meaningfuel

You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

Pink Floyd, ‘Time‘

To procrastinate an entire day with Pink Floyd in the background doesn’t seem so terrible. To procrastinate generally, can feel good.

Here’s why it isn’t:

My work is a privilege. I face people all day. When I work with idle people, stuck in a rut or holding off the work, there’s some frustration on both sides.

A quieter part of me feels a pang of guilt too. I recognise idleness in the mirror sometimes. I can procrastinate, delay, deny and ignore with the best of them.

So can you.

why?

Procrastination is not a character flaw. It’s a line of defence against self-doubt, boredom, anxiety.. all the bad guys in the human psyche.

It doesn’t have to be too deep. Cleaning your room incites boredom. Hold off the boredom.

It feels good until it doesn’t. Psychologists regard the act (or lack of) as a form of self-harm. Procrastinating can never feel bad; it’s the self awareness that hurts. This can form a cycle.

Anxious – Holding off feels good – Feel bad about it – Anxious x2

how do we procrastinate?

We are pretty creative when we want to be.

The beauty of delay tactics is their infinite scale.

I can swap overdue paperwork for meaningless spreadsheets.

I’ll call literally anyone to look busy (not doing paperwork).But when I need to call somebody, I’ll do paperwork.

Outside of work, we can do just as much damage at home. Not making time for our families, neglecting chores, skipping the gym. Anything that makes us feel in control of delaying can easily become procrastination.

stop (not) doing what you’re doing

The elixir tastes different for everybody.

The main action is the same; identify why you are holding off specific tasks. Focus on the specifics in each scenario that you delay the task and what you were feeling at the time:

If it’s boredom, devise a strategy to get the task completed quickly. Not just for now, for every time. Remember that you’ll naturally work faster on tasks completed more frequently. Win yourself more time for the things you enjoy.

If it’s self doubt, you might have done the task wrong last time. Look it in the eye. Seek help from a colleague, a friend, an expert if you need to. Pretend to be the expert; emulate your hero. Win yourself some confidence back.

If it’s anxiety, you’ve no doubt already thought of a thousand different ways this plays out badly. You know anxiety jumps to the worst conclusions. Break the action down. Small actions are less risky. Every task is a collection of small actions. Win yourself a way through and remember it.

If it’s an indescribable feeling, try energising before the task. I often run to reflect, decompress or prepare myself for something. Move around more. Attack the task when you’re energised and feeling good about yourself. Win yourself a reminder that we were made to move around.

Procrastination is a battle worth fighting. It’s a symptom of the war with our mental wellbeing.

If we can wrestle more control of our moods, we can win ourselves the priceless control of our time.