Psychology and Mind: The Strange Mysteries of Procrastination!

I am a procrastinator.

There, I said it.

I'm not proud of it, but I am also not terribly bothered by it.

What IS This Thing?

Typically, procrastination is described as "putting off, delaying or postponing something." That's the simple definition, but it omits that we are usually postponing something... tedious, unfamiliar, painful, scary or with some other negative sentiment attached.

Most of my own issues with procrastination have typically come from an inner feeling of not wanting to do something that will have no measurable impact on my life (or no reward) but not doing that thing could potentially make a situation even worse than it already is.

Think of it as the choice between a "bad" outcome and a "really bad" outcome.

Procrastination tends to be widely misunderstood.

Most people — who do not, themselves, have issues with procrastination — tend to assume that procrastination is an effect of poor time management.

I suppose it might be in some cases, but typically it's not.

Procrastination is usually the result of an underlying psychological or emotional issue; in some cases it even has roots in past trauma.

Lest that sounds a bit histrionic... it's not. It's more intended to point at the reality that giving the procrastinator in your life a "Time Management" book will likely miss the mark completely!

It's also unlikely that procrastination is about a lack of willpower. I've been down that road... and it made no sense because there are areas of my life where I have much above average willpower.

Procrastination is a Slippery Beast!

This post isn't about dispensing advice and quoting studies... it's about life and personal experience. And about the importance of understanding what you're experiencing, and (largely) ignoring the well-intentioned advice coming at you.

Yes, I have read hundreds of articles and studies about procrastination, and taken a few bits that seemed useful to heart.

I got interested in the mechanics of procrastination as a result of always failing miserably at doing our taxes. This was years ago. I'd do all the bookkeeping for our home businesses; have all the numbers, get pretty much everything lined up. And it would even be months before the due date!

And then? I'd end up having to file for an extension. And it would give me an extra six months, and I would still not get around to doing the final bits until a few days before the extension due date! Even though I was already 99% done!

Just DO It!

It's a famous advertising slogan, as well as advice often given to procrastinators.

It's approximately... useless.

I learned to "forgive myself" for not doing it, and instead embrace the idea of "just START it." Might sound like semantics, but there's a big difference. The key here is that starting something is a smaller and less "repulsive" task than doing something.

Which automatically leads to the next step (and why I now get our taxes done on time!) which is momentum.

Most of procrastination takes the form of resistance to "get into" something we don't want to deal with... once we start, the doing becomes easier.

Sure, it's "psychological trickery," but it works. At least for me.

More Background-ish Stuff

Procrastination is actually often a (putting off) anxiety response. We don't like to do things that make us feel anxious.

In my own case, I also learned that there was trauma involved. Nope, no pity party here! Just background reality... I grew up with hypercritical parents and even though I "worked through all that stuff" in therapy in my 30s, a certain hypervigilance surrounding taking on anything challenging is never far from my mind. You are hesitant to start something if you already know you'll be taken to task for anything short of perfection!

Hence... procrastination.

There's also a link to depression. Depression often leads to self-doubt, and self-doubt leads to anxiety and anxiety can lead to procrastination. I'm not going to go into that in depth, because it's somewhat outside my wheelhouse.

So Now What?

No, I'm not procrastination free. I'm not even sure what that looks like.

But I will say this: Being aware of what lies behind our tendencies to procrastinate is a large part of the solution. When we know why we do what we do, it becomes easier to move through it!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great rest of your week!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!

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Created at 2023-12-28 00:39 PST
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