Personal Growth: Stop F'n Procrastinating?
August 13th, 2021 \\
| Personal Growth | Productivity |
Do you wait till the last minute to do anything? Do you want to be able to put the laundry away as soon as it is down and feel less stress? Do you want to grow in your personal growth as you wouldn't believe?
I wrote this article just for you! To help you get motivated to change the bad habit of procrastination to getting things done!
You got this babe and I'm here to help you all the way!
Table of Contents:
What is Procrastinating?
Procrastination is to delay something or put aside doing something over and over again. I do this so much, but mostly it's putting the laundry away or making a Pinterest post because it is time-consuming and so f'n boring!
Now, this means that you voluntarily and unnecessarily delay doing something, knowing that you will regret it later. For example, when I do not do the laundry, it screws me over. Mostly because I have three kids, and the laundry piles up quickly. I end up having even more laundry to put away.
How does Procrastinating Affect Personal Growth?
When you procrastinate, you get nothing down. When I wanted to start my blog three months ago, guess how long it has taken me? Five freaking years! Do you know why? Because my ass would come up with every reason under the sun why I should not start yet.
When you procrastinate, you will not get things done. You will do it so much that it will have severe consequences. But, it does not have to be the laundry you procrastinate on. Some can be extremely serious!
Examples Of Procrastination.
Procrastination can range from small to large things and all of which can lead to consequences. All, entirely your fault.
I know you are thinking " Well, I had to do this." Or the famous " I was going to do it, but I forgot". No dude! Your ass just did not want to do it. Plain and simple.
Everyone procrastinates! This is normal for even CEOs to once in a while. Here are some examples that you might say Yup, that sounds like me!
Scrolling through social media instead of doing your homework
You know who you are! You know what you did when you're spending hours on Pinterest creating boards of things you will never look at again. Or catching up on Facebook with people you never see in real life. I see you. ( squinting eyes emoji)
Delaying a work project because the new episodes of Lucifer came out, and you really wanted to watch it.
This is sometimes because you say ill just watch one episode, and then you watch them all in 9 hours. It is a trap, it is always a trap, and it is rarely just one episode.
Wanting to start that new exercise plan. But you keep looking up diet and workouts instead of actually doing them.
I get a lot of emails on this one. You keep telling yourself beginning or week or month like it is OCD. I have been there so much, and I learned to count down from 5 and do it now!
Telling yourself, "I will start a new positive habit." But, you keep telling yourself on Monday. Or even the first of the month.
The Monday and first of the month idea is a trap to not be successful. The day is not the problem. The question is, do you really want to suffer the consequences of not doing it?
Telling myself, I will do the laundry before I go to bed. Then I will just do it in the morning.
Had to throw this one in there. This is my biggest issue! I always put off laundry to the point I am spending an hour putting away clothes and washing. When all I had to go was take the five minutes to fold and put away in the first place. It is a bad habit. But, it's laundry. It is evil to me.
Why Do you Procrastinate?
Here are some reasons why people procrastinate. Remember, knowing why gives you power over it. Also, gives you a boost to fix the problem.
You feel more stressed doing the task for you avoid it.
You have learned to procrastinate from role models.
You do not think you will be effective at the task.
You have a Bias against a particular type of task.
Your time estimates are... a little off!
You focus less on the gains of the future and more on the gains of the present.
Your perfectionism gets in the way.
You just lack motivation and ambition.
What Are The Types Of Procrastination?
Yes, there are different types of procrastination! How crazy it is that. Let's see what category or categories you fall into!
The Anxious Procrastinator
This is where you stress yourself out over getting something done. The more stress you have towards it the more likely you put it off because you don't think it will be good enough.
The Fun Procrastinator
Summed up, you would rather have fun than do a boring task. If it came down to you finishing your homework or going to a party. You would go to the party.
The “Plenty of Time” Procrastinator
This is a common one. You tell yourself the task will not take that long. But, in reality. You wait until the last minute, and usually, it comes in late or maybe not at all.
The Perfectionist Procrastinator
Where you spend more of your time doing research than actually doing the task. You keep telling yourself you are not ready yet. Pretty much, you do not have the right motivation, and it's not perfect.
How To Stop Procrastinating?
Here are some tips to help you on your journey to stop procrastinating on important things. Not going to lie, it will be hard. But, I have faith in you! You got this! You can and will achieve this!
Step One: Recognize that you are procrastinating.
As I said above, you have power when you acknowledge that you are procrastinating.
You may also be procrastinating if you:
Fill your day with low-priority tasks.
Leave an item on your To-Do list for a long time, even though it's important.
Read emails several times over without making a decision on what to do with them.
Start a high-priority task and then go off to make a coffee.
Fill your time with unimportant tasks that other people ask you to do, instead of getting on with the important tasks already on your list.
Wait to be in the "right mood," or wait for the "right time" to tackle a task.
Step Two: Why are you procrastinating
Ask yourself why you are doing this? What is the reason why you do not start this task? This falls into the types of procrastination from above.
For instance, are you avoiding a particular task because you find it boring or unpleasant? If so, take steps to get it out of the way quickly. So that you can focus on the aspects of your job that you find more enjoyable.
Poor organization can lead to procrastination. Organized people successfully overcome it because they use prioritized To-Do-List and create effective schedules. These tools help you to organize your tasks by priority and deadline.
Even if you are organized, you can still feel overwhelmed by a task. Perhaps you have doubts about your ability. You are worried about failing, so you put it off and seek comfort in doing work that you know that you are capable of completing.
Some people fear success as much as failure. They think that success will lead to them being swamped with requests to take on more tasks.
Surprisingly, perfectionists are often procrastinators. Often, they rather avoid doing a task that they do not feel they have the skills to do than do it imperfectly.
Another major cause of procrastination is poor decision-making. If you can not decide what to do, you will likely put off taking action. In case you do the wrong thing.
Step Three: Adopt anti-procrastination strategies.
Did you know that procrastination is a habit? Actually is what is called a bad habit. You can read my article here about habits. Personal Growth: Power of Habits. Just like any habit, you can change it into a positive one.
Forgive yourself for procrastinating in the past.
Studies have shown that self-forgiveness can help you to feel more positive about yourself and reduce the likelihood of procrastination in the future.
Commit to the task.
Focus on doing, not avoiding. Write down the tasks that you need to complete, and specify a time for doing them. This will help you to proactively tackle your work.
Promise yourself a reward.
If you complete a difficult task on time, reward yourself with a treat. Such as a slice of cake or a coffee from your favorite coffee shop. And make sure you notice how good it feels to finish things!
Ask someone to check up on you.
Peer pressure works! This is the principle behind self-help groups. If you do not have anyone to ask, an online tool such as Procrstor can help you self-monitor.
Act as you go.
Tackle tasks as soon as they arise, rather than letting them build up over another day.
Rephrase your internal dialog.
The phrases "need to" and "have to," for example. This implies that you have no choice in what you do. This can make you feel disempowered and might even result in self-sabotage. However, saying, "I choose to," implies that you own a project, and can make you feel more in control of your workload.
Minimize distractions.
Turn off your email and social media, and avoid sitting anywhere near a television while you work!
Eat the frog!
Get those tasks that you find least pleasant out of the way early. This will give you the rest of the day to concentrate on work that you find more enjoyable.
Summary
In conclusion, procrastination is a bad habit we create, and we can change it. When we stop procrastinating, we get everything that needs to be done first so that we have nothing to worry about. Which causes less stress, and you get farther in your personal growth.
Someone once told me the procrastinating is like going on an alcohol binger. You start mixing your drink, you feel relaxed and completely amazing! Until the spins hit and the next when your kids come running in screaming, and you regret it all. Especially when you look at your bank account and see you spent 100 dollars on tacos. Yikes.
I believe in you, just get up and do it. Right now. As I always say, count down from five and do it before your brain has a chance you convince you not to. It is something I learn from Mel Robbins. I have been practicing it for years now, and it does wonders.
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As always, remember you are strong, you are beautiful, and HELLA freaking powerful!
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