Procrastination - the trait we love to hate on. What it looks like, why it happens, and how to combat it.
Procrastination. We love to hate it. In others, in ourselves, at work, at home. Procrastination is this ugly word we use as a catch-all for activities or individuals who don’t “have it all together.”
Well, let me hop up on a soap box because I have a lot of opinions. We’ll get into them all here!
What we’re covering in four parts:
What is procrastination?
What does procrastination look like?
Why do we procrastinate?
Some tips and tricks on how to work with your procrastinating tendencies - I’m not a monster, I’ll give you some ideas.
Let’s dive in folks.
What is procrastination?
Oxford defines it as, “the action of delaying or postponing something.” Procrastination is, simply put, when we don’t complete a task or activity in a “timely” manner. To be slow, or late, to getting something done. What procrastination is NOT is the same as laziness. We often conflate the two, the idea that if you procrastinate you’re lazy, but in fact, procrastination doesn’t mean you’re lazy. Procrastination ties to the idea of delaying something, whereas laziness ties to the idea that you’re unwilling to exert effort. Think about the last time you procrastinated. You were willing to exert the effort, you were just caught up in delaying the activity to the moment in time that felt better.
What does procrastination look like?
The tricky thing about procrastination is that we don’t always realize we’re doing it. We may employ one or more procrastination tactics as humans. So here are the five different techniques I see procrastination rearing its head. What would you add?
The Deadline Lover - This is when you don’t do the thing until you’re really up to the edge of discomfort. Think buying birthday or holiday gifts the week before. Pulling an all-nighter to turn in a project or paper. Waiting until you’re en route to the airport to book your hotel stays. This procrastination technique is effective in avoiding or delaying an activity until it’s staring you face down. Often it’s served with a side of shame for “not having your act together.”
The Information Gatherer - This technique is when you can’t possibly get started because you don’t have everything you need to get started. Anyone unable to start a workout routine until you’ve selected the perfect outfit, ideal gym materials and the ultimate playlist alongside the training program? Or you can’t possibly try something new until you’ve read three books, fifteen articles and attended at least one masterclass yet still don’t feel like an expert? This is often a delay tactic we use. “I’ll get to it when I understand XYZ.” But we don’t get to it. Because understanding XYZ or having access to ALL the information in the world is impossible. Ugh.
The Busy Bee - For those of us who are filling our day with lots of tasks to get done that we can get crossed off our list, and somehow keep adding more that aren’t the things we’re actually trying to do… this one’s for you. It’s simply easier to work through task-based items that we can cross-off than sit down and have to think about performing some deep work activities. So we keep “getting stuff done,” but we’re not necessarily getting the real stuff done.
The Snowballer - This is when we procrastinate taking the first step because we’re already thinking about step 17 down the line and getting overwhelmed. It gives us pause to avoid taking on the action at all since we are unprepared to plan for and consider every potential outcome. We know that we should just try for the MVP, but what IS an MVP if we don’t consider the final polished version?!
The Idea Hopper - If you’ve ever worked with one, or you are one, oh boy. These are the folks that have to do something, but then, just got a great idea! That we have to go research and rework everything! It’s when you’re avoiding the work by abandoning it for something even better. It’s exciting, but it leaves a wake of unfinished projects behind.
Which one resonates the most with you? I personally like to use a mix of all 5, but my top favorites are Busy Bee, Information Gatherer and The Snowballer.
Why do we procrastinate?
Like I said earlier, there’s so much hate on procrastinating. And if there’s one thing you get out of all of this, it’s this:
Procrastination is an extremely human thing. We all do it. It is normal. It does NOT mean you’re a bad person. It means you’re human.
Here are just a few of the very human reasons why we procrastinate:
Fear of failure - we don’t want to mess up. It is uncomfortable, and icky to make a mistake. So we skip it!
Anxiety and perfectionism - one of the main reasons we procrastinate is because of our own anxieties and nerves. Perfectionism shows up a lot here, too. We skip out on taking something on because it makes us nervous, makes us feel unprepared or that we can’t do it well.
Our brains are programmed to procrastinate - Yep. Our brains prefer to focus on concrete tasks that can be completed right now than more amorphous tasks that are unclear. It’s why we feel accomplished by cleaning a space, but less when we’ve been sitting and “just” thinking. We have something called “present bias.” It’s like the marshmallow test! Eat one right now, who cares about later marshmallows! It’s the same reason saving money is hard, why save when you could buy that fun thing now!
Did you catch that last one? Our brains are literally programmed to procrastinate. That means everything you take on to combat procrastination is working against how your brain wants to work. So kudos to you for even attempting to work with your brain’s predisposition to procrastination. It’s not easy stuff!
Some tips and tricks on how to work with your procrastinating tendencies - I’m not a monster, I’ll give you some ideas.
Yeah, yeah, I know what you really want when you hit a page like this is to get the tips and tricks. But we truthfully had to start at the beginning, because otherwise you’d jump to these tips and tricks and they won’t WORK. It’s easier to take action when we understand that we’re working against our own brains. So that when we get caught up in the complexity of taking action… you know it’s you failing, it’s you working against difficult stuff.
But I promised tips and tricks, and so tips and tricks you shall have.
Visualize the good stuff - an effective technique is to think about just how good it’ll feel to get it all done. To complete that task. Really imagine it. How will you feel when it’s done? Will you feel proud? Accomplished? Encouraged? This can be super effective for The Deadline Lover to try to get something done earlier, or for The Idea Hopper to see things through before you jump to the next one. Go deeper: a connected task to this is trying out a WOOP.
Consider the downside of NOT doing it - some of us like positivity, the carrot of motivation. Others of us don’t resonate with that kind of positivity - it feels toxic, and we want to feel the danger of the stick. So use it. If you don’t do the task, how will you feel about not having done it. A month from now, a year from now, you’re still exactly where you are on this item. How would you feel? This can be helpful to prioritize The Busy Bee, The Information Gatherer and The Snowballer. Often these folks are avoiding taking action, and thinking about how crappy they’ll feel if they don’t is quite effective.
Commit, publicly - tell people you’re doing the thing. With a deadline. If that feels a tiny bit too big, snag an accountability buddy, a coach, a resource that makes you feel like it needs to get done. The Deadline Lover and Information Gatherer respond well to this. It can create an earlier deadline and get access to resources required for the Deadline Lover, and it can make The Information Gatherer shift from research to action.
Make it teeny - how do you run a marathon? One step at a time. Very few humans get up one day and are able to run a marathon. But that means you get stressed and exhausted because you can’t see the wins. So, make it a tiny goal, and tie it to a treat! Clarify the smallest move you can take towards a win, and then reward yourself to cement the win. Perfect tactic to take the Idea Hopper one step further or the Deadline Lover to break down tasks so they’re not overwhelmed at the last minute.
Get clear on your why - why do you want to do this thing in the first place? No but really. Why. Why. Why? Your first answer is superficial. Why do you really want to workout more? Is it to lose some weight? Why? Is it to feel strong? Why? To feel accomplished? Why? Is it so that you can lift your grandchildren when you’re in your seventies and show them that we can be strong and fit at any age? Let me tell you - it’s easier to get a workout in when I’m not thinking about losing weight, but I’m thinking about it as an investment in my future health so that I can be there for my family. Having clarity on the deeper why can shift us into action and remind us that it’s okay to want. So find your why.
That’s all I got folks. If this is a tricky one… reach out. I work on folks with this stuff.