One of the most asked questions I answer in my coaching sessions is how not to procrastinate. The answer is simple and not so simple in the same regard. The reason people initially procrastinate is that they see a task as something they do not or will not enjoy. Even if there is some joy aspect to it, you might be able to do something that might be better for the mind. This is because the mind is the reason procrastination takes place. Today, I will be breaking down procrastination and how you can break free from the bonds of putting off till later. 

I define procrastination as the fear of putting off a task until the fear of not doing it becomes more significant than doing the given task. I know several famous coaches who do not believe procrastination is real. They think that a person is just being lazy or not pushing themselves to do what they should. Though there is some truth behind this statement, we have to look at the procrastinating person. There is a reason they procrastinate, and until we find that reason, procrastination will continue to be an issue.

When looking at a person who is a chronic procrastinator, we must first look into their lives to find the root problem. I like to think of this process of having to move the stuff at the front on the shelf so that I can reach the things at the back. The things at the back will be the real reason we procrastinate. The team at the front tends to be things like I’m tired, I’m practicing self-care, or I do not know what I am doing. All of those excuses will start procrastination, and you will get to a point where it is subconscious. That means you will not even know you are procrastination. Just think about when you were on your phone, but you should have been doing something else. We are all guilty of that.

What I do not allow procrastination to get ahold of me is to create a routine. Knowing what you have to do gives your brain focus instead of wandering to a lower-energy task. The following problem people face after they have their routine is becoming distracted by other things that might need our intention but are not part of what we should be doing. I find myself here sometimes when I am not in balance. By balance, I mean that I am thinking about something else, like a stressor, what to eat, or that I need a nap. If we lack in some area of our life, we will create a space for procrastination to take over.

Mark Twain said, “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” How often do you put off something because you know it won’t be “perfect”? This is just one of the excuses we give ourselves for not taking action. It is too much work; you do not have enough time or know where to start. You are faced with a mass of challenges that you must overcome to move ahead. Procrastination is when you see what you need to do, but you do not want to do it for whatever reason.

We tend not to procrastinate on what we enjoy or like doing. We will procrastinate more on the tasks we see as less than desirable. That means a task you have a passion for or want to do will have a lower probability of you procrastinating. However, it is possible that you could be in a state of mind where you are not motivated to do anything, even the things that you once love. If you are in this state, you must first realize how you go into that state of mind.

When we push ourselves to be productive and not procrastinate, we have to understand our current state of being. For example, if we are depressed or angry, we will not want to work on self-betterment when these negative emotions come our way. We will stew in them sometime before we do the work to get out of them. You could also be in the habit of allowing time to play the healer, waiting until you are better. The problem with waiting is that you are adding fuel to the fire. If you are trying not to waste time, why are we using time as the means to get over how we are feeling?

It is essential to know the why in your procrastination so you can pull it up from the roots. Someone might say they procrastinate at work because they do not like the job, but the real reason they procrastinate is that they are not happy at home, so they are not in a rush to get the work done and go to the place where they are not satisfied. It can be a maze to navigate why someone procrastinates because life is more than just that moment of procrastination. It can be due to our unconscious motivators or that we need to do some self-care before working on any given task.

There is a surefire way to curb your amount of procrastination, and that will require you to structure your day differently. Using myself as an example, when I wake up, the first thing I will do is go to the gym. I have noticed that if I do not go to the gym first thing in the morning, I will be less likely to want to go in the afternoon time. Though I will still go if it is a gym day, I notice my brain not wanting to work out later in the day. My body and brain prefer when I first wake up in the morning to go to the gym. Another example is my blogs. I used to procrastinate all the time on them, but now I have a system that helps me write them effortlessly.

The system you can use to eliminate procrastination is to go along with your body’s natural tendency to do the things it enjoys doing. We have certain times of the day we prefer to do specific tasks. This occurs when you have a healthy state of mind and are not depressed, angry, etc. We have times in our day when we will favor something. This is possible because when we were growing up, we were conditioned in a specific manner to like things or hate things. For example, we would go to school in the morning and not at night for obvious reasons. However, you might have found that you enjoy doing homework at school rather than at home.

I prefer doing all my high-energy tasks in the morning time after the gym. There are a few factors that I must have met before I can do these tasks, but if they are met, then I will have little to no procrastination in these times of focused work. First thing in the morning, I have the most energy, so I try to go to the gym, get my business work done, etc. I save lower energy on activities like meeting with clients or spending time with the family for later in the day. If I use my most energetic time for a low-energy task, I will get behind in my work. You have to figure out what times you are most active and put those high-energy tasks there.

There is much to know about why someone can procrastinate. They might not be in the right mindset or go against what their mind naturally enjoys. Regardless of why you procrastinate, you have to learn how to eliminate it before you waste any more time. Time is one of our most precious resources, and we cannot waste it by being idle or doing frivolous work. If you find you are a serial procrastinator, the easiest way to get over it will be with a life coach. Having someone hold you accountable is a powerful tool to boost your activity level. When we have deadlines, we are more likely to get things done. This happens regardless if you like the task or if you do not like the task.

In closing, procrastination will be one of those things that are more of a mindset than a problem. Many people come to me and say they have a problem with procrastination, and I tell them that they have a mindset problem. They agree, but they do not know the root cause of why they procrastinate on certain things in their life. Finding out that root with a coach will be as simple as signing up for a month of coaching and learning more about yourself than in 2020. There is a reason why you do the things you do, and if you can find that out, you will have more control over your mind, which will reduce the amount you procrastinate inevitably. 

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts