I got so much procrastinating done today.
And, as far as I’m concerned, there will always be a “million things to do,” and doing zero of them will always be far more appealing.
I struggle with finding just enough motivation to be a productive human. It’s not that I don’t enjoy my professional endeavors, it’s just that work has always seemed so… unappealing.
Not to brag, but I am proof that you can procrastinate and still run a successful business. And I know I am in good company because it is estimated that approximately 20 percent of adults are found to be chronic procrastinators. Everyone does it to some degree.
Since becoming a “real adult,” I have learned that the secret to putting things off is avoiding Useless Procrastination.
Procrastination is a serious issue that can sabotage your success, relationships, and your reputation. It’s a form of self-sabotage because it involves intentionally delaying or avoiding certain tasks or responsibilities. While it seems like a temporary escape from stress or pressure, it can get in the way of progress.
It can also do a number on your self-esteem. It usually comes with heaping helpings of guilt and self-doubt – which still don’t deter me from taking a nap instead of completing a marketing task from my to do list.
It’s Also Not Ideal to Get Something Done So You Can “Just Get It Off Your Plate”
Everyone is so busy tarnishing procrastination’s bad reputation, but being in a hurry to complete your work isn’t exactly the answer.
Procrastination is typically thought of as a time-management issue, but it’s more about emotion management. It’s used as a coping mechanism to deal with negative feelings towards a task or responsibility.
However, doing things in a hurry or rushing to complete something because you just “want to get it done” is also its own form of emotion management. You are avoiding the stress of continued responsibility, worried about how others perceive your productivity, or want to get something out of the way so you can do something else.
This hurried approach is often done at the expense of making mistakes and then having to use more time and energy to fix them.
So, either way you look at it, putting things off or being over-efficient, come with consequences.
(See what I did there, Mom?)
Useful vs. Useless Procrastination
The longer you put something off, the more undesirable it becomes. Not to mention, you also have to summon more energy and motivation to finally get it done.
UNLESS… unless you are engaging in Useful Procrastination. Useful Procrastination means taking time away from a task to gain perspective to allow for new ideas and/or recharge your batteries.
Useful Procrastination means you avoid doing a task to do something else that is useful. Things like working on another urgent project, phoning a colleague or friend to brainstorm, taking a walk to clear your head, or even watching a funny video for a bit of stress release. (Note: This could turn into Useless Procrastination very quickly if you’re not careful.) You are doing something to stimulate creativity or regenerate energy and focus.
I engage in Useful Procrastination when I’m at a sticking point with something I’m working on or my brain is fried, so I need to do something else for a little while to clear it out. You know those moments when you have been staring at your computer screen so long, your eyes feel like they are about to fall out of your head.
Many of us are far more familiar with Useless Procrastination. This is literally doing anything but the very thing you need to do. Useless Procrastination is avoiding something like the plague and making up any and every excuse not to do it.
It’s those moments when all of the sudden, your desk needs to be organized, you finally archive 5-years worth of emails, or your junk drawer is screaming at you to organize it. Right now.
I engage in Useless Procrastination … a lot. Primarily when I’m tired.
How Do You Know If You Are Engaging In Useful or Useless Procrastination?
Basically, not all procrastination is equal. We live in a society that prizes and rewards. over-productivity. Slackers – or procrastinators – aren’t typically praised on pedestals and we’re often shamed into believing our habit of postponing work will deliver us into the arms of failure.
To know if your deferment skills are actually helpful:
- The task you choose to do instead is useful – you work on another urgent task.
- You’re working on a creative task and you need to take some time to brainstorm, or calm your mind.
- You don’t feel stressed about the task you’re avoiding and feel like you have enough time to get it done.
- You’re delaying a task so you can come back to it with the necessary knowledge, focus, and energy.
Useful Procrastination isn’t seen as actual procrastination by many because you’re still being that important “p-word” – productive. But you and I can relabel things all day to feel better, right?
Your suspension of activity becomes ineffective when:
- You do “busy work” instead. (Organizing your sock drawer by color, rather than finishing bookwork.)
- While you’re procrastinating, you feel waves of guilt and regret.
- You keep delaying an important or critical task.
- The longer you procrastinate a task, the more anxiety you feel about starting and finishing it.
In defense of the chronically Useless Procrastinator, some of us do work better under pressure or against a deadline.
Procrastination and Your Inner Critic
Our brains aren’t doing us any favors when it comes to regulating our procrastinating tendencies. The brain naturally wants to avoid doing anything it sees as difficult or painful. In fact, avoiding pain is a big part of your brain’s job.
Humans also tend to be short-term focused. The average human attention span is 8.25 seconds. So, it’s not a surprise that a complicated or time-consuming project doesn’t seem appealing.
Even worse, your Inner Critic is likely sealing your fate by questioning your ability, critiquing your performance, and encouraging you to quit. People who struggle with procrastination tend to have a loud, active inner voice. It says things like:
- You won’t do it right, so why do it at all?
- That’s too hard and/or will take too long.
- You’re so lazy! You never finish anything.
If you want to work on procrastinating less, the first place to start is to build an awareness of what your Inner Critic is whining about. And, to do this, stop mid-negative thought and start separating fact from fiction. Do you really know how something will turn out? If you were incompetent, would you have been hired to work on a project?
Challenging your Inner Critic quickly renders it powerless and ineffective.
Burnout & Procrastination
Procrastination is a cornerstone of the burnout experience. People who are burned out and new to being a procrastinator find their experience to be especially frustrating. While, people who are burned out and were already procrastinators, can usually point to it as a contributing factor to their chronic stress.
I’ll be honest: procrastination is probably one of the most stressful habits we can engage in.
When you are burned out, your brain is always looking for a way to feel better. Procrastination provides your brain with the dopamine it’s seeking to feel better. Also, your motivation while burned out is scarce, which makes it easier to give in to procrastination.
Ways to Begin Managing Your Procrastination
In an effort to manage your expectations, it’s rare someone goes from being a Master Procrastinator to a Master of Productivity. Aside from procrastination being an emotional issue, some of it is personality and just who you are. And, if you’re burned out, you’re already battling energy and focus issues on a variety of fronts.
This doesn’t mean all is lost.
Successful Procrastinators, like myself, have accepted and embraced their ability to put off imperative work. Most importantly, we’ve taken the time to understand what is at the heart of our procrastination, then developed useful tools to keep moving forward.
When we know we’re not gonna want to do something, we come prepared for it by:
- Delegating when possible.
- Paying attention to our strengths and weaknesses, then making sure our work revolves around our strengths.
- Breaking larger tasks.
- Establishing internal and external motivation.
- Only engaging in constructive criticism that will make us better next time.
- Reminding ourselves that the work has a beginning and an end.
