Stop Procrastinating: Give Yourself the Tools to Get Started
Irony, or just a fun fact: I have been creating my content calendar these last few weeks. (That’s not ironic or the fun fact).
I’ve been working on it, and it still isn’t up to date. I like to plan my content a month or 2 in advance, so when it comes time to write my article and podcast episode every week, the action is to write. Not to sit down and mull over what I want to talk about this week, and THEN write. Because, some weeks writing just flows, but sometimes it is difficult and I cause myself unnecessary stress as my (self-imposed) publication deadlines looms near.
Life went sideways this summer, in many ways both good and not so good, but the PLANNING part of content took a backseat to life and now I am trying to put it back in the co-pilot chair.
Does this sound like procrastination? Perhaps. And, since this week’s article and podcast episode topic, and next week’s topic, too, are deep dives into what to do about procrastination, I needed to be honest with you!
Relatedly to my content calendar, in the last few weeks, I have also updated my Procrastination handout that I share with my Highway Construction Careers Program Students, and our next class starts this week - woot woot! Which means, this week and next, I will be sharing ideas for conquering procrastination!
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is the “Habitual or intentional delay of starting or finishing a task despite knowing potential negative consequences” (per Wiki)
Procrastination is NOT: a delay due to lack of resources, know-how or opportunity.
Procrastination is a habit, not a flaw or defect. Habits can be learned and changed.
Procrastination is disfunction in one of more of our Executive Functioning Skills, and those are:
Planning, Time management, Task initiation, Organization, Problem-solving, Cognitive flexibility, Working memory, Emotional control, Impulse control, Attentional control, Self-monitoring
What does Procrastination do to us:
Increases our anxiety, decreases grades, work performance and life satisfaction.
Erodes our self-confidence and self-compassion.
Why do we procrastinate?
Our brain is protecting us from something, but we’re confused by the threat.
Putting off a task gives us immediate relief so we feel rewarded.
Identity Resistance: a task feels wrong For You – “I’m not a person that does x or y or z”.
Emotional Resistance: something feels difficult or threatening or uncomfortable.
Procrastination is often an emotion management problem (fear of failure, etc.).
Now that we know what we know, let’s talk about what to do about procrastination in real life!
In my handout, I break down the procrastination solutions into 4 areas. I could base the solutions on which executive skill we’re strengthening, but many strategies work with many skills at once.
Instead, I made the tips and suggestions actionable, so the 4 solutions areas are: Tools; Physical and Environmental Suggestions; Task Modification, and Behavior Exchange (replacing habit of procrastination with more productive habits).
This week, we will look at tools, or perhaps I could call them resources.
#1 Consistently Using A Good Planner
A planner is more than a calendar. It includes your calendar but also your address book, to-do list and GOALS. And together, a good planner is a decision-making and activation tool. The skills a good planner reinforces are Planning, Time management, Task initiation and Organization.
Keep in Mind as we use our planner, “Knowledge is Power”, per Sir Francis Bacon.
Self knowledge, in this case, is powerful to our success. Having a good planner, and having our information with us all the time, empowers us to plan and decide and act.
Goals provide priorities and urgency for your calendar and tasks. They help us know what steps we need to take, what tasks we need to accomplish. If we don’t have goals and aren’t sure where we are headed, no wonder we find ourselves delaying action. We’ll talk more about goals in a bit.
Obviously, having an up to date calendar helps us conquer procrastination when we can see what our available time for tasks is, what other events are coming up, giving us a place to park our plans so deadlines don’t creep up on us unexpectedly. Perhaps your calendar is paper, perhaps yours is digital, perhaps you use a blend. The best choice of a planner is one you will actually use.
A solid planner with a calendar helps us pair up our available time with our necessary tasks, considering Realistic Time Estimates for those tasks, too. We may procrastinate on starting tasks if we don’t know how long they will take, and / or if we haven’t actually scheduled time to complete them. Knowing how long tasks typically take and also scheduling a little extra time for those tasks until we are comfortable with them takes the fear out of starting them.
A good planner, paper or digital, supports productivity and lets us set reminders in our favorite learning style – visual lists, movable components, or audible alarms and reminders on our phone.
If we choose technology for our planner, we also need to remind ourselves that technology is a tool that occasionally has power over us, and sometimes we need to step away! (We will certainly talk about this more when we get to “distractions” next week.
A tip I share on my handouts is to write out your short and long-term goals and post them everywhere! On the fridge, on the bathroom mirror, in your car, on your phone home screen - as a constant reminder.
#2 The next tool for conquering procrastination is Other People. That doesn’t sound right, but hear me out. We all know that other people can be the source of, or can contribute to our procrastination, but they can also be the solution!
For example, I talk often about Accountability and Body Doubling.
Accountability holds us accountable, responsible, for our own actions. And having accountability to others means that we report out on our actions, our celebrations and our struggles.
And Body Doubling is simply having another person working in your vicinity, either in-person or virtually, to anchor you to your work and help you get things done. My Finish Line Friday group relies on both Accountability and Body Doubling, as does our Admin Nights at the local wine bar!
Other ways people are our resources:
Grab a buddy. Partner with someone with similar pursuits, like joining a running club, to raise the accountability factor. It’s harder to “blow something off” when someone is waiting for you.
Ask for help from people who have already done what you need or want to do. Or, ask your expert. In class, I share this example:
Years ago, I spent months researching and internally debating if I should become an LLC or a corporation. Finally, I asked my attorney who answered my question in 5 minutes and then set everything up for me without breaking a sweat.
Crowd source your motivation: Share your plans with family / friends. Hopefully, they will encourage you when you need it. Plus, it’s easier to say “no” to their requests when they’re aware of your mission. And avoiding embarrassment later (when you admit you procrastinated!) is a motivator!
What did we learn?
what procrastination is and what it is not.
Some of the reasons why we procrastinate.
Tools to help us conquer procrastination including
A planner, with a calendar, goals, to-do lists
Realistic time estimates
Accountability
Body doubling
Thanks for sticking around to the end - way to go, to NOT procrastinate!
Next week, we’ll look at conquering procrastination with Physical and Environmental Suggestions; Task Modification, and Behavior Exchange (replacing habit of procrastination with more productive habits).
