How well do you realize this scenario? You will have a stressful EOD job to do, but before you commit, you check your email for the fifth time in quarter-hour, scroll through Instagram, and perhaps even listen to your favorite podcast.
Welcome to the not-so-wonderful world of procrastination. We have all been there and it’s nothing recent. People have been procrastinating for 1000’s of years. The traditional Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato had a special word for it – Akrasia— however it still meant the identical thing.
Procrastination is about delaying or postponing a task that you realize needs to be done. The final result is commonly grief, depression and self-loathing. So why are we doing this to ourselves? And what can we do to reverse the disruptive trend?
Related: Are You A Procrastinator? Here’s how to beat it with Biohacking
Why will we procrastinate
First, to understand the true explanation why we procrastinate, let’s debunk myth #1 about why we procrastinate: Because we’re disorganized.
Not true. “Procrastination isn’t a matter of time management. It is a matter of managing your emotions,” says Petr Ludwig, writer of the book Stop procrastinating: how to stop procrastinating and lead a satisfying life. In other words, we procrastinate due to what we expect in regards to the task, not because we’re bad at making to-do lists.
In exclusive interview on the Write About Now podcastLudwig shared his science-backed insights into the causes of procrastination and the useful tools we use to combat it.
He claims that the true reasons we procrastinate are due to an absence of intrinsic motivation, willpower, and fear of failure.
Lack of motivation
Lots of us feel an absence of purpose at work. In a post-pandemic world, within the midst of a worldwide economic crisis and political turmoil, it might be a challenge to be inspired by the world – not to mention your job.
“We’re not motivated to work because we do not believe in what we’re doing,” explains Ludwig. “When you’re working on a project and you are missing a goal, it’s really hard to stay motivated.”
The result’s an escape from the stress and strain of a particular task by doing something you realize you should not be doing. As the nice American author Mark Twain once quipped, “Never postpone until tomorrow what you may as well do the day after tomorrow.”
Fear of failure
Another excuse why we procrastinate is the fear, often irrational, that the results of our work is probably not well received. “We’re often so afraid of failure that we won’t get began,” says Ludwig.
No willpower
When faced with high demands or stressful situations, our willpower often dwindles, making it harder to resist the temptation of social media, video games, and other procrastination tools.
How to stop procrastination
Rekindle your purpose
As we noted earlier, procrastination points to a bigger problem of getting no overall purpose in life, so perhaps it is time to get that back. Ludwig encourages you to think in regards to the activities you actually enjoy doing in your life and the tasks that make you are feeling most fulfilled.
“At work, ask yourself what your strengths are and how you should use them on a each day basis,” she advises. “These are small steps that may improve your on a regular basis life, since the more intrinsically motivated you’re, the more often you end up within the so-called flow state. You benefit from the process. Time stops for you.”
He says this state of flow is the precise opposite of procrastination, because if you’re doing something meaningful, you are more likely to experience positive emotions.
Benefit from the journey, not the destination
Ludwig encourages people to focus more on the journey than the top goal.
“Process is the most effective solution to procrastination, because if you benefit from the process, you’re keen on what you do and you do not put it off.
Break large tasks into smaller tasks
Sometimes the sheer overwhelming nature of the duty you fear might be paralyzing.
Overcoming this paralysis often requires breaking the duty down into smaller, more manageable steps, making it seem less overwhelming and more achievable.
That is what Ludwig describes as managing emotions. “Your very intense negative emotion towards the duty drops and your willpower kicks in,” says Ludwig. “A stronger willpower also leads to greater satisfaction because once we manage to prioritize higher, the reward centers in our brains are activated, dopamine is released, and we experience positive emotions.”
Give it a rest
Next time you end up procrastinating, practice some compassion as an alternative of agonizing over it. “Forgive yourself” is a helpful strategy to combat procrastination, says Ludwig.
Points to A study conducted at Carlton University in 2009wherein 119 first-year students were asked to take measures of procrastination and self-forgiveness immediately prior to two midterm exams. The outcomes showed that students who forgave themselves for delaying preparation for the primary exam were less likely to postpone studying for the second exam.
“Sometimes it’s nearly forgiving yourself and starting over,” says Ludwig.