Truth Behind Procrastination and How to Overcome It!

How often do you look at your to-do list and think, ” I will just get to it tomorrow.” or ” I still have till next week.”? How many times do we then kick our selves in the butt because that ” next week” flew by and now we are scrambling to get our tasks done, then we are fighting the overwhelming timer and stress of feeling that your not going to get it done on time and we are fighting our selves and saying every curse word because we should of just got it done in the first place.

YUP GUILTY!!!!! PROCRASTINATION HAS GOT THE BEST OF ME YET AGAIN!!

I have to say I think everyone is guilty of procrastination one time or another especially when we were younger.  Do not tell me you didn’t hear from your parents, ” Do not wait till the last minute?” Hell, I tell my kids teenagers that on a daily because it just drives me crazy that they try to cram when they have plenty of time to knock it out.  As I have got older I must say I have been a lot better but it’s just those days that I want to be lazy or not do anything! So at least I thought it was just as simple as me being lazy and wanting to relax.   Let me give you something to think about, what characteristics do you think of when you hear procrastination whether it’s you yourself that is guilty or someone else?  I think of being lazy, time management issues, lack of work ethic and really no drive!

Did you know that this is actually not the case at all? There are studies that show a better explanation of how our brains are tied into procrastination, and psychologically, procrastination is a coping mechanism to help with the way that we are feeling. Almost like we create bad eating habits to cope with different types of moods that we are in.

” Roughly five percent of the population has such a problem with chronic procrastination that it seriously effects their lives. “-  Susannah Locke

After reading an amazing blog article called, “Why Your Brain Loves Procrastination” by Susannah Locke (link at bottom) I started to understand a bit more about this problem that I have always dealt with.

” psychologists see procrastination as a misplaced coping mechanism, as an emotion-focused coping strategy. [People who procrastinate are] using avoidance to cope with emotions, and many of them are unconscious emotions. So we see it as giving in to feel good. And it’s related to a lack of self-regulation skills.”- Susannah Locke

I started to look back on my early adulthood to where my life is now and how procrastination fell into place.  I have hit some really rough moments in my life and though I knew I needed to make a choice to start over or change the ways I 98% of the time procrastinated on doing so. It could of been the most simple thing to a drastic change and I was horrible but again I look back at why that was and not that I am making excuses for myself but that was my way of coping with the situations I was in.  I was sulking in my own grief.  Whether right or wrong that was an indirect way of my dealing with the problem instead of facing it head-on.

Let me give an example, after long discussions yesterday with the husband he has been saying how much he just does not feel himself.  He has been feeling tired and feeling a bit on the heavier side.  He knows that he needs to get back into gear with running or giving himself at least 30 minutes of exercise.  His excuse was I will get to it tomorrow or I will start next week or I don’t have the time etc. giving me every excuse in the book to procrastinate on his goals.  Following the excuses, we dug a little deeper and he simply said I’m just unmotivated at the moment to even start and one of the main things he is coping with right now is STRESS!

Nowadays I do not have the struggle with procrastination as much as I once did and thankfully it is because, in my opinion,  it’s who I surround myself with.  My mindset, my goals, the like-minded individuals that have the same intentions help me and drive me to be successful.  Sometimes it is not easy to show up every day and there are so many things that we don’t want to do but just start somewhere to battle this issue and do not let procrastination take over!

” One of the most important keys to success is having the Discipline to do what you know you should do, even when you dont feel like doing it. “- unknown

A few tips that I can not stress enough that have helped me along the way become a better version of myself on a daily basis.

  1. Live with Intention – have a goal and create a path for your life.  We can live the life we dream of if we intend to live with purpose.
  2. Daily Affirmations- I have to thank a mentor that I follow Rachel Hollis for this one- right down daily affirmations and write them as if they are already done or that you have succeeded!
  3. Celebrate the small victories- Do not be so hard on yourself give your self grace and be happy with the smaller goals and success in life boost that motivation and mindset to keep going.
  4. Plan- This is my favorite, you guys if you do not plan ahead to have a successful day you won’t! This is where procrastination will get you.  Plan your day the evening before maybe even plan your week.  Take Sunday evenings 15-20 minutes of your time to write down your priorities for the week and fill in the empty gaps with items that will help gear you to your goals.
  5. Surround yourself with the ones who will lift you up and not tear you down.  No one needs negativity in their lives if that means

I did not learn these five tips overnight and it has taken me practice to get on a routine but with reading and a lot of self-development, I see the bigger picture and know that I have one goal in mind.

Let me give credit to the in-depth blog post that has enlightened me on procrastination and how forgiving yourself will help you along the way.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-your-brain-loves-procrastination

2021-02-07T09:08:13+00:00

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