Help for Disorganized People (Part 2)
As we continue our series on Time Management and Organization for the Disorganized Procrastinator (read part 1 here), let's take a look at some common reasons for procrastination.
Pretty much everyone suffers from procrastination tendencies in at least one aspect of their lives, whether it's getting work done, doing household chores, or exercising. (Wouldn't it be great if we procrastinated about eating that delicious chocolate brownie as much as we do about exercising?)
When you procrastinate on certain things, you're getting some sort of payoff for the behavior. You're avoiding the pain of doing the task right now. Maybe you realize that it may cause you pain later, but you put that out of your mind. What you're concerned with right now is avoiding the pain now. Pain felt later is not real yet.
So what are some of the reasons we procrastinate?
1. Fear of Failure
This is the most obvious reason people procrastinate. The fear that you won't succeed is so strong that you'd rather not try at all. Your mind tells you that you're not a failure because you didn't do it yet. Many people who fear failure have perfectionist tendencies. Perfectionism is really just a cover and an excuse for not ever finishing anything due to the fear of failure.
2. Fear of Success
Believe it or not, some people procrastinate due to a fear of success, the inverse of fear of failure. If you have an innate feeling that you don't deserve success and lack confidence in your ability to continue being successful, you will procrastinate. Once you are on top, it's harder to stay on top, so why get to the top at all? Fear of being able to repeat success can block you from ever experiencing success in the first place.
3. Addiction to the Rush
This is something that often happens to college students or people who work with deadlines. They wait until the last minute and the extra adrenaline that is produced makes them feel good. They get addicted to the adrenaline and seek reasons to flood their body with it again, and again. Adrenaline junkies often believe they do better work at the last minute, which could not be further from the truth. If you perform at a high level at the last minute, imagine how well you would do with a real plan of action?
4. Lack of Interest
Some things you put off because you simply don't like to do them. That could be cleaning out the oven or the fridge, matching socks, or working on a report for work or school. Those things are boring, so you procrastinate because you simply do not want to do it to start with. You wait until the very last moment to do it. Maybe you're even late with it or don't do it at all.
5. You Need Training
Some people procrastinate because they really aren't sure how to do something. They need someone to train them how to do it right. It doesn't matter if it's household organizing, work related tasks, or something else entirely — if you tend to procrastinate about something, ask yourself if you are procrastinating because you don't know how to do it.
6. You Don't Like to Say No
By putting off doing things you've committed to do, it's your way of saying no without saying no. If you're a person who doesn't like to say no just because you're trying to be nice, but then you put off doing what you've agreed to do — I hate to tell you, but you're not being nice! Just be honest and don't commit to things with which you cannot follow through.
7. You're Overwhelmed
It's not uncommon to start putting things off when you simply get in over your head. Due to poor organizational ability, you simply bit off more than you could chew. Plus, you lack the training to chunk together actionable steps to beat the feeling of overwhelm. When you're overwhelmed, it seems easier to just ignore anything that needs to be done.
8. You're a Dreamer & a Talker
Many people who are otherwise great people tend to love to talk about doing, rather than actually doing. The problem with this is that if you never follow up with doing what you're talking about, you'll never achieve success. You'll always just be a talker and a dreamer. Spending time making vision boards on Pinterest feels productive, but if you don't back that up with some action, you're not productive. You're all talk and no action.
9.Inability to Visualize Success
Some procrastinators have serious problems with creating a picture in their minds of future success. You let your past inform your future too much. You just cannot see yourself being successful at anything, so you put off trying and put off doing your best because you just can't see yourself beyond where you are right now.
Next week, we'll talk about how to overcome these roadblocks.
But for this week's challenge, I want you to identify:
1. One thing that you've been putting off.
2. The reason you've been procrastinating.
Leave a comment and let me know what you determined!