If you feel tired and low on energy, the problem may not be a lack of sleep or a poor diet. Surprisingly, the hidden culprit may be procrastination.
To quickly understand the effect procrastination has on your energy, close your eyes and recall the sense of relief and lightness you felt the last time you finally did something you’d put off for years. That unconscious burden is the price you pay for procrastinating; procrastination drags you down and robs you of your energy.
There are commonly 5 reasons why people procrastinate. In this article, we’ll examine what they are and learn how to handle the worst of them all.
Reason #1: It looks too big
When a project or goal seems too big and you don’t know where to start, it’s easy to get distracted by whatever else catches your attention in the here and now. Other times, each step seems so small and insignificant compared to the sheer size of the project that you feel hopeless (eg, “What’s the point of doing these little steps? I’ll never finish this project”).
Reason #2: Fear of failure
No one wants to fail, and the only guaranteed way to avoid failure is to simply not try in the first place.
Reason #3: Disgust
Unpleasant feelings, such as dread, anxiety, or fear, arise for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the unpleasantness comes from the fear of failure; you’re nervous about the sales presentation you’re preparing, and the resulting fear adds even more resistance to working on the project. Other times, the unpleasantness is a side effect of the overwhelming size of a project; your stress from the myriad of tasks that are involved provokes a tremendous emotional and physical reaction. Other tasks, however, are unpleasant on their own, like firing someone, cleaning out the cat box, cold calling a potential client, or talking to your parents about how they’d like you to handle their estate after they’re gone. . Regardless of the source, it often seems like a good option to avoid disappointment by postponing the task.
Reason #4: Paralysis of perfection
This unique form of procrastination comes disguised as good intentions. It happens when you worry too much. You want to do your homework perfectly, so you wait a lot of time to make sure you have enough time to get the job done right. But let’s be realistic. Large blocks of time are rarer than the proverbial hen’s teeth. And even if you’re lucky enough to block out a chunk of time in your schedule, a crisis always seems to intrude.
Reason #5: Pseudo-procrastination
Pseudo-procrastination is when you think you are procrastinating; But you’re not. Because, in light of the time you have available and your other priorities, the project you’re procrastinating shouldn’t even be on your to-do list.
In my experience as a counselor, I have found that 50% of the things people procrastinate fall into this category. For example, I hear about recipes in a drawer that will one day be catalogued; nuts, bolts and screws that will organize someday; piles of magazines they have been meaning to read; construction projects they hope to start planning someday. And it’s not just small things; many seemingly large projects will also fall into this category.
But once you look at where you really want to end up in life and compare it to the amount of available time you have in a day, week, month, or year, you’ll find that you’d be wise to cancel those magazine subscriptions and throw out some of those writing projects. “rainy day” stuffed in drawers in favor of working towards your life goals.
Diagnose your procrastination
To recognize pseudo-procrastination, take a blank sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle to create a balance. On one side, write down all the reasons why you’re procrastinating on a particular goal, and on the other side, write down all the benefits of moving on. If you’re procrastinating because you don’t know what to do, you’re afraid of failing, or you’re worried about experiencing discomfort, even though the benefits truly satisfy your values, you’re dealing with real problems. delay. But, if you’ve been accusing yourself of procrastinating when, in fact, you have more worthwhile things to do, like spending time with your kids, doing the extra work project to get a promotion, or taking time out for a date with your spouse to maintain their romantic relationship, that’s a different story.
Take some time now to consider those tasks, jobs and goals that you never achieve. For each item, take stock and list your reasons for not doing that item on one side and your reasons for doing it on the other side. What items meet your deepest values? What elements are not so important and would take time away from what matters most in your life?
All forms of procrastination drain your energy. But pseudo-procrastination is the worst kind of procrastination you can experience, because it’s completely unnecessary. Once you’ve lightened your load by letting go of the load of pseudo-procrastination, you’re ready to learn how to overcome real procrastination. I think I’ll write about that later.
