8 Questions to Unravel the Procrastination Habit.
Procrastination is among the deadliest silent saboteurs of people's joy and success.
Procrastination doesn't just happen to you. It's a choice.
The reasons behind the choice vary; it's seldom because someone doesn't have the skills or capability. It could be a fear of failure or not being perfect.
It could be defaulting to ticking off a task that's easy to do rather than going through the discomfort of a task that challenges you. It could even be a means to create a break, a deliberate pause if you are grinding through the day and not giving yourself intentional time to stop.
Procrastination can also manifest as a form of passive-aggressive behaviour; often, people say yes to things when they mean no. They fight back by delaying the task, even if it is not a conscious decision.
Knowing procrastination is a destructive habit is not enough to break the pattern. I have worked with clients who have cleaned their houses, replanted their gardens and done the laundry when impending deadlines are due, and I mean at a senior level.
You may even convince yourself that you do your best work under pressure, but is it worth the stress and late nights? You do more harm to your mental and physical health than you realise.
In my experience, to help unravel this habit and move into the right action, consider these eight questions the next time you feel yourself drifting away from the important to the mundane:
Have I spent time on the task?
This seems obvious, but Seneca said we suffer more in our imagination than in reality. Do you avoid a task because you tell yourself it will take too long or you have no idea where to start?
Begin by spending time with the task. Get clear on what needs to be done and what information is missing, and you'll surprise yourself that it isn't even that bad.
The secret is to begin. Replace the habit of putting off the task with the habit of starting. Even if you work on it for ten minutes, at least you have made progress and created clarity.
Progress motivates us; the next time you sit down to the task, you have a next step. Avoiding the task drains your mental energy.
When I have to work on a new presentation, I begin by putting everything into the first draft. Once I have consolidated my thinking, I can return to it and edit it. Another hack is that the earlier you begin on something, the more time you have to let the idea marinade in your mind; this is where my best ideas come from.
You can never do your best innovative and creative thinking under pressure. Give yourself space to enjoy the process and embrace the discomfort of starting.
Do I value time spent on myself?
Perhaps you are good with work-related tasks but continue procrastinating on things that matter to you, like self-care, hobbies, courses or studying.
Are you allowing yourself to spend time on your interests without guilt? The outcome doesn't have to be related to work to be meaningful. Value the time spent on something for the pure enjoyment and growth it will bring you.
I know so many people who have been completing degrees for years simply because they are not blocking out time to work on them, and when they do, they give the time away to other people or less important tasks.
Do you procrastinate on your health and ignore early warning signs like neck tension, headaches or back pain? Don't wait until you can barely stand on the floor before you value yourself enough to go to the doctor.
When you can value yourself and what matters to you, you can begin to take the right action.
Am I self-focused or other-focused?
This question may seem harsh, but if you're purely focused on yourself – your fears, your anxiety, your insecurity, then you get caught in the maze of procrastination to avoid these uncomfortable feelings.
Focusing on others and how the lack of delivery impacts them can trigger you to take action.
Yes, you can still fear being judged, but if you focus on how others are impacted and how they are under pressure because you delivered late, can that motivate you to get going?
Your intention is to protect yourself, but your impact is that you contribute to others' stress by not taking action.
Most people fear disappointing their manager or their team, but the very thing they are trying to avoid is created by procrastination.
The best and harshest advice I ever received was from a coach who told me, 'Build a bridge and get over yourself'. Remember these words when you find yourself caught in the web of your fearful thinking.
What's the impact on my brand?
When someone is overdue on your work deadlines or arrives late for a meeting, what do you begin to associate with them?
Words like unreliable, inability to plan and inconsiderate get attached to the image you have of them.
Your brand is how you show up in other people's minds.
Your intention may be to come across as reliable, dependable, trustworthy and a leader, but consider what your actions demonstrate.
No one is interested in your fears of imperfection; they want the work delivered on time as promised.
Consider the impact on your brand if you continue with this behaviour.
The good news is you can always behave your way back into trust – consistency and credibility will get you there.
What is the cost of inaction?
Procrastination is the habit of delaying action; consider the trajectory if you continue with this behaviour.
· What has it cost you in the past?
· What is it costing you now?
· What will it cost you in the future?
It's more than delaying working on the presentation; you are delaying your dreams and costing yourself your mental health along with it.
Delaying creates anxiety, fear and guilt; action creates joy, gratitude and happiness.
How do you manage the environment of distraction?
Distraction is the sidekick of procrastination. To default away from your task, you inevitably pick up your phone, check your inbox or find something to research.
We blame distractions as if they happen to us, but consider if you are a self-interrupter.
How can you think ahead and manage the environment of distraction? When you have to sit down to a daunting or boring task, stay focused by closing your Outlook and muting all the notifications so pings and dings of messages and alerts do not call you.
Mute the Whatsapp groups that are not urgent so you aren't distracted all day by 30 people sending thank you's and comments. Each time you stop to check in, you've cost yourself focus.
Remove anything from your desk that may tempt you away and set up the environment for success with healthy snacks, water or anything else you may need that will pull you away.
Of course, things do come up, and people will send us messages or walk to our desks, but where you can control it – manage your environment of distraction.
Who would I be without my inner critic?
Procrastination is often the side effect of a vicious inner critic telling you you aren't good enough or everyone will judge you. The little voice tells you you're an imposter and don't deserve to be there.
Like a toddler having a tantrum, the voice becomes louder and overpowering if you indulge it long enough. If you ignore the child, eventually, it will realise it needs a new strategy and quiet down.
The more you listen to the inner critic, the louder it becomes. Stop giving it power and tell it to go away. I tell my clients to name their inner critic and imagine it as a cartoon character like a gremlin. Then, you can bring some humour into the situation and tell it off.
Instead, channel your inner coach or cheerleader. When you sit down to a task, be kind to yourself and remind yourself you feel like an imposter because you are growing. The discomfort you feel is proof you are stepping out of your comfort zone. Celebrate the discomfort and make progress on the task, even if you work on it for ten minutes.
You shut down the inner critic with action; your inaction reinforces the story.
What does done and doing look like?
Being overwhelmed is also a root cause of procrastination. Not knowing where to start can be the first domino in the sequence.
The solution is to answer what done and doing look like. For example, done is a five-slide presentation on the latest forecast. Doing means you need to get the information from finance, schedule in time to work on it, send it out for comments from team members if necessary and send it for review at least three days before.
If you need to study for an exam, done means you need to schedule the exam date in your calendar. Doing means working backwards and scheduling time for the specific chapters and past paper revisions. When you can see the slots inserted into your calendar and have a visual confirmation that you can get it done by the deadline, you can relax and focus on the next right action.
Final thoughts.
The ultimate habit you must master to unravel the procrastination habit is showing up to yourself.
It's all well to schedule time in the calendar to work on the tasks, but if you continue to give it away to others or find shiny new things to focus on during the allotted time, you will continue the cycle.
Procrastination dents your self-esteem because it’s a form of breaking agreements you make with yourself. When you keep the promises you make to yourself, you build your confidence and self-trust.
Remember these eight questions you can ask yourself to interrupt the pattern:
Have I spent time on the task?
Do I value time spent on myself?
Am I self-focused or other-focused?
What's the impact on my brand?
What is the cost of inaction?
How do you manage the environment of distraction?
Who would I be without my inner critic?
What does done and doing look like?
Here's to showing up to yourself,
Warm wishes,
Lori