Every promise you’ve ever made to yourself, every goal that was neglected along the way, every time you were sure that this time it was really significant and there was no chance of giving up and life was seemingly taking you somewhere else. Every time you disappointed yourself for not keeping your word, the project that was postponed, the arrangements that were neglected, the fine that was imposed by the diet that didn’t happen, the doctor’s appointment that was accidentally forgotten, every time you were angry to discover that you had once again given up on yourself or yourself.
The more familiar procrastination deals with the practical performance of things. But it takes place in a mental environment that is mainly confusion and ambiguity. In contrast to laziness, which is a state in which a person has no desire at all (and usually no remorse) to do the thing, procrastination is a state in which there is a desire to do the thing but somehow things get a little complicated, disappear and are postponed. And there is an internal struggle. Because it is clear to us that this postponement is not in our best interest and that it may even be harmful, and yet we find ourselves there. Procrastinating.
The price of procrastination
Procrastination is not a situation in which you create a certain order of priorities, which causes some things to be done at a later stage. In short, procrastination is not laziness, nor is it a failure to do things out of choice or order of priorities, but rather a situation in which you have a desire to start something, a commitment to do it, and somehow in the process something goes wrong and does not happen. Despite the understanding that it is ostensibly important to you, there is no time or desire to move forward on the subject. In every attempt to concentrate, something distracts. The words tomorrow or later are prominent, and so it turns out that the matter fizzles out or time runs out, or the pressure forces you to provide solutions that are not good enough.
The price of procrastination is high!
Beyond the products and the feeling of missing out, less than good results undermine self-confidence in ability. To avoid shame, some people distort, lie, or deceive about the causes, conditions, and results, it’s not me, it’s because of the family, it’s not because of me, it’s because of them, etc. Self-belief in the ability to produce something good is undermined not necessarily because of a lack of knowledge, but because of poor management of time and the process. There is an attempt to rely on the goddess of luck to save at the last minute, that things will work out despite the situation, to assume that not everything depends on you and therefore things happen the way they do.
Another great excuse is perfectionism as a reason why I don’t do what I committed to. Until it’s perfect… The main source of procrastination, as proven by several studies (from the book: Procrastination by Piers Steele), is impulsivity. Impulsivity is a trait that makes it very difficult to plan ahead, and relies on quick and easy distractions.
Postpone the future...
In such a state of procrastination, it is very difficult to plan for the future. It is clear that not every plan will actually come to fruition or come true. Procrastination causes a person to lower their expectations of themselves and those around them. As the saying goes, there is a connection between procrastination and lack of self-confidence and optimism. Lowering expectations leads to a state of acquired helplessness. And as with any process and event that creates our self-perception of something or ourselves, a repeated experience of procrastination and a sense of failure or helplessness gradually settles in the mind until it becomes the person’s worldview of themselves.
How do you plan for the future like that?
“We left the things we should have done unresolved. And we did all the things we shouldn’t have done.”
Emmet’s Law: “The fear of doing the task takes up more time and energy than doing the task”
In the short term we regret what we did, but in the long term we regret what we didn’t do. It’s part of the human condition to regret what we didn’t do. The question is to what extent and how great the sense of failure of life will be in retrospect.
It is impossible not to see the impact of the political world’s procrastination in decision-making on life and health, especially in times of Corona. Every decision that is postponed comes at a time when its price is clear.
What helps with procrastination?
Self-belief separates the procrastinator from the successful. Without self-confidence in the face of the smallest failure, there will be a surrender, a surrender to try again, to postpone until another time, to another opportunity. And the more you postpone, the level of anxiety will rise and the fear of trying again will take over every good part. The cure for this, by the way, is optimism and positive thinking. (Of course, if it is not in the form of “live in a movie, la la la land…”). Realistic optimism – the ability to think positively in a logical and possible way.
How do you change this vicious cycle and get out of a state of procrastination that damages self-confidence, into action and self-confidence? The answer is to start with thinking – to create clarity about what is really important and what is less important. Agree to give up what doesn’t really interest you and stop complaining about it, and that requires authenticity and honesty. Don’t promise things that aren’t really important to you just to satisfy someone else, for example.
Create a work method for yourself or at least clarity about the way you like to operate, and try to stick to it.
And no less important – active positive thinking towards ourselves. Enough self-flagellation, yes to self-acceptance.
Within this process, it will be possible to change the way we experience reality and ourselves and bring a different lifestyle that is active rather than passive, creative rather than repulsive, bringing value and worth to our lives.
