The procrastination cure

If you want to achieve your dreams, overcoming the barriers between you and them can be a daunting task. But with the help of this guide, you can start on the road to success today.

There's no one-size-fits-all answer to beating procrastination, but various strategies can help. Putting your phone away can be a good start, but it's also important to block distracting apps and websites. Sometimes all you need is some healthy motivation - like locking up your fridge for a snack break!

Are you struggling with procrastination and feeling like it's holding you back from achieving your dreams? You're not alone. Many people struggle with procrastination, but the good news is that it's a behavior pattern that you can change.

While tips and tricks may provide some temporary relief, overcoming procrastination requires digging deeper and understanding the underlying psychological dynamics that contribute to the behavior.

In this write-up, we'll explore three common types of procrastinators and the specific steps and strategies that can help each type overcome their procrastination tendencies.

Whether you're a chronic procrastinator, a perfectionist procrastinator, or an anxious procrastinator, there are practical tools and techniques you can use to break the cycle and get back on track towards achieving your goals.

Don't let procrastination hold you back any longer. Let's get started and take the first step towards overcoming the barriers between you and your dreams.

Do you ever find yourself putting off important tasks for later, even when you know it's time to start? You're not alone. Procrastination affects millions of people every day and can have serious consequences, both financially and emotionally.

According to experts, about 40% of Americans have experienced financial setbacks due to procrastination. This includes things like paying extra taxes or making costly mistakes when under time pressure. But the toll of procrastination goes beyond just our bank accounts.

Procrastination can have a significant impact on our well-being and happiness. It's not uncommon for the fear and anxiety that comes with procrastinating to escalate over time, creating a vicious cycle of dread and avoidance that can lead to sleepless nights and lost opportunities.

So why do we do it? Procrastination is different from simply delaying a task; it's a specific type of delay where we put something off even when we know it's time to start. Psychologists Albert Ellis and William Knaus define procrastination as delaying a task until you start to experience discomfort or negative emotions.

Ironically, we often procrastinate as a way of avoiding discomfort. We come up with reasons to do something else, anything else, until the discomfort of avoiding the task becomes too great to ignore.

While procrastination is often linked to indecisiveness, it's not exactly the same. Indecision is struggling to make up your mind, while procrastination is when you've already made a decision but still fail to take action.

So how can we overcome procrastination? According to the author, managing our emotions is key. By understanding which emotions are driving our procrastination, we can begin to take steps to address them and break the cycle of avoidance.

While each of us has unique experiences that contribute to our procrastination tendencies, there are patterns that come up again and again. With the right tools and strategies, it's possible to overcome procrastination and start taking meaningful steps towards achieving our goals.

Good Enough to Start – And to Finish

Picture this: you’ve dreamt for years of writing a screenplay. In your mind, it’s going to be a masterpiece. You read and research. You obsess over each scene, plot point, and character arc. You brainstorm, you draft, you revise. But you never quite get around to finishing. Years go by and, instead of making your mark on the industry as you hoped, your masterpiece is still stuck in “draft.”

This is the plight of the “neurotic perfectionist.”

Neurotic perfectionists, while often smart and talented, are their own worst critics. They’re typically dissatisfied with their work; the reality never seems to compare to the shining vision they carry in their heads. It’s hardly a surprise that they struggle to carry projects through to completion. This striving to avoid flaws causes them anxiety and even paralysis. Their fear of weakness becomes their weakness.

These perfectionists often end up as adrenaline junkies – that is, they depend on the rush of an imminent deadline to get things done. Why?

It’s actually simple. Only at the eleventh hour – in that last night before a test, or that last week before a months-long project is due – does their fear of missing the deadline suddenly surpass their other fear, their greatest fear: the fear of not being good enough.

Does this ring true to you? If so, what’s to be done? How do you break the cycle?

First, you need to recognize that perfectionism isn’t just having admirably high standards or a discerning eye. Underneath it all, it’s likely linked to long-standing feelings of shame and inadequacy. To overcome perfectionistic procrastination, your first job may simply be to recognize this fact – and then, slowly, gradually, start to affirm in yourself a new narrative – a new idea – that you are enough. Let that sink in. You are enough … already.

This isn’t about giving up or producing inferior work. It’s about letting go: of baggage, of your psychological need to be perfect in order to feel good enough. It’s letting go of your desperate attachment to sky-high expectations and overly ambitious goals that you, deep-down, hope will validate you.

On a practical level, recovering from perfectionistic procrastination is about working with new priorities; prioritizing getting started and getting done over getting it perfect. 

Here’s a tip – one that’s deceptively simple, though hardly easy: at the end of each day, write out a list of things you can, and want to, accomplish tomorrow. These need to be tasks you can actually finish in one day. (If not, break them into sub-tasks.) Make this list brief and modest. And when you think it’s modest enough, bite the bullet and make it even more modest. It takes discipline, but it’s a technique that can keep you grounded and help free you from the overwhelm and disappointment that afflict so many.

Remember, perfection is an illusion; good is good enough!

It's important to recognize that preparation is important, but it shouldn't become an excuse for procrastination. It's okay to feel scared or uncertain, but at some point, action must be taken.

To break the cycle of chronic worrying and over-preparation, it's essential to confront those fears head-on. This can be done by gradually exposing yourself to the things that scare you in a safe and controlled way. For example, if you're afraid of public speaking, start by speaking in front of a small and friendly audience, such as friends or family members. From there, work your way up to larger audiences and more challenging situations.

It's also crucial to frame your mindset. Instead of focusing on the potential negative outcomes, try to focus on the potential positive outcomes. What if you succeed? What if you exceed your expectations? What if you surprise yourself? These are all possibilities that exist, and by focusing on them, you can help to build your confidence and reduce your fears.

Remember, preparation is important, but it's not a substitute for action. Don't get stuck in the cycle of getting ready to get ready. Take that first step, and you may be surprised at how far it takes you.

It's important to recognize that while rebellion may feel empowering, it can actually be a form of self-sabotage. When we're focused on blaming others or rejecting tasks, we're not really addressing the underlying issues that are holding us back.

Forgiveness is a powerful tool for moving forward and freeing ourselves from the past. By letting go of our anger and frustration, we can begin to see our strengths and harness our passions. This allows us to move beyond resistance and embrace the challenges that come our way.

Ultimately, the key to overcoming rebellious procrastination is to take responsibility for our own lives and choices. We can't control everything that happens to us, but we can control how we respond to it. By embracing our passions and forgiving ourselves and others, we can break free from the cycle of procrastination and start living the life we want.

These are great strategies for overcoming procrastination and improving overall well-being. Focusing on physical relaxation and care can help to alleviate stress and anxiety that can contribute to procrastination. Exercise, meditation, and other relaxation techniques can be particularly helpful for this.

Similarly, connecting with others can help to create a sense of community and support, which can be a powerful antidote to the isolation and self-doubt that can fuel procrastination. Joining groups or participating in social activities can help to boost confidence and provide a sense of purpose.

Ultimately, the key to overcoming procrastination is to understand and address the underlying emotional dynamics that fuel it. By doing so, and by focusing on self-care and connection, it's possible to create a more positive and productive mindset that will help you to achieve your goals and fulfill your potential.

In summary! This article talks about how procrastination can be linked to perfectionism, and how it's important to recognize that perfectionism is often rooted in feelings of shame and inadequacy. To overcome procrastination caused by perfectionism, it's important to let go of the need to be perfect and instead focus on getting started and getting things done. One practical tip is to make a daily to-do list of achievable tasks, rather than overwhelming yourself with overly ambitious goals.

Thanks for reading! Hope you learnt something from this article. Do well to share to your friends and loved ones to also benefit from this article.