Uproot Your Procrastination
Copyright 2006 Jennifer Givler
Procrastination is defined as "to put off doing something." But
to me, procrastination feels like being stuck. It feels like you
are physically being held back - almost as if procrastination
comes from outside of yourself instead of within. The truth is
though, procrastination does begin - and end - inside of you.
And, only you can overcome your procrastination. But how?
Well, the first thing to do is to get to the root of your
procrastination. Find out why you are stalled. Sure, you're
putting off a task, but there is something deeper at the heart
of your procrastination.
Many times, the root of procrastination is fear. Fear of
failure, fear of having to confront a new situation, fear of the
unknown. Sometimes, procrastination happens because we're
depressed, or because we're just too darn tired. Procrastination
can happen if we don't have the necessary tools to complete the
task, or we are not sure how to complete the task. Other times,
procrastination happens for the simple fact that we have no
interest in the task.
For me, I've procrastinated tasks for all of the above reasons.
The important thing to remember is that everyone procrastinates
from time to time and you can overcome it.
It's pretty easy to recognize when you're procrastinating
something. The thing to do though is to figure out why - figure
out what is at the root of your procrastination, and move
through it.
Try this exercise: Think of something you are procrastinating.
Write it down at the top of a piece of paper. Under that, write
a paragraph about what will happen when you overcome your
procrastination and get your task done. Now, write a paragraph
about what will happen if you do not do the task. Ask yourself
why you are putting off the task. Write down your answer and be
honest. See what comes to light. Are you afraid you will not do
it correctly? Are you afraid of failure? Is there information
you are missing that you are afraid to go after? Once you get an
honest answer as to why you are procrastinating your task, write
down what you can do today to get the process moving.
Now that you have some thoughts around why you are
procrastinating, you can take steps to move through it.
The best thing you can realize about procrastination is that
there is a root to the matter, and you can find it, and work to
overcome it.