Procrastination is common. Most of us procrastinate because we give ourselves excuses on a daily basis. We think we are satisfied with the day’s work when it meets our needs and our basic wants. We block ourselves from writing that blog, we take a pause from recording that video or vlog, we postpone those lessons. After a series of decisions in casting one’s goals or duties to the side, this newfound habit becomes an ongoing part of one’s character that some people choose to battle within themselves. Procrastination is not just a process in and of itself, but it is also viciously cyclical in that it perpetuates lack of action when we embrace the comforts procrastination brings.
In the practical world, when we see something that excites us perhaps such as a found treasure, we quickly run for it grasping it with all of our attention and all of our energy. When we see something dangerous or scary, our fight or flight kicks in and we choose to face it or flee from it. So too, in the world of ideas, should we realize when an opportunity is before us and when danger is present. In either of these types of cases, we must act.
By having a better grasp of our environment and the world, not only are we able to capitalize on opportunities while avoiding dangers as best to our own individual abilities, but we also realize our independence. This realization is not just for our own self-awareness, it is also an actualization of our further potential as individual people. By engaging more in the world around us through peaceful and voluntary means, we become greater individuals and the leaders that we dream of.
This all begins with the resistance against the idea of procrastination. It is not that we will win every battle against procrastination that is ever so pervasive, rather we must strengthen this muscle of engagement in the world, so much so that it becomes habitual while breaking the self-induced spell that is procrastination itself. This is where setting daily and weekly goals, and completing regular duties and chores, becomes valuable. Consistently accomplishing these mundane tasks creates a habit of conquering procrastination, but one must be sure to remain cautious of shirking these daily tasks.
Of course, how one begins to fight procrastination is really up to that person, but it must certainly come with a sense of self-awareness and foresight. This action of mental awareness is naturally easier for certain persons over others, and that is okay. Much like muscles of the body, some people are born with natural physical strengths greater than others. Equally, awareness and foresight is a muscle that people can be born with differing capabilities, yet for most people this muscle must be regularly engaged in order to strengthen it.
Once the realization that one’s state of awareness can further develop is admitted to one’s self, the battle has only begun as the muscle still needs to work. Just as we can buy a gym membership, or have weights at home, we must actually do something in order to begin our strength training. In the case of self-awareness, we see that we have been procrastinating, but we now have an inclination to act or do something about it. This inclination may not be a clearly defined strong desire, and that is okay. Once action has been taken by the person, they are then strengthening that muscle of Reason. As this muscle strengthens, the individual becomes less prone to procrastination because they come to value those goals or tasks much more than they value ‘procrastination.’ Notice that this value may or may not have changed from the beginning, but a value was nonetheless seen by the individual from the introduction and this person began actively pursuing that value.
The goal is not to jump to an immediate exercise of an absurd amount of weight, rather we work our way up to desired points. We take small consistent steps to engage in the exercise process. With Reason we are confident that with significant dedication our capabilities will have a significantly increased chance of progress. While waiting too long, on the other hand, may get us stuck in our ways and missing out on all of the opportunities there are to discover and made in the world.
We should not wait for some sort of luck or magic to occur to us, such as winning the lottery. We should also not just let life happen to us, rather our actions should produce the life that we so choose. We should be fully engaging in our world around us and finding ways of producing our own treasures, whatever those may be. There are no fairy godmothers or cartoon animals to come do it for us.
After the steps are taken to begin the process of defeating, or at least fighting off, our procrastination, we have entered a stage that often calls for our dedication and continuation to some degree. This is where we must stay true to the tasks at hand, as well as entering a meditative state of awareness that reminds one’s self of this process.
“Trust The Process.”
Consider this mantra not only for when things are getting tough to complete our tasks once we begin them, but also as an encouragement to start our path of resisting procrastination. Corrections and adjustments can be made as the process persists, and along the way, our muscle of Reason is strengthened to handle new situations that may or may not arise.
In rejecting our state of procrastination, we must be careful to not hastefully rush or allow this to become an anxiety-ridden process by rebuffing our situation. Rather, we must engage in comfortably sized steps that lead us in the direction of our set goal. As we gain our capacity to handle such a venture, we are able to get much quicker and more efficient results as our comfort levels also progress. However, it behooves one to not succumb to their own comforts alone as a gauge for determining action or steps. Using our sense of comfort, by itself, could lead one to ignore or lose track of the ultimate goal and the steps necessary to get there along the way, resulting in a relapse of procrastination.
After this sense of awareness has been established within one’s self, it is now up to them in accordance with their list of values as to what actions will be taken next. Assuming that this person no longer wishes to procrastinate, it is already presumed they even know what they want or can do, if indeed they are intending to make a decision about moving forward with their goals.
Prior to accomplishing many of our goals, we often received some sort of practice or training in accomplishing the necessary individual steps of the goal process or task. It is likely that the person choosing to procrastinate, already knows how to accomplish the tasks before them. Commonly, many of the steps required to accomplish a set goal or task are rather simple in procedure such as reading to learn, writing something, contacting someone via phone, or simply delaying a chore. In this process, one’s procrastination can be a combination of factors that are leading to their decision to not take action.
Self-reflection must be ongoing throughout the process of conquering procrastination in order to analyze what steps have been taken and what is next on the list in order to accomplish one’s set goal. This will also help to ensure future task and goal engagement as opposed to procrastinating. By encouraging self-reflection as a means to understand and better one’s position is to have more control over the process and one’s own outcomes when one chooses to act upon that information.
In the fields of psychology and sociology, there have been studies suggesting that not only is procrastination hereditary, but also could be beneficial. When “procrastination” is beneficial, it is suggested by Dr. John Perry in his book The Art of Procrastination, is when the individual is taking time to restructure their to-do list as they accomplish things they value. Perry continues that procrastination, as in not getting done the most valuable or important things as quickly and efficiently as possible, is what most people understand ‘procrastination’ to be. Both, in some psychology studies, and in Perry’s work, it is ‘impulsiveness’ that is blamed as the main culprit for not accomplishing things. Throughout these works, it is suggested that ‘impulsivity’ and ‘delayed action’ seriously undermine the success of accomplishing a task.
We might not be able to control our immediate environment, our genetics, people around us, or time, but we can control our actions within that given amount of time. We can also choose to make the most out of that time and our actions, in order to give us the most possible return of investment for our efforts and time spent.
Numerous websites give steps in combating procrastination and achieving one’s goals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). However, most websites and books do more to tell how to accomplish one task at a time, and it all comes down to which plan works best for that individual. It makes more sense to focus on the processes and overcoming the challenges for the long-term benefits, as opposed to merely focusing on one task at a time. Without a clear value assessment of ‘procrastination’ and one’s goals, they are putting themselves up for risk of reverting to the circularity of procrastinating. Their lives will be a constant struggle of ebb and flow, procrastinating and accomplishing goals, and all of the stresses and waste that comes along with that. Instead, understand that procrastinating is a mindset that is only hindering your success, growth, and happiness.
Simplifying these plans into a concise list would entail the following:
- Realize that ‘procrastinating’ is a habit that can be changed.
- Make daily tasks for yourself to get in the new habit of accomplishing small goals. These tasks should either better your being or your environment. Just as you give time to your employer, or to your relaxation time, so should you donate time to your betterment (Examples include: reading, working out, learning a language, practicing a martial art, learning a dance, learning to cook, taking a course, etc.).
- Take action asap.
- Self-assess, adjust lists as needed, and be constantly moving forward with your goals.
“A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.” Harvey MacKay
