want to do something, we focus on the positive end-result. Try it out: imagine that you're going to do something really pleasurable - the steps to make it happen seem irrelevant because pleasure awaits you! Keep focussing on the end-result of every task and allow the steps to be dealt with in due course - you will get there and you will feel that liberating feeling of achievement and release when you complete. One more note on rebellion - does what you have been putting off clash with any of your personal values and beliefs? If it does, you may be unconsciously hampering yourself to preserve your integrity. You might decide that a course of action that you thought was important is actually doing you a dis-service in the long run. Consider what alternative approaches or new directions you could explore that stay true to your values and beliefs.
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