Procrastination: The Productivity Killer
At its core, procrastination is a strategy to avoid negative emotions. The struggle is real!
“Procrastination is like a credit card. It’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.” —Christopher Parker
It’s Monday afternoon, and it’s time for me to write the outline for my next podcast episode. I know that’s what I need to do. I’ve even got a deadline looming in the near future. So I’m sitting at my computer with my hands on the keyboard, willing my brain to come up with a new idea.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that my office bookshelves don’t look tidy. Maybe I need to straighten them up a bit. While I’m tending to that task, the buzzer on the dryer goes off. I know it will only take a few minutes to fold that load of clothes. And that has to be done eventually, right? So off I go.
An hour later, I have tidy office shelves, folded clothes, an emptied dishwasher and sink (because I also got distracted by those tasks along the way), and exactly zero podcast episode outlines. Or words. And now I feel even worse. What is wrong with me?!
Am I lazy? I don’t think so. If laziness were the problem, I wouldn’t have tidied the shelves or done the laundry and dishes. I was very productive during that hour, but I didn’t accomplish the primary task on my to-do list. Using my friend Pam’s self-created title, I occupied my last hour in “productive procrastination,” getting something productive accomplished while simultaneously procrastinating on a more important task.
While I’m glad my shelves are tidy and that the laundry and dishes were attended to, I honestly feel worse about myself. I fell victim to that unhelpful pattern yet again. I got sucked into the irrational vicious cycle, knowing full well that it wouldn’t move the needle forward on my goals. I hate when I do that! But I keep doing it. And so do you, if you’re being honest.
It’s Not Just Laziness or Poor Time Management
Why do we do this? As an organizer, you’ll probably be surprised to learn that I believe the answer has less to do with laziness or our time management skills and more to do with our skills at managing our emotions. Yes, it would be much easier if the solution were as easy as downloading that cool new app or chanting “Just do it!” and picking ourselves up off the couch. But it goes much deeper than that.
I want to give credit where credit is due. Some of these ideas come from a New York Times article “Why You Procrastinate (It Has Nothing to Do With Self-Control)” by Charlotte Liebermann. You can find the article at this link: https://nyti.ms/40LHCik.
The primary reason we procrastinate is because we use it as a strategy to cope with challenging emotions and negative moods like boredom, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, resentment, and self-doubt, among others.
We may not consciously realize that’s what we’re doing. But when we choose an action that makes us feel good now (Great—the laundry’s caught up!) instead of an action that leads to reaching a goal (like writing the podcast episode), we end up with negative emotions anyway (Yikes—I still haven’t written that episode!) And there we are, all caught up in that vicious cycle all over again.
When we come back to that task we’ve delayed, we face the double whammy of the task itself as well as all the negative emotions we were trying to avoid in the first place: stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and self-blame. Interestingly enough, a whole field of research is dedicated to these negative thoughts. As you would expect, they only lead us further down the negative spiral.
How to Get Out of That Vicious Cycle
How do we get out of this mess? I’ve already stated that the answer isn’t just pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps or learning a new productivity hack. So what is it?
To rewire any habit, we have to give our brains what psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Judson Brewer, Director of Research and Innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, calls the “Bigger Better Offer.” Simply put, our brains need a bigger reward than avoidance, which is what procrastination really is at its core. We need relief from the negative emotions without harming ourselves in the future. Following are some healthier options for dealing with the negative emotions related to procrastination:
Forgive Yourself
Everyone procrastinates. Yes, everyone! Forgive yourself and move on. Treat yourself with kindness and compassion. It does you no good to wallow.
Reframe the Task Positively
Try reminding yourself of a time you completed a similar task. Or consider how great it will feel to get this task accomplished.
Get Curious about the Emotions
Become more aware of the emotions you’re experiencing. Where and how does it feel? How do the emotions change? What’s at the root of the emotions you’re feeling? How can you deal with that in a good way?
Focus on the Next Action
Don’t ruminate on the whole task. Just picture what it would be like to accomplish the next small step. Maybe that’s as small as putting a title on a document or opening your email. Don’t wait to be in the mood to do the task. Just take the next step, and your motivation will follow the action.
Make Your Temptations More Inconvenient
What types of tasks tend to trip you up most frequently? Figure out how to make those tasks more difficult or impossible to do. For me, this usually means working from a different environment than my home. If I’m home, the laundry, dishes, cooking, or cleaning will always be a temptation that easily distracts me. If I work from a coffee shop instead, that temptation is removed. Another common temptation for me is to frequently and unnecessarily check email. I can make that temptation less convenient by not opening a tab on my browser for email.
On the other side of the coin, make the tasks you need to complete as convenient as possible. Remove any roadblock that stands in your way and you’ll be more likely to succeed.
Now that you understand a little more about that pesky problem of procrastination, I hope you’ll use these strategies to find success. And when you get tripped up again (we all will), take comfort in the fact that we’ve all been there and done that. Then forgive yourself and move on. Help your productivity live on in the choices that you make when your emotions may lead you elsewhere.