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Procrastination
Generally speaking, procrastination is the deliberate act of delaying or postponing something while being aware of the negative effects of doing so. You could be asking yourself, “Why am I so lazy?” if you find yourself caught in what seems to be a never-ending loop of procrastination, guilt, and turmoil.
Alternatively, you may ask, “Why can’t I just pull myself together?”
Contrary to popular belief, procrastination isn’t usually caused by laziness, according to Jenny Yip, clinical psychologist, and executive director of the Little Thinkers Center, a Los Angeles-based organization that supports kids with scholastic difficulties. Laziness is the attitude of, “I have no desire to even consider this. “It bothers me to think about this,” is the meaning of procrastination. It is hard for one to complete the task as a result. What a significant difference!
The only way to alter your behavior, according to experts, is to understand why you delay and discover solutions to stop doing it. With her book “How to Beat Procrastination in the Digital Age,” psychologist Linda Sapadin aimed to support this endeavor at self-improvement.
You can be a perfectionist, a dreamer, a worrier, or a defier; Sapadin outlines all of these procrastination styles in her book.
Procrastination patterns aren’t specific diagnoses and aren’t supported by research, but according to Yip, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, “they are psychological patterns or reasons why someone might procrastinate.”
Practical Repercussions
Practical repercussions of procrastination include being late for work, failing to meet personal goals, and failing to complete tasks like grocery shopping or letter-writing. But there are also psychological or emotional effects. According to a January research of more than 3,500 college students, it has been linked to melancholy, anxiety, and stress, as well as poor sleep, little physical activity, economic troubles, and loneliness.
It might seem quite humiliating if you can’t do that in America, where so much of our value is focused on what we do, how we work, and what we generate, according to Vara Saripalli, a clinical psychologist based in Chicago. People may feel extremely disheartened and as though there is no purpose in attempting as a result.
Knowing why you put off tasks can help you become more self-aware, but you still need to develop a plan to stop the behavior. Otherwise, Saripalli remarked, “we’ll just keep doing the same thing. Depending on what purpose procrastination is providing for you, the method you’ll use to overcome it will alter.”
Here’s how to determine which sort of procrastinator you are, but keep in mind that you might exhibit characteristics from several different types.
According to Yip, a perfectionist is typically a procrastinator.
The perfectionist demands that everything [is] done flawlessly, with all T’s crossed and I’s dotted, which requires an immeasurable amount of effort. The perfectionist will become lost if (they) don’t have a plan on how to finish this task.
Worriers frequently lack self-confidence and rely on others for guidance or confirmation before acting independently. Additionally, they are very resistant to change and favor the security of the well-known.
Itamar Shatz
According to Itamar Shatz, a researcher at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and the developer of the website “Solving Procrastination,” both perfectionists and worriers may put off starting work out of a fear of failure or criticism.
By acknowledging that perfectionistic norms are unattainable, you can challenge those attitudes and alter your conduct, according to Shatz. Replace them, he continued, “with standards that are good enough, while allowing oneself to make occasional mistakes.”
Give yourself a deadline and avoid thinking in terms of all or nothing. (And then follow through with that deadline; don’t give up if you don’t make it!).
According to Saripalli, a “dreamer” procrastinator dislikes the minute logistical aspects that are frequently required to complete undertakings. They enjoy having ideas, she continued. That is enjoyable. Executing these visions is kind of tedious or challenging.
Dreamers may also believe that fate will intervene on their behalf, rendering proactive diligence and effectiveness superfluous.
A dreamer, like a perfectionist, might constantly yearn for something better, Yip added. You should learn to distinguish between dreams and goals, and you should approach goals by asking yourself the six questions of what, when, where, who, why, and how. Replace “soon” or “tomorrow” with precise times. Create a timeline for your ideas and outline each phase.
Defiant procrastinators frequently live their lives in terms of what other people want from them rather than what they desire for themselves. Their motivation to finish tasks decreased by this pessimism.
Find ways to feel in control if you have this mindset, Shatz advised. Try to work with a team or supervisor rather than against them. Strive to take action rather than react.
Being Passive Aggressive
Yip advised acknowledging what is or isn’t working rather than being passive-aggressive about it if something doesn’t sit well with you before having a dialogue with the person who gave you this project. “Defiers typically don’t feel prepared to have these conversations with people they perceive as having authority over them, or they don’t think that having the dialogues would benefit them or have a positive result. That’s not always the case.
Addressing procrastination can be challenging, especially if it stems from deeply ingrained problems, according to Shatz, just like working on anxiety or other mental health disorders.
According to Sean Grover, a psychotherapist in New York City who specializes in group therapy, some people postpone because “their sense of self is so delicate that the concept of doing something and failing would just push them over into full worthlessness.”
In such circumstances, Shatz advised, “consider talking to a professional, such as a psychologist, who might be able to help you.”
Visualization
Visualization is effective, said Yip. “If you can picture yourself doing (a task), it becomes easier to accomplish only because you believe you can.”
The way you handle life ultimately “all comes down to your belief system,” according to Yip. You can do everything you set your mind to. You cannot if you think you cannot. Therefore, whatever you think is true, it is.
Written By Dylan Santoyo
Sources
CNN: Laziness isn’t why you procrastinate. This is
Science Alert: Procrastinating Could Be a Sign of Serious Health Problems, Study Finds
Stylist: Why novelty could really be the key to overcoming procrastination
Images Courtesy of Jakob Renpening‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
