I think it is safe to say that we have all procrastinated at some point in our life. When we were younger, maybe we didn’t want to clean or do our homework. Perhaps as an adult, you procrastinate on the goals you wish to accomplish. Regardless of what you procrastinate for, it is forming a bad habit that is difficult to break. Procrastination is a false sense of happiness and feeling good. You might be content right now because you are putting off what you do not want to do. Procrastination also has the chance to cause you anxiety and put you in an even worse state than if you have just done what was needed. In this blog, I want to get you out of your procrastination mindset and put you on the path to doing.

The reason people procrastinate is that there is something they do not want to put the energy towards at the moment. Some things that you procrastinate about HAVE to be done. For example, if you are in school and wait until the last day to write the paper. This type of procrastination is what I call “final moment procrastination.” This type of procrastination is the easiest to combat. This type of procrastination is a false sense of happiness when you put off what you have to do as long as you can. The “final moment” procrastination lasts until the fear of not doing the task becomes greater than the fear of doing it. Final moment procrastination is like pretending things will be ok when your world is on fire. I like the optimistic point of view, but sometimes we have to douse what’s causing us harm.

Procrastination is something that is not healthy for us in many areas. For example, when was the last time you went to the dentist or doctor? When was the last time you went to the gym, read a book, or cleaned the house? You might be saying that you do not like to do these things and do not see the point in getting them done. The truth is we need to do a lot of things in life we may not want to do. I, the dentist, am my least favorite doctor, but I go every six months for my cleaning. Though I have put this bad stigma on dentists thinking that it will hurt or whatever, it puts a roadblock in my mind. People do the same thing in other areas of their life when they let procrastination take over.

“Procrastination is the driver on the road that you wish would stay at home.” – M.D.R.

When you leave the house each morning, how do you feel? Are you excited about the day or dreading the day? I will tell you that if you wake up excited for the day, then procrastination might not show up as much in your day. However, if you wake up and are already in a bad mood, then you are more at risk of procrastinating. You have to make sure that your mindset is positive from the start of your day. You can do this by various methods like meditating, eating a good breakfast, writing, or exercising. Whatever you decide to do to get yourself into a positive mindset in the morning will help eliminate daily procrastination.

If you are able to conquer your mornings, then you afford to have a slow down in the middle or end of your days. Procrastination is mainly due to someone just not wanting to do something, but it can also stem from your energy levels. You might love doing yard work, but after a long day of work, you might decide to open a cold one, sit on the sofa, or watch television. This problem is that our “activation energy” is low. Tasks that will require us to use any amount of energy we believe we do not have (or do not want to use) will put us in a mindset to put it off till a later date. This is a problem because if we know anything about massive action is that we have to keep pressing on the gas even when we are running on fumes.

Activation energy is the initial jolt we get before doing a task. That is why morning times are so important. We have to get into the habit of doing the most important things when we are at full energy.  When we look at the traits of successful people – they wake up early, work out, and get to work before the typical person’s alarm clock rings. This schedule allows for maximum activation energy as the day goes on your activation energy drains and can cause you to make poor decisions towards the end of the day. The way to solve this issue is by creating a schedule for all the tasks you need to accomplish with days and times from a high activation to a low activation energy.

In order to combat procrastination, we have to avoid those low types of activation energy activities. Things that “distract” you are often low-energy activities. Petting your dog or going on your smartphone (though enjoyable) are low types of activation energy. Sitting on the sofa, ordering food, or watching television are more examples of low-activation activities. There are many activities that we have to learn how to avoid throughout the day to keep our activation energy high and used towards achieving our goals. I stay on top of my procrastination by having a weekly schedule.

The schedule I created to stop me from procrastinating puts into account all the things I have to do and want to do. The main things I make sure to get done each day are exercise and going to work. These are the two highest energy drainers in my day. I still have plenty of other things to take care of, like cooking, cleaning, sleep, reading, planning, family, phone fun (social media), games, etc., which are all lower energy things for me. This is where your planning will come into play. You have to have a proper schedule and plan that you can follow to limit what you procrastinate on.

If you have a project or job that needs to be completed by next week, then why not start the day received? I am also not looking for excuses. I heard someone say that “Excuses are a lie wrapped around a reason.” This is true for many people. People will often make an excuse to validate something they did or did not do. If you did not do your paper, then you might say that a family member was ill or your dog ate it. Though it may be true, is that excuse really the reason? You could have been on your smartphone or doing some other low-energy activity instead of doing what you procrastinated on. This is because you know it will require a larger amount of energy. The energy that you do not believe you have at the moment.

The cure for procrastination is your mindset. How do you plan and go about your business? Are you a person who waits until the last minute, or are you a person who likes to do all the low-energy activities first and then run dry during or before you get a chance to tackle the big tasks? Regardless of what type of person you are, you have to realize that you have more to give. The navy has a “40% rule”. This rule states that when you feel like you are tired and can’t go anymore, you are only at 40% of your capability. Use this rule when you start to procrastinate because you don’t feel like it, are too tired, or are sidetracked to understand that you have more to give. Understanding that you can do more than you are doing now to accomplish your goals will help you to achieve your goals.

Procrastination at the end of the day is a bad showing of your character. You would not put on your resume that a hobby of yours is procrastinating. No employer wants that. You have to take massive action and keep working harder than anyone else around you. I understand life can get in your way at times, but why do you have to get in your way? Why do you let procrastination hold you hostage? I think that doing is much more freeing and gives a better feeling than procrastinating. If it is something you really want, you have to go out and get it, but you have to have a plan.

Make sure to set yourself up for victory whenever possible. If you want to go to the gym in the mornings, then the easy part is setting the alarm, but the challenging parts come next. You have to resist the snooze button and bounce out of bed. I use the Mel Robbins method of her Five Second Rule. This rule implies that it takes five seconds for your brain to set up a roadblock. If you wake up in the morning and hit the snooze, you just tell your brain to go back to sleep. On the other hand, if your alarm went off and you counted down to 5,4,3,2,1 and initiated the desired action, then you are on the right track.

The five-second rule is a wonderful tool to use to curve your procrastination. There are many other ways to curve your procrastination, like giving yourself a reward for completing less desirable tasks. I would make sure that the rewards you allow are beneficial to you short and long term. For example, I would not go out and get ice cream every day after school because I did a good job. You want to be realistic about what the reward can and should be. Again procrastination is something that you allow to happen. You can always take the initiative needed toward the desired actions.

In closing, procrastination is something that is not needed in your life. There might be several reasons why you may procrastinate but not doing it because you are afraid, tired, or busy cannot be a reason anymore. You have to understand that procrastinating slow you down from reaching your most desired life. Take the steps needed today to reach the places you want to in life. Remember to create a schedule and follow it if you are having issues with procrastinating. Also, be sure to take immediate action when necessary. If it can be done now, then get it done. The world waits for you to make a lasting impression on it. So now, relinquish any and all procrastination in your life and fly towards the completion of all your goals and dreams.

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts