Procrastination - Causes & How To Overcome It!

p r e s e n t s

P R O C R A S T I N A T I O N




Procrastination is like a credit card, it's a lot of fun until you get the bill.

Procrastination is the refusal or inability to deal with difficult emotions.

Procrastination is the enemy of success.

Intro

Every single one of us has, or still are, struggling with procrastination. If you're saying you haven't, you're lying (unless you're a robot).
Procrastination is the act of delaying or putting off tasks, chores or projects until the very past minute, despite knowing the very negative consequences of it. The 3 above quotes sums it perfectly. When you procrastinate, you avoid doing what's important and meaningful, and instead do trivial or instant gratitude activities, such as distract yourself with social media, drink, smoke weed, do drugs, hang out just for the sake of socializing and losing time.. the list goes on.


While we waste our time hesitating, postponing and waiting for the ''perfect moment'', life is slipping away.


Procrastination is one of the biggest barriers between you and the life you want to live. It's blocking you from getting up and making the right decisions towards the life you've always wanted. Most of the times, we end up regretting things we haven't done rather than the things we've done. At the end of the day, the deep regret and shame resulting from missed opportunities is quite bitter. We need to attack this cancer that is destroying our potential!



The Psychology Behind Procrastination & How To Better Understand It


There are many, many reasons why people procrastinate, and I will name several most common reasons, such as : fear of failure, lack of self-discipline, overwhelm, lack of interest, perfectionism and so on. One of the reasons on which I would like to talk more about is decision paralysis. With more freedom to make our own decisions, and with so many to choose from, we often find ourselves paralyzed. This is similar to ADHD paralysis. With so much to do/choose from, our brain responds with a form of paralysis, leaving you useless until the last minute where you absolutely need to start, otherwise you will fail your project or goal. This can also be correlated to perfectionism, especially if you struggle with OCD, it can lead to paralysis. If you have a fear of failure, you will distract yourself with a multitude of unhealthy ways just because you don't want to deal with the emotions and responsibility. The lack of self-discipline and willpower can and will lead to procrastination. These are just a few of many reasons why people procrastinate but I have summed it down to the most common ones. If you have other underlying issues and/or mental health issues, or if your procrastination is persistent, visiting a health professional may be beneficial.



The Consequences of Procrastination

Procrastination can have devastating consequences. And it should scare you. I'll go ahead and admit it, that procrastination has destroyed so many potentially amazing things in my life. I could have gotten a gym body. I could have visited so many music festivals (which is my passion) if I had worked hard and made enough money to afford it. It has affected the relationship with my family and friends. It has made me stuck into a sector of a job that I hate. I will repeat it again, this SHOULD scare you.

Other consequences of this are highly increased stress - the uncomfortable last-minute rush can have negative side effects on your stress and anxiety levels. Missed opportunities - ever looked forward to something for so long but your hopes and dreams got crushed because you couldn't beat procrastination? Lower quality of work - rushing through tasks, chores, projects and the last minute will inevitably lead to poor results. Impact on mental health - it can have a devastating effect on your self-esteem and self-worth, take it from me, it took me months to dig myself out of a big hole that I didn't even realize I had dug so deep.



How To Tackle Procrastination

First of all, set up a clear vision and goal. Your personal vision will be one of your weapons in this battle. It will help you shift your focus and effort on what's important, which will lead you to understand what motivates you best, ultimately building the needed discipline to make the most out of every day. Break down your goals and set up deadlines for every small task, and stick with it.

Next I recommend setting up some time management techniques. What I like to do most is using the time-blocking method - which means you will allocate specific blocks of time for each task. Make a clear goal for every day, plan it out the night before, and stick to it tomorrow. The longer you use this method, the better you'll get at it. Along with the time blocks, make a to-do list. Make sure the to-do list is not too long as they can tend to frustrate you and that may lead to you giving up on the list completely. Don't be unreasonable with these lists and don't be hard on yourself. You will burn out and that just leads to a vicious cycle.

Next, create a peaceful, productive environment. Declutter your space. Remove all distractions. Put your phone elsewhere. Have lots of water around and stay hydrated. The goal of your workplace is to encourage deep focus. Give binaural beats a try, focus theta waves can do wonders.

Keep yourself accountable. If this is too hard, find someone you trust to track your progress and keep yourself accountable. Accountability is key in fighting against procrastination.

Lastly, don't be too hard on yourself. Practice self-compassion. If you mess up, it's not the end of the world. Dust yourself off and get back on track. It doesn't matter how many times you fall, as long as you continue doing what's important, you will beat procrastination!



Outro

I think we can all now conclude how devastating the consequences of procrastination can be on your life. How it can hinder your self-improvement and healing periods. Time will keep going by, you will keep doing the same bs and after a couple of years when you look at all the progress other people made, while you're still in the same spot - now that's an awfully bitter feeling which will destroy your self-confidence. React on time and build a better version of yourself everyday!
Good luck everyone, stay strong, keep pushing, and if you need someone to talk to, hit me up!
Love, Eran <3