How to deal with procrastination?

Ever wonder how to deal with procrastination? Me too*.

Here’s how procrastinating shows up in my work:

https://twitter.com/HelReynolds/status/1309448035886411777?s=20

Lots of people have told me they experience this too.

I’ve realised a few things that helped me as I’ve got older and wiser.

  • Procrastination links to motivation

I work well under pressure.

Or to put it more honestly, I only work under pressure.

I suspect it’s because I see the imminent reward of completing the task, and am excited by the prospect that the work will have a good outcome. Or I feel that urgency that I’ll miss out or let someone down if I don’t act right now.

Like I have in the past, you may berate yourself for procrastinating, when in fact you are fine as you are.

Perhaps you’re just more motivated by more short-term goals.

OK, you might leave each small thing right to the last minute, but that’s just how you roll.

  • Procrastination – the upside

By the time you’re starting, right on deadline, you’ve done some (often subconscious) work already, while you were putting it off.

Thoughts and ideas have been brewing in your mind.

I believe benefits come from a long period of thinking about the work (while you’re avoiding doing it), and then an intense period of concentration, turning those thoughts into something cool.

I actually think it helps you to be more creative.timeline leading to a deadline: Week 1:

  • Acceptance of your procrastinating

I mean if you get the job done, what does it matter?

For me, it’s not worth the immense energy I would spend on trying to improve myself by changing something quite ingrained in my behaviour.

I can change, and frequently do aim to develop myself, but it’s not a priority for me to try to be a person who always paces themselves and sticks to plans rigidly.

It’s OK. We don’t need fixing.

I think we should switch our attention from when we do things, to the fact that we do get things done and often make a fabulous job of it.

Procrastinators unite!

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