Procrastination

Broadly defined, procrastination is voluntarily delaying or postponing something.

Typically, we procrastinate on tasks we don’t want to do even if we know there may be consequences when putting them off. If you tend to wait until the last minute to do certain things, yet you get them done by the deadline without further consequences, then procrastination is not necessarily problematic.

It is common for all of us to procrastinate on occasion. If, however, you experience negative consequences from procrastination – such as missed deadlines, lower grades in school, critical feedback from a supervisor, or increased stress – it is beneficial to work toward decreasing procrastination.

Why Do We Procrastinate?

A key factor in procrastination is not feeling like doing a task or not feeling motivated. For example, you could clean the bathroom right now but you don’t feel like it. You may assume that you need to feel motivated to do a task, so if you don’t you push it off and wait until motivation arises.

Unfortunately, motivation does not simply pop up when we need it to, making this approach problematic. You need to create/build motivation by engaging in the behavior. In other words, if you’re waiting to feel motivated, you may be waiting a long time.

It feels good to procrastinate because by procrastinating you don’t have to do the thing you don’t want to do. You get the immediate gratification, or reward, of avoiding something unpleasant.

It is also important to note that certain mental health symptoms, such as symptoms of depression, can decrease energy and motivation, which may increase procrastination as it feels more difficult to work on tasks when depressed.

Other reasons for procrastination include:

• not knowing what needs to be done

• not knowing how to approach a task

• not caring about a task

• thinking you have more time than you do/thinking a task will take less time than it does

• choosing to delay a task so you can do something else, etc.

Some people also procrastinate because they believe they work more effectively under pressure and use a fast-approaching deadline as motivation to do a task. It may also be associated with worry about how others will perceive your performance.

Non-procrastinators tend to focus more on the task than on worry and place less attention on the perception of others.

How To Stop Procrastinating

Chronic procrastination including procrastination that leads to difficulties and consequences in a person’s daily life (missing deadlines at work, paying bills late, etc.) is problematic. Below are some tips on how to stop procrastination.

Tune into your internal experience

Pause for a minute or two a couple of times a day, and check in with yourself. Are you having an urge to procrastinate? If so, nonjudgmentally name the urge and practice not allowing the urge to dictate your behavior. You can have an urge to procrastinate and not give in to it. For example, you can spend a few minutes on a task.

Make a to-do list

Write down the tasks you need to complete and any specific deadlines you have. It may also be helpful to write down specifically when you plan to work on a task.

Break it down

Break larger tasks into small, doable pieces. Start small. If a task will take several hours to complete, you can break it down into 15 or 30-minute chunks that you schedule on your calendar.

Limit distractions

Distractions such as looking at your phone can worsen procrastination. Take steps to limit distractions. For example, put your phone in another room or a drawer while you are working.

Reward yourself

When you complete a portion of a task or the whole task, reward yourself. Making completing tasks more enjoyable and satisfying via a reward can increase your desire to work on tasks.

The 5 Minute Rule

The 5-Minute Rule is a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) technique for procrastination. You can practice it by setting a goal to do whatever task you are avoiding for 5 minutes. Set a timer for 5 minutes and work on the task. When the 5 minutes is up, you have completed your goal and can stop if you like. Typically, once you get going for 5 minutes, you will likely want to keep on working.

Starting a task is often the most challenging part and implementing the 5-minute rule helps make the task more doable so there is less reason to procrastinate and gets going. And, you can slowly and consistently chip away at tasks using this approach leading to more productivity over time.

James Clear, author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller Atomic Habits provides information on the science behind procrastination and additional tips to overcome it here. To learn more about ways to decrease procrastination in your life, please contact us at CBT Denver.