Even before the pandemic, many of us struggled with procrastination. And now that we have lost the predictability and structure of our daily routines, many of us say that our motivation to get things done is waning. Our long to-do list has gotten even longer.
Procrastination is often defined as delaying a task that needs to be done now, to a later time. Procrastination is an insidious habit that we continue to do despite knowing it is detrimental to us. That is, it comes with a big price tag – a negative cycle of avoidance, guilt, shame, anxiety, and an even longer to-do list (Beutel et al. 2016; Klein et al. 2017).
“...the best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence, all your enthusiasm, on doing today’s work superbly today. That is the only possible way you can prepare for the future.”
When we procrastinate, we experience a motivational conflict between what needs to be done now and giving in to another often more pleasurable activity. An example of this might be scrolling through social media instead of completing a needed work task. Or avoiding exercising by completing tasks that lack urgency or importance.
Many studies have shown that mindfulness is linked to a lower level of procrastination (Schutte & de Bolger, 2020). Specifically, when we are non-judgmentally aware of our thoughts and feelings, we are able to reduce the motivational conflict between completing a task now vs. postponing it to a later time (Medvedev et al., 2018). In other words, mindfulness helps build self-awareness and self-regulation.
Here is a six-step process you can use when you are tempted to postpone a task or activity:
Bring your attention to the present. The first stage of procrastination begins with allowing our thoughts and feelings to shift to an alternative activity. This leads to a rationalization of why postponing a task is justified. Once we allow this thought to take hold, it is very difficult to get our attention back to the planned task. Take a few deep, slow breaths and bring your attention back to the present.
Acknowledgement and acceptance. Once you have gained control over your attention, take a moment to acknowledge your thoughts and feelings. Instead of judging your thoughts as good or bad, acknowledge them as simply thoughts and then let them dissipate. Trying to suppress thoughts often gives power to them which will result in them reoccurring. If you find that you are having difficulty letting go of thoughts, you might want to reflect on these questions:
What is so appealing about the alternate task?
Why am I tempted to postpone this task?
Do I have the time and resources needed?
Do I believe this task has value?
Do I lack interest in the task?
Do I have the necessary skills?
Consider the benefits of getting a task done now vs. later. Try visualizing how it will feel to complete this task now and having it behind you. You might consider how delivering on your commitment helps others. Then, make an intentional choice to re-commit to the planned activity.
Reward yourself. Many people find they are able to stay focused on a task when they have a plan to reward themselves for completing the task. You might say to yourself, “when I complete this task or project, I will take time to reward myself by…”.
Practice patience and self-compassion. Just know that reducing your tendency toward procrastination will take time and practice. Procrastination is a habit. And, as with other habits, it will take practice to change or create a new habit.
To get you started on your journey of reducing your procrastination, we have attached one of our most popular exercises.
References
Beutel, M. E., Klein, E. M., Aufenanger, S., Brähler, E., Dreier, M., Müller, K. W., et al. (2016). Procrastination, distress and life satisfaction across the age range–a German representative community study. PloS One, 11, e0148054. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0148054.
Klein, E. M., Beutel, M. E., Müller, K. W., Wölfling, K., Brähler, E., & Zenger, M. (2017). Assessing procrastination: Dimensionality and measurement invariance of the general procrastination scale –Screening (GPS-S) in a representative sample. European Journal of Psychological Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000441.
Medvedev, O. N., Norden, P. A., Krägeloh, C. U., & Siegert, R. J. (2018). Investigating unique contributions of dispositional mindfulness facets to depression, anxiety, and stress in general and student populations. Mindfulness, 1–11. doi.org/10.1007.
Schutte, N. S., & de Bolger, A. D. P. (2020). Greater Mindfulness is Linked to Less Procrastination. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 1-12.