A procrastinator is full of ideas and ambitions, but often lacks self-discipline and willpower to take action. What makes us put things off and how to trick our brain? We tell you in the article.
“While we waste time hesitating and procrastinating, life slips away . ”
Seneca What is procrastination
Procrastination is putting off tasks and issues for later, despite having the time and opportunity to do them. You can put off anything, from a small call to a large project.
What is procrastination
Source: Procrastination.com
20% of adults suffer from chronic procrastination. Most often, it leads to burnout, guilt, stress, and a general deterioration in well-being. For example:
Kostya is the owner of a digital agency. He needs to manage a team, check accounts, communicate with partners. But he takes on some tasks right away, and puts off others. And marketers also ask to approve color proofs for new banners and evaluate the design for a new website.
Kostya put off these tasks until the last minute, and as a result, the website was not ready on time, and the advertising campaign was not launched. The business lost leads, and Kostya blames himself for this.
Types of procrastination
There is no consensus on the types of procrastination – psychologists classify it differently. Noah Milgram and his colleagues identified the following types of procrastination :
Daily, or household. A person puts off things every day if they wait until tomorrow. This may concern work and household tasks, such as cleaning.
Fear of making decisions. Manifests itself as a fear of change – a person is afraid to take responsibility for solving problems or worries that he will not cope with them, so he does nothing.
Neurotic. Associated with cardinal changes in life – choosing a university, profession, starting a family. A person is afraid and postpones vital decisions. This can lead to neuroses and depressive states.
Compulsive. Combination of types 1 and 2 – a person is afraid to make serious decisions and even leaves household chores for later.
Academic. Reading school books, solving problems, preparing for tests and exams – everything is postponed until the last day.
In 2005, A.H.K. Chu and J.N. Choi divided procrastinators into two types:
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passive procrastinators – put things off due to perfectionism, indecision or anxiety;
active procrastinators – such people are comfortable living and working under strict deadlines.
Even later, “passive” procrastinators were divided into indecisive (perfectionists) and avoidants – those who are afraid that their work will be assessed and prefer to do nothing.
What is the difference between laziness and procrastination
Many people call procrastination laziness. These concepts are similar, but they have a significant difference – laziness is not accompanied by stress. In addition, there is no concept of “laziness” in psychology. Chronic procrastination has several characteristic signs:
postponing, but not categorically refusing to do something;
discrepancy between actions and thoughts – a person understands that he needs to complete a task, but does not do it;
awareness – a person does not deliberately start to perform;
deadline constraints – a task has a deadline, and a person deliberately does not take on it until the last moment;
guilt and stress – a person who is prone to procrastination experiences negative emotions and becomes tired because of it.
At the same time, laziness is simply an unwillingness to do something. Instead of completing tasks, a person prefers to rest. During procrastination, he does not rest – he scolds himself and constantly thinks about the task. He cannot relax, but he also cannot get down to work.
Why do people procrastinate?
Psychologically, there are many reasons for procrastination:
fear of not coping,
perfectionism,
inability to concentrate,
the task is perceived as almost impossible,
lack of internal motivation.
And from the point of view of scientists, neglect of affairs is a conflict between the limbic system and the prefrontal area of the brain . The limbic system is responsible for emotions, memory, motivation and choice of behavior model. And the prefrontal is responsible for decision-making and response. In a normal person, the limbic system and the how to build telemarketing list prefrontal cortex work harmoniously, together – the first assesses the potential danger of an event, and the second decides what to do. In a procrastinator, these two systems cannot “agree”. As a result, the person worries, worries, but does nothing.
Why do people procrastinate?
Source: Skysmart
Dr. Sharon Green, who has spent her life studying anxiety disorders and depression, believes that the limbic system deliberately diverts a person from doing things and “discourages” them from taking them on. Evolutionarily, it is one of the oldest parts of the brain, so it tries to avoid anything that potentially causes stress.
People who tend to procrastinate experience negative emotions more often. This is confirmed by a study by scientists from the Ruhr University – they studied the cerebral cortex of 264 volunteers. Those who constantly put things off had a larger than normal amygdala. It is responsible for experiencing negative emotions.
How to deal with procrastination
Procrastination ≠ disease. It is rather a signal – the problem is not in you, but in your attitude to the task. Therefore, first determine the reason why you put things off. Try to answer the questions honestly:
Why do I need to complete this task?
What is the reason I am putting it off?
What emotions cause me to become distracted?
Am I afraid of anything related to the process of implementation?
Is this task really that important?
No – delegate it to someone else or refuse it altogether.
Yes – why do you resist and not start it?
Routine processes can cause boredom and irritation, so a person will switch to something else, such as a phone or social networks. The brain will resist you getting down to business. And if the problem is that you are experiencing fear of failure, you need to figure out what it is associated with. Only then will you understand what exactly is holding you back.
8 ways to overcome procrastination on your own:
1. Don’t scold yourself
The worst thing a person prone to procrastination phone number qa usually does is scold themselves. And they get into a vicious circle: when faced with psychological resistance, they start getting angry at themselves due to stress and cannot get down to business. To break this circle, it is enough to accept this feature of the body and try to correct it.
Why do people procrastinate?
2. Identify the cause of procrastination
Why do you tend to put off important tasks? Maybe you have trouble concentrating on work because of stress or you are afraid of failing at a task? Understanding the reason can help you find a strategy.
3. If the task is large and complex, break it down into parts
It will be easier to cope with it if you divide it into small points. This is a simple psychological trick – the brain will perceive the task not as a “big and scary thing”, but as a structured step-by-step plan. This trick will reduce the fear of the volume of work, reduce stress levels, help control the process and monitor progress.
