Exploring procrastination: Three things many young people hate to hear...

Stop putting it off and just get on with it!

It's not a big deal, I did it when I was your age!

I told you to do that last week, why haven't you done it yet?

The purpose of this blog is to explore the topic of procrastination and how we can find new ways to work through it and get stuff done. Although the main focus here is for young people I think we can probably all admit that a little guidance to overcome the temptation to procrastinate will be helpful.

• Can you think of a time in the past week when you have procrastinated?

• What thoughts were going through your mind when you were putting off the task?

Are you often thinking that:

• tasks will take too long to complete to your perfect standard

• you might feel overwhelmed while doing the task because you have to do it perfectly,

• if you leave the task until the last minute then you would have an excuse if it did not turn out well.

  
  

In which areas of your life do you procrastinate?

Here are some examples to help you get started:

• Organisation (e.g. planning an event)

• Neatness / cleanliness (e.g. tidying your room)

• Socialising (e.g. making a phone call)

• School (e.g. homework)

• Sport performance (e.g. training)

In what areas (from the ones you have listed) do you really want to overcome the procrastination?

Why do I procrastinate?

For some people procrastination is linked to perfectionism, this means it is likely that the more you procrastinate, the more your perfectionism increases and the more likely you are to procrastinate again (and so on).

Focus on these 4 steps to help you:

• Record the area that you are procrastinating in and the specific situations.

• What was going through your mind when you decided to delay the task? (do you believe these thoughts?)

• Notice your behaviour – what did you do whilst procrastinating?

• Label your feelings?

  
  

Repeated procrastination will maintain your self-evaluation that is overly based on achievement. This is because procrastination will give you the same feelings that you would get it you failed the task.

e.g. you procrastinate on your homework, then you have to rush your homework and you make mistakes. The problem here is that you make mistakes as a result of procrastination (because you don't have enough time) and you feel like a failure as you aren’t doing things well.

The more you focus on trying to do things perfectly (or not making any mistakes) the harder it will be to break this cycle.

Overcoming procrastination

Start with your thoughts…

The messages we give ourselves often fuel our procrastination so note down some of the thoughts you have around tasks you need to get done. Can you frame them to be more helpful? We have given you some examples of more helpful statements below to get you started:

• My work is acceptable

• I’m finding it difficult to do this but I know I can write the 1000 words I need to as I have started and I will do an acceptable job.

• I broke my procrastination today by doing one of my maths questions and I can do that again so I feel more confident about doing more.

• My teachers have done said or done anything to show that they think I am struggling with this work, they have been encouraging me.

• I will get there and I have achieved a lot so far.

  
  

In the famous words of Nike – just do it...

We know it’s not that easy but…

• How much better do you feel once you have started?

• Does your anxiety reduce once you start a task?

Have some reminders in your workspace to help you focus on small steps of progress. This might be statements or actions that you need to take.

We have to change habits and behaviour to change procrastination…

Many of these things again sound simple but we know and appreciate that they are not easy. That is why you have to do the groundwork above to challenge your thoughts and feelings around tasks to help you make the changes in behaviour.

Focus on…

• Breaking down tasks into manageable chunks e.g. one question or section at a time

• Reducing distractions, in a world that is full of them! Making changes like keeping your phone in a different room, using do not disturb mode or setting timers to focus for a few minutes at a time can help you attack the tasks you need to get done.

• Taking action to get you motivated (motivation won’t just magically appear with a task you have been avoiding).

• Identifying potential solutions to the problem you have facing. E.g. do you need to ask a teacher a question because you are unsure on your homework.

• Balancing focus time and rest time – ensure that not all of your time is focused on performance and achievement. Regular pockets of downtime and rest will mean you are less likely to seek a break when you are meant to be getting a task done.

• Doing something fun – this isn’t just about rest time but if you notice a lot of anxiety or low mood creeping in around always having to ‘succeed’ and getting things done. Remember enjoyment and fun in life is key.