Definition
Procrastination is the action of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying or postponing something despite knowing that there will be negative consequences for doing so. Procrastination is the habit of delaying an important task, usually by focusing on less urgent, more enjoyable, and easier activities instead. It is different from laziness, which is the unwillingness to act. According to some studies, 95% of us practice procrastination to some degree, it is a type of trap many of us fall into from time to time, but it is only disturbing when it is becoming a permanent habit.
According to Psychology, there are 3 main types of procrastinators,
The Avoider
The Optimist.
The Pleasure Seeker.
The good news is that the characteristics of each type are well-studied, thus making it easier to make the required readjustments to tackle this problem.
The avoider
The avoider keeps postponing tasks that make him/her feel uncomfortable, anxious, and sad, but he/she does not neglect the ones that make him/her feel good like emails, social media, coffee breaks, etc. According to Sigmund Freud, people tend to seek their comfort zone and flee whatever is painful and/or boring. However, the fleeing or systematic postponing of tasks that must be done can backfire, thus creating more negative feelings and stress when the postponed tasks must be accomplished in a shorter time period.
The optimist
The optimist is always misleading himself/herself into thinking that every task is not a big deal and that he/she will have sufficient time to do what he/she has to do. Research by Jeff Conte (psychologist at San Diego State University) identifies that "optimism as a key trait among those who are chronically late. The research also suggests that some people actually perceive time differently and feel like it passes more slowly than it does.”
The pleasure seeker
The pleasure seeker does the tasks when he/she feels like doing them. He/she is not really avoiding the job because of hard feelings or laziness but mostly because he/she instead does something else he/she likes better. The negative side of this behavior is that it can frustrate others who share the task and earn the pleasure seeker a bad reputation.
Consequences of procrastination
Procrastination can have many negative effects on people’s life. On the personal side, delaying and postponing simple tasks or timely decisions can lead to the loss of opportunities and complications of otherwise benign situations. On the psychological side, it can have devastating and lasting psychological effects such as depression, anxiety, and cursing oneself for not starting tasks sooner. At work, it can create a reputation of sloppiness, unreliability, trouble maker, and not being a team player, it can reduce morale and even lead to job loss.
How to stop procrastination:
To stop procrastination, one needs to recognize first that they are procrastinating, then identify which type they fit in, take appropriate steps to manage the harmful behaviors, and finally, stick to the corrective measures to avoid falling prey to the same bad conduct.
Those are general ways to stop procrastination:
1. Reduce the number of decisions you need to make throughout the day. Every decision we make has an energy consequence.
2. Finish your day before it starts (knowing well in advance, how the day will unfold and what activities will be done in each segment of the day).
3. The nothing alternative (sticking to only one activity at the exclusion of others).
4. The next action habit (focus on something that is easy to do and move on to the harder task).
5. Adjust your environment.
Specific ways to identify procrastinators and fix their behaviors
You're probably an avoider if
You schedule undesirable tasks far out in the calendar or convince others there isn't time on the agenda for them.
You put items related to the job where you can't visually see them.
You get anxious when others talk about the job you're avoiding.
You make excuses about why the work isn't done.
You make lots of to-do lists to convince yourself there are other priorities.
You have trouble coming up with concrete plans, as they make completion feasible.
You might fix the behavior if you
Break the job you dread into smaller steps that don't seem so scary.
Find a buddy to encourage you and offer positive accountability.
Self-reflect about the specific reasons the job isn't attractive to you.
Outline all the pros of having the job completed.
Identify all the skills or knowledge that qualify you to do the job.
You're probably an optimist if
Others tell you that you're overconfident (or less kindly, delusional).
You brush off warnings from others about deadlines or consequences, assuming that those consequences won't happen and therefore aren't worth the worry.
You fail to see the pattern of times where your procrastination produced a negative result.
You almost never create a Plan B.
You initially impress others with your attitude, only to have them eventually quit following or recommending you because of your lack of follow-through.
You might fix the behavior if you
Set some unobtrusive alerts at regular intervals so you stay more aware of your pacing.
Ask for scheduling input from others; create your daily agenda using their assessment of required time rather than your own.
Use time logging or other tools to produce metrics that can verify your track record or where time is leaking away from you.
Identify specific "points of no return" on the calendar where certain consequences no longer will be avoidable.
Create a SMART action plan (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) to respect deadlines.
You're probably a pleasure seeker if you
Regularly shoot down ideas or ask for alternatives.
Have little patience when jobs aren't what you enjoy.
You accept a live-in-the-moment mindset and therefore don't spend much time in reflection or planning.
You often pivot the conversation to something else you're enthusiastic about.
Others describe you as lazy or inconsiderate, but not as incapable.
You might fix the behavior if you
Reward yourself each time you do the job you'd rather put off.
Hone in on what's best or most beneficial about the process.
Give yourself small breaks throughout the job to do something you like, so you don't see one long period of torture ahead of you.
Be honest with yourself that you might never be in the mood; focus on how you will feel after getting it off your plate.
Find ways to incorporate what you find enjoyable into the job, such as using specific tools or working in a certain location.
No matter what type of procrastinator you happen to be, being able to do what's required when it's required, is a fantastic goal. If you're realistic and invite others to keep you on track, reaching that objective will be no sweat at all.
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