How to Stop Procrastinating

Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today is a well-known and popular maxim. It’s a practical way to stay active and, at the same time, a great antidote to the tendency many people suffer from, willing to put everything off until later. Living with this tendency to postpone and not get things done now, whether urgent or not, is uncomfortable and even distressing. We’d say it’s like living half-heartedly: After the holidays I’ll start my diet, on Monday I’ll get on with my homework, when the holidays are over I’ll finish everything I have pending… This postponing of tasks is called procrastinating.

After reading this introduction, there’s no need to feel guilty: We all procrastinate at some point or in some tasks, from the most organized person to the most absent-minded, chaotic, and disorganized. But not everyone suffers when they put off their obligations or tasks.

According to some studies, 20% of people chronically procrastinate. For this specific percentage, professional psychological help can substantially improve the emotional well-being of those who procrastinate regularly. Your wallet can also benefit.

Thanks to this psychological support, the first thing to detect is whether the person procrastinates due to a disorder that hinders or prevents them from making decisions and taking action. It could be depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or other conditions, to name just a few. But procrastination can also be caused by a passive-aggressive habit. For example, if the person doesn’t do what they should, they know it’s harming the person who expects their work. If the source of the problem lies in any of the aforementioned reasons, a consultation with a psychologist can resolve more than one issue at a time.

Solutions

Based on our experience, the solution that has worked for many of the patients who have consulted us has been this:  

First of all, you need to investigate the cause of your procrastination. It could be that you don’t like what you have to do, or that you know in advance that it’s a difficult task or an excessive workload that’s overwhelming just thinking about it. Perhaps the biggest problem lies simply in starting the task, in getting started, since you don’t even know where to begin working because there’s no prior planning. Planning is simply thinking about the path to reach a destination.  

Another possible reason for procrastination is the bad habit of leaving everything to the last minute, or the difficulty in properly scheduling work and miscalculating the time required for something that needs to be done. Many people justify rushing to the last minute before a deadline by saying they work much better under this deadline pressure; therefore, they perform better under the pressure of stress.

Second, you have to find motivation. Instead of saying, “I have to do this or I should do this,” we’ll say, “I want to do this for these reasons.” A simple example would be: “I want to do the dishes now because tomorrow when I wake up, I’ll be able to have breakfast with a clean and tidy kitchen.” Imagining the satisfaction we’ll feel after completing the task will boost our well-being.

Third, we must identify distractions that can interfere with making a decision or starting or finishing a task. This could be the use of technological devices, such as cell phones, television, music, social media, etc. Once we detect them, we must ensure they don’t interfere, denying them any prominence.

The last important point comes at the very moment of undertaking the task. We must bring our body into action, and our mind will follow. In other words, don’t wait for the mind to “say” it wants to. In fact, it’s the thoughts the mind produces in those moments that hinder action. The solution is to ignore them.

Depending on the reason for each procrastination, strategies such as those outlined below can be used:

1. When I procrastinate because I don’t like the task and I prioritize others:

I turn the task into a game, or I find someone to compete with. I put on some music or a Espaitec’s when I’m doing a boring task.

1. When I procrastinate because I have to do something that is difficult for me:

I wonder how I can simplify it. To do this, I also need to think about who can help me do it, where I can find information if I need it, or even training to learn how to do it and make it easier for me. Admitting the need for help and asking for it is an important step.

1. When I procrastinate because I have to face a long job and I’m overwhelmed:

I break the task down into microtasks, dividing it into parts, and I write down each one as individual tasks, although smaller and simpler than the whole. I assign an estimated completion time to each part and check off the completion. For example, a research paper begins by writing out each section of the paper, like a table of contents, along with an outline.

1. When I procrastinate because I find it difficult to start:

I commit to doing it within a specific timeframe, with a deadline. It can also help to ask someone to ask us questions that will motivate us to get started. Or, I can explain the steps to follow from the start in an audio recording. This way, we’ve outlined the path of action to begin and continue until the work is finished.

1. When I procrastinate Because I have a project, but I haven’t sat down to plan it.:

I spend some time writing a script. In it, each point identifies things or people who can help. And I create a work calendar (schedule) in my planner, noting activities by day and time slot. I meet with someone to whom I report each completed part as agreed upon.

1. When I procrastinate only at certain times of the day:

If it’s in the morning, I should rule out the possibility that it’s because I didn’t get enough rest during the night. If it’s in the afternoon, I should review whether I wasted too much time or wasn’t effective enough during the day.

1. When I procrastinate for fear of doing it wrong:

If I have negative thoughts and a fear of making a mistake or the consequences of my assignment, once I’ve finished or handed it in, it’s a good idea to write down the thoughts that generate my fear and identify the evidence that this is true or not. I can ask a friend or partner for help in this exposure to fear.

For more information about the research, you can consult this in this link

Ultimately, these tips will help us reflect and stop procrastinating. After all, planning is nothing more than thinking about the path to a destination.

You can consult with Dr. Connie Capdevila to help you implement these tips.

To schedule an in-person or online visit, you can click here link.