According to Merriam-Webster, procrastination is a verb that means “to put off intentionally and habitually.” We don’t really need the official definition (but it’s nice to know). There are 2 components of procrastination – intentional and habitual. This means that we choose to display this behavior and it’s not something that just accidentally happens. When we intentionally delay a task for another task that we deem is of greater utility or importance – then that’s not procrastination. It is prioritization. But, when we intentionally and habitually delay a priority task for an easier, low-priority one, we procrastinate. That is not very productive. Escaping into an easier task might feel good for a while but procrastination is tiring. Having to be constantly reminded of the list of things to do that are left undone can drain our mental resources. 

Everyone procrastinates, we all do it. It is THE top productivity issue in major employee surveys. But if everyone has this problem, why haven’t we solved it yet? Here are 3 scientific reasons:

Temporal Discounting aka “I have 4 weeks to finish the report.”

This means we perceive tasks that are further away into the future to be of less value. We’ve all experienced putting off a paper that’s still due next month and crammed it into a few days (or worse…hours). Instead of writing a few pages everyday for a month, we subject ourselves to the stress of having to complete it the week before.

What to do:

Think of your future self and your present self as friends. The more responsible you are for your future self, the less likely your present self will procrastinate. Ask yourself if your future self will appreciate the fact that your present self is blowing off this high priority task. 

Irrational Avoidance aka “I don’t have all the resources I need to do it correctly.”

Procrastination always comes with a looming sense of dread for a task. We fear that we might do it wrong. But this is irrational fear. There is no silver bullet that will make you complete the task perfectly just because you waited long enough. 

What to do:

Confront your fear. Give yourself permission to begin right now (or whenever you’re due to start). Ask yourself how difficult would it really be to start. Baby steps go a long way.

Completion Anxiety aka “I will never get this room spic and span just like in Pinterest.”

The notion of having to complete a task is daunting and painful so we avoid it at all costs. More often than not, we inflate this fear and so it turns into a threat when in fact most of the time, these ‘standards’ are unnecessary.

What to do:

When faced with an overwhelming task, don’t think about finishing it. Instead, commit to doing a chunk of time working on completing your task. For example, cleaning comes easier if you commit to tidying up for 15 mins instead of cleaning it all up in one go.

What are your tips to combat procrastination? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp