It’s commonly thought that the best way to deal with procrastination is managing time better. However, we are learning more about why we procrastinate, and it turns out, it’s not about time at all!
You might have experienced this yourself. If you struggle with procrastination, you probably have bought a calendar, used online scheduling tools, and perhaps even read a self-help book or two on procrastination. Yet, you still have trouble procrastinating.
The real reasons why we procrastinate has less to do with scheduling and managing time. And it’s more about our emotions and how we manage stress.
Let’s explore the reasons for that.
The Constant Slip into Procrastination
Most likely you are already pretty good at managing time. You just don’t realize it. Think about all of the balls that you are constantly juggling every day of your life.
For instance:
- Getting the kids up and ready for school
- Managing tasks and assignment with your job
- Ensuring “life stuff” gets done, such as grocery shopping and paying bills
- Squeezing in time to exercise
If you have a partner, then you are probably factoring in their to-do items as well. Most likely you are juggling three or four different schedules at the same time!
But then, why do we procrastinate?
The reason why you procrastinate is actually pretty simple. A lot of the stuff you do every day isn’t very exciting or interesting. In fact, it’s probably pretty boring.
That’s not a criticism at all.
Let’s face it, most of the things we do each day are not that exciting. So, when it comes to getting an assignment done for work, your mind drifts towards something more novel. For example, watching videos online, or even daydreaming. This is what psychology calls the classic avoidance behavior.
Avoidance and Managing Time
When you practice avoidance, you are not struggling to manage time. Rather, whatever it is that you are supposed to do, such as work, is causing you stress.
For instance, you have to write a report for work. The document is loaded on your computer and ready to go. However, getting started feels overwhelming. Maybe it’s not at the level of inducing panic, but that feeling is still there.
So, what do you do? The same thing that many who struggle with anxiety and stress do. You try to avoid the problem by shifting your attention to something else. This is why watching videos of animals doing adorable things is popular. It’s more pleasing than the mundane office task!
The Procrastination Hangover
However, the problem with procrastination is that the work or task is still there once you finished with your distraction. Maybe you are finally able to rally and get the work done. However, there is a greater chance that it remains unfinished.
This is the “hangover” part of procrastination. Now, you’re feeling stressed knowing that you didn’t meet your goal or get the work done.
And that stress can lead to feelings of guilt, and perhaps even low self-worth about your capabilities. Long term stress exposure, in turn, may lead to physical health problems. For instance, being at a higher risk of getting sick, or even cardiovascular disease. Or sometimes, the things that get pushed to the side are those that would help you stay healthy, such as working out.
So, how do you handle procrastination?
Saying “Just manage your time better,” isn’t going to work with procrastination. Rather, this requires the help of a therapist. One way therapy can help is through acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).
ACT allows you to better manage the feelings and emotions connected to why you procrastinate in the first place. Managing time only addresses the superficial issues of procrastination. Whereas, therapy gets to the underlying reasons why it is occurring.
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There’s more to why we procrastinate than we perhaps initially thought. Certainly, we could be better at managing time. But really, procrastination is about deeper issues that require professional support.
If you are having trouble with procrastination, contact me for help. I would love to help you overcome it.
