How To Stop Procrastinating: Finding the Why Behind Your Distractions
As I sit here at my computer, another deadline looming in my calendar, the irony is very clear to me: my article on How To Stop Procrastinating for Write or Die Tribe is due… tomorrow. I am just getting started on the article, not because of my crazy work schedule, or a recent holiday, or family stuff… I am just getting started in the article because I am the queen of procrastinating!!!
I didn’t notice how much I procrastinated until 2020, when the pandemic coincided with a planned career shift — I took a step back from my job as a professional chef and caterer, and decided to launch a new business as a copywriter. I wanted a different creative outlet, to work less hours and be home more. This new job has come with many blessings (including my internship at Write or Die Tribe!) and also the curse of procrastination!
The definition of procrastination is: the action of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying or postponing something despite knowing that there will be negative consequences for doing so. Some synonyms for procrastination are: dawdle, hesitate, dilly dally, drag one’s feet, prolong, postpone, put off, stall, let slide, sloth. That last one got me: sloth. I picture myself all week long. All the times I could have sat down at my computer to write this article… a few of the times I did sit down to write this article but got caught in an Instagram hole instead. I picture myself a sloth, slowly careening from branch to branch, avoiding the activity. The only difference between me when I’m procrastinating and an actual sloth, is that a sloth doesn’t stay up until 2am finishing all the tasks for tomorrow’s deadline.
This makes me curious… Why do we procrastinate when we have learned the lesson so many times that procrastination leads to negative consequences, rushed work, missed deadlines and sometimes bigger consequences like being fired or disappointing those we love. The reason can’t be that I’m lazy… it has to be something deeper.
I start by making a list of upcoming deadlines/tasks I have. Beside them I write a list of things I might be drawn to do before completing the task. (My biggest contributors to procrastination include: mindless scrolling (mostly Instagram), household chores, texting, making more to-do lists and daydreaming.)
I also make a list of reasons why the deadline/task might be making me anxious and beside each reason I write: WHY. This is where things get interesting. When I follow the thread of WHY I am procrastinating, all of the deadlines eventually lead to the same place: a part of me feels unworthy of this project. There is a part of me that doesn’t think I’ll make it as a writer, so why bother?
This part of me has some serious work to do and I’m betting a lot of creatives out there have similar stories. Procrastinating means I will have less time to think about how and why I don’t actually truly deserve this client, this job, this paycheque, this life.
Now that I am armed with this information, I can start dismantling it. I can look at every deadline as a gift, an opportunity and a recognition that I worked hard to be here, and I deserve this space just as much as anyone else does. Once I shift my core belief to incorporate more of that empowering, worthy energy rather than self-deprecating, I can start to get to work on shedding some of my habits I’ve used for years to help me procrastinate. Add in some self-compassion and patience, and I’ve got a pretty good recipe for a better relationship with my work.
Exploring the why behind my procrastination tendencies feels like big, scary, intense work, so if you choose to dive into this work with me, take good care. You may have to follow the thread for a while before you get to the real WHY behind your sloth.
I am still finding the remedy for some of these methods of procrastination — they’ve been with me for a long time! Having stronger boundaries (with my phone, myself and the people in my life) has been helpful. Here are a few quick tips that I have found useful in my journey to stop procrastinating:
Use Timers - Every single time I pick up my phone, I set a 10 minute timer. This is especially important when I’m having flirty text convos with my lover, but also when I’m posting to socials. When the alarm goes off, I put down my phone. The end. This limits my phone time and limits those “Instagram holes” that are so easy to fall into.
Morning Pages - I find my brain is very busy first thing in the morning. I usually make my bed and then walk my dog right away, and my mind is always spinning with my to-do list and sometimes, my anxiety about life stuff gets the better of me on those walks. As soon as I get home, I make myself a tea and write three pages in my journal. No rhyme or reason, and I don’t try to make it good! I just purge what is on my mind, what I have to do that day, how I’m feeling… I find by doing this, my brain is a little more focused and level when I get started on my work day.
Treat Yourself! - Having something to look forward to at the end of a long workday, or after completing a task is a wonderful motivator! Try to use healthy vices for these rewards (not, “Have a stiff drink after I finish cleaning my kitchen,” or “Eat a whole cake when I land the job,”) and use this as a chance to get to know yourself. I have been giving myself a bubble bath (with the good oils!!) every time I finish an article on time.
In the end, procrastination is a form of self sabotage, and the key to correcting this behavior is not beating ourselves up, but becoming self aware. When you find yourself wanting to drag out a deadline, ask yourself WHY and then give yourself the little pep talk you need to break the cycle.
That’s all for now… the bubble bath is calling me….
