Procrastination: Why Do We Engage In It & Reasons To Avoid It.
Discover why people engage in procrastination and 5 reasons to avoid it.
Procrastination. We’ve all done it at one time or the other. We start watching an entertaining series on youtube and keep clicking the “next” button. While we say to ourselves, “No worries, I will stop after the next series” Boom it's 4 a.m. in the morning, and we realize we have a meeting the next day at 7:00 a.m. So we make a pledge to ourselves that we would never procrastinate again! Until next time. "Tomorrow is generally the busiest day of the week," says an old Spanish proverb. Procrastination is one of the most powerful problems we face in the twenty-first century. All the distractions around us have made it much simpler to procrastinate on a task and put it off until the last minute, or perhaps abandon it entirely. Once we start procrastinating, it's difficult to quit. Worse, we occasionally give ourselves a kick in the butt and sit down to complete our task... Then we can't even concentrate! Yikes. Don't be deceived; persistent procrastination can linger with you and drain your productivity levels for several years.
Why do we engage in Procrastination?
We are too scared to fail (we fear failure so much that it leads to procrastination). Fear, in general, induces procrastination by acting as a powerful emotional barrier, making individuals more averse to particular jobs and causing delays in taking action just to delay whatever they're frightened of. For example, if a person is scared of failing at a task, they may postpone the activity to avoid dealing with their fear. “Fear is the mind-killer” - Frank Herbert Coping with fear through avoidance might assist the procrastinator to safeguard their mood in the short term by postponing the project they're frightened of. However, in the long run, this often harms them more than it benefits them, for a variety of reasons: - Procrastination does not eliminate fear; rather, it postpones the time at which the procrastinator must confront it. - Procrastination allows the fear to develop and worsen, which can amplify the bad feelings connected with it. - Procrastination can lead to the development of new negative emotions such as frustration, guilt, and shame. - Procrastination can result in a variety of problems, including increased stress, increased interpersonal conflicts, and failure to achieve goals. We fear failure not because it puts us in danger, but because it makes life more difficult. - If you make a mistake, you must invest resources to correct it. - If you didn't make any progress while working for a longer period of time, it suggests you need to put in more effort to see results. That is less than you anticipated. - If you have a poor day and then slack off till tomorrow, you will wake up with a lot of time squandered. low self-esteem leads to procrastination Your brain genuinely wishes the best for you. It is always hunting for rewards (anything that feels good) and seeks to keep you out of potentially risky situations. For each action or scenario, your brain is continually calculating the possible reward and danger. This equation decides whether you will proceed with an activity or postpone it. Procrastination arises from the emotional component of the brain, which lacks the ability to think long-term or in sophisticated ways, instead reacting exclusively to learned patterns and impulses. Self-esteem is about believing in yourself and your potential to achieve. With strong self-esteem, you may feel confident that you can complete a task and be successful. When you have poor self-esteem, you don't believe that you will be successful at anything. And without an expected reward (which can only be obtained by completing the task successfully), your emotional brain is not driven to undertake the project or task. why devote time and energy to a task if you're going to fail anyway? Where is the joy and satisfaction in that? This type of poor self-esteem is frequently caused by procrastination, creating a positive feedback cycle. Depression often leads to procrastination Most depressed people find it difficult to be productive. Work—and here is where Depressed folks are notorious procrastinators. Procrastination is defined as putting off till later what "should" be done now. The "should" might come from outside, as with the youngster who procrastinates on homework, or it can come from within, as with me planting my garden. It's easy to perceive the rebelliousness that procrastination shows when it originates from without. When it originates from within, it's difficult to understand what function procrastination serves—but it might serve many. It is pretty normal for young adults to purposefully postpone doing things they don't want to do until the last minute, even if this causes them extra worry. People who procrastinate may be aware that they are "spending time," but they don't always realize what is preventing them from keeping on track. When people are sad, they frequently lose interest in activities that they used to like. They may profess interest in an activity but hesitate to commit if they are concerned that they are not up to it at the time. When someone is sad, tasks appear to demand more energy. When people take a step back and try to plan something that they may normally do without thinking, it might feel or look scarier. People who suffer from depression sometimes don't know where to begin when little pressures add up. The initial step appears to be as daunting as the larger vision, making it difficult to prioritize. They may begin several "projects" and then abandon them when they become bored or frustrated. A "why" mindset is related to depression. many people fail to grasp how completing one task might lead to new chances. They sometimes wonder, "Why am I even doing this?" or "What is the point of this?" They are more likely to express cynicism and feel disconnected from their values in their search for meaning. Procrastinators have several major misconceptions about how labor works. They believe that highly productive people are always in a happy, enthusiastic frame of mind that allows them to dive right into heaps of paper and do what has to be done. On the contrary, inspiration comes after action rather than the other way around. When we force ourselves to confront the work at hand, we generally find that it isn't as horrible as we thought, and we begin to feel good about the progress we are making. Work comes first, followed by a pleasant attitude of mind. Depressed people believe that people with high job abilities are constantly confident and easily achieve their goals; because they do not feel this way, they believe they will never be successful. However, most individuals who are truly successful anticipate difficulties, disappointments, and failures along the path. Knowing this in advance, they aren't caught off guard and fall into self-blame anytime there is a problem. We will waste a lot of our life if we wait until we are perfectly prepared and highly motivated to get started with things
5 reasons to stop procrastination
Sabotage us from achieving our Goals When we think about objectives, about wanting to achieve or improve something, procrastination tends to kick in full force. You may have a tremendous desire to change, but you simply cannot seem to take the initial step. Maybe you create a goal for yourself but don't follow through. Normally, this is intriguing and confounding. "Why is it so difficult to go for something I want so badly?" you may wonder. We make goals because we want to improve our lives one way or the other. If you don't do anything due to procrastination, you limit your chances of improving your life by achieving the Goal. procrastination drains our Self-Esteem We delay because poor self-esteem makes us believe we won't be able to complete a task or project properly. Unfortunately, procrastination increases emotions induced by poor self-esteem, leading to even greater self-doubt. According to one research of 426 college students, "academic procrastination was adversely predicted by self-esteem and self-control." When we have low self-esteem, we limit ourselves, believe we are unworthy of success, and begin to self-sabotage. Procrastination slowly erodes your confidence, but it may be unavoidable if you do nothing. If this rings true for you, work on improving your self-esteem rather than clinging to the notion that you should be able to perform better. This only compels you to participate in something you are not prepared to undertake in the first place. procrastination digs continuously into your Reputation When you repeatedly state you'll do something and you didn't do it, your reputation is always at risk. as a business person or professional service provider, nobody wants to believe your words anymore. You are harming your own reputation as well as your self-esteem and confidence. It becomes even easier to delay or postpone each and everytime. People may stop relying on you and withhold opportunities from you because they are concerned that you will simply procrastinate, leaving them to clean up the mess. Procrastination Puts our Mental Health at risk If you put off doing things for too long, it will most certainly stress you out and cause anxiety, especially if other people or objects are involved. If you are frequently worried or easily overwhelmed and nervous, you will have poor health consequences. Procrastination can also lead to depression, which can impair other aspects of your life. The sadder you are, the more difficult it is to take action. Not only are you sad, but it gets worse day by day. When you procrastinate, you are not just putting something off, but you are also choosing to feel more anxious and burdened. Don't put your mental health in danger by not addressing your procrastination. Procrastination is one of the top reasons for Relationships Issues The negative impacts of procrastination on relationships are not to be taken lightly. Often, the "procrastinator" is ignorant of the other person's developing aggravation and disappointment. Worse, by the time they recognize it, it may be too late. Perhaps you frequently cancel arrangements with family members or friends because you have procrastinated on something that is now a non-negotiable task. Your spouse begins to lose faith in you because you never follow through on your promises and plan. Doing this a few times will undoubtedly wreck any relationship, and the harm might be irrevocable. So are you ready to stop procrastinating and become productive by getting things done in the right time? check out my post on "Your Practical Guide To Stop Procrastination" to get started. Read the full article
