How to overcome procrastination
Do you often find yourself putting off important tasks? Do you feel like you're just too lazy or unmotivated to get started? In this blog, I talk about procrastination and explore why we do it.
Procrastination is more than just laziness, and we’ll take a look at the some of the deeper reasons of why you may be procrastinating. This blog offers practical tips to help you overcome procrastination and live a more fulfilling life.
Have you ever found yourself scrolling through social media instead of doing that important task you’ve been putting off? Or maybe you promised yourself you'd start journaling, meditating, cooking meals from scratch or going to yoga classes, but keep pushing it off until next week? We've all been there! Procrastination is when you delay or postpone tasks, and it's something that affects us all at one point or another.
Despite what you may believe, procrastination is more than just laziness. It's not just about being too lazy to start a task or lacking motivation. In fact, procrastination can be a result of deeper unconscious reasons that we’re not even be aware of, such as fear of failure, overwhelm and perfectionism.
In this blog, I’ll explore procrastination, why we do it and the role that subconscious beliefs play in this behaviour. I’ll also discuss common misconceptions and practical tips to help you overcome procrastination. Whether you’re a regular procrastinator or just someone who puts things off every now and again, this post is for you.
So, if you're ready to stop putting off important tasks and start taking action towards your goals, keep reading!
Why do we procrastinate?
It's easy to assume that procrastination is just because you’re lazy or lacking motivation, but there are often deeper reasons for putting things off. One of the most common reasons for procrastination is fear of failure. Of course it’s natural to want to avoid failure, but this can affect you so much that you avoid starting a task altogether. If this is the case for you, maybe you can consider a mindset shift in how you view failure? There is no such thing as failure, only feedback! There is always an opportunity to learn, and to grow when something doesn’t go to plan.
Another reason for procrastination is overwhelm. If you feel like a task is too time consuming or difficult, you may avoid it and do the smaller, more manageable tasks instead. This can lead to a cycle of procrastination where you keep avoiding the big task, and it just keeps hanging over you.
Perfectionism is another factor that can contribute to procrastination. If you hold yourself to high standards, you may feel like it’s really difficult to meet these expectations, and therefore avoid starting the task altogether. You may feel like your work isn’t good enough, and so it’s easier to just avoid doing it.
Procrastination can have deep subconscious causes that we may not even be aware of. Consciously you may believe you can do it. However, you still keep procrastinating. This means you may have a limiting belief. Limiting beliefs are unconscious beliefs that are no longer serving you. Usually, we’re not consciously aware we have these stories and beliefs. Limiting beliefs can come at any age, but are usually formed between the ages of 0-7 to protect ourselves in some way. If you have limiting beliefs you’re unaware of, this means you may be unconsciously avoiding taking action towards your goals.
It's important to recognise these reasons for procrastination so that you can address them and move past them. By acknowledging your fears and limiting beliefs, you can work to overcome them and start taking action towards your goals.
Finding what makes YOU procrastinate
Identifying your personal procrastination triggers is an important step in overcoming this behavior. Everyone has different reasons for procrastinating, and by identifying what makes you procrastinate specifically, you can take steps to address it. You may even be unaware of what these are right now, so exploring this deeper may really help you.
One helpful exercise to help you figure this out is to keep a journal. Whenever you find yourself procrastinating, make a note of what task you're avoiding, what you're doing instead, and how you feel about it. Try asking yourself questions such as: What am I afraid of? What do I get out of not doing this? What happens if I do it? What happens if I don’t? How do I feel about this task, and why? What deeper belief do I have about why I can’t do it?
Often, procrastination comes from some form of fear, whether it's fear of failure, fear of success, or something else entirely. By identifying what you're afraid of, you can work to address those fears and move past them. You may start to notice patterns or common themes. Once you have identified the reasons behind your procrastination, you can work to overcome them.
Self-awareness is key. By understanding your own habits, triggers and behaviours, you can create strategies to overcome them. This could involve breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks, setting realistic goals, or practicing self-compassion and forgiveness when you do procrastinate.
Remember, procrastination affects so many of us. By digging deep to explore why you’re doing it, then creating ways to overcome this, you can start taking action towards your goals and living a more fulfilling life.
Practical tips
The good news is that you can overcome procrastination!
So how do you go about doing that?
One practical way to overcome procrastination is through time management. Try setting aside specific times for working on tasks and create a schedule, see if you can stay focused and avoid distractions.
Try breaking tasks down into smaller, manageable chunks. This can make them less overwhelming. Setting realistic goals and deadlines can help you stay motivated and on track. Make sure you’re not giving yourself too much to do, and that you give yourself more than enough time though. Otherwise you’ll find yourself back in that loop of procrastination!
It’s also important to remember that overcoming procrastination isn't just about time management and productivity. It's also about self-compassion and self-forgiveness. It's okay to make mistakes! You are human. By practicing self-compassion, you can be kind to yourself and avoid judging yourself. Similarly, self-forgiveness allows you to move past mistakes and focus on the present. Be kind to yourself and celebrate your progress, no matter how small.
Visualisation and affirmations can be helpful in reprogramming your subconscious mind to overcome procrastination. Try visualising yourself completing a task with ease and confidence. Use positive affirmations to reinforce the belief that you are capable and competent. These techniques can help shift your mindset and reduce the power of the limiting beliefs that may be holding you back. There is so much more inner work you can do around your limiting beliefs to help you let go of them.
Start small, and gradually work your way up. You may find you learn quite a lot about yourself! And remember, be kind to yourself along the way.
You’ve already taken the first steps to overcoming procrastination by reading this blog! You now know that procrastination is not just about being lazy, but it can have underlying reasons like fear of failure, overwhelm, perfectionism, self-sabotage, and limiting beliefs.
Self-awareness is so important in identifying what it is that makes you start to procrastinate so you can start to overcome procrastination.
Remember, it’s a journey, not a destination. You may find yourself slipping into old habits and behaviours sometimes, this is normal! When you’ve had an unconscious behaviour for so long, it takes a bit of work to release it. That is okay. It’s also exactly why self-compassion is so important.
By taking action towards your goals, you'll not only accomplish more, but you'll also build self-confidence, improve your self-esteem, and feel happier and more fulfilled. And as you make progress, you'll learn a lot about yourself.
So keep going, remember to be kind to yourself along the way, and take action towards the life you want to live.
If you're struggling with procrastination or limiting beliefs, and want to explore further what exactly it is that might be holding you back, there are various ways to work with me to help you overcome procrastination, improve your productivity, and achieve your goals.
Are you ready to make changes and feel like you need support? Book a no obligation chat with me today. In this 30 minute call we’ll chat about where you’re at right now, the challenges you’re facing and how we can work through these challenges. There is no obligation to book any sessions with me after this call, it’s just a way for us to get to know each other.
Don't let procrastination keep holding you back, take action today & reach out for support!