🎧 No More Procrastination
Let me just check my TikTok first.
Hey there 👋🏼
Starting right off the bat, have you seen Tim Urban's TED talk on procrastination? Start your day by watching it. If you prefer to read, check out Urban's article Why Procrastinators Procrastinate.
While we all think about how much the gratification monkey has been in charge of our lives, I'd like to introduce Dr Timothy Pychyl's view on what procrastination consists of.
"Procrastination is the misregulation of emotion. We think that by putting things off, we're going to feel better".
🔊 I highly recommend this podcast episode if you want to get into Pychyl's theory behind procrastination)
The goal of this week's issue of A Leader's Mindset is to share with you different types of procrastination and techniques to overcome them. Let's dive right into this:
Inevitable Delay
We've all been through it. We have everything planned out, but you know what? Life happens, and we need to change or delay some tasks.
How to counteract?
Define your priorities
Learn to say no to unexpected tasks
Continue to assess and adapt your schedule based on incoming changes.
Arousal Delay
Do you know that adrenaline rush of having to accomplish a crazy amount of goals within a couple of hours?
That sense of urgency, and above all, the purpose of accomplishment when you complete it, is incredible, but this behaviour does not scale.
You might even say that it's part of your personality and that you can focus and perform at a high level, but you're fooling yourself.
By spreading this behaviour to multiple aspects of your life, you will quickly burn out, and the quality of your deliveries will suffer.
How to counteract?
Don't think something will happen when history shows you it hasn't.
Be transparent and honest with yourself when defining your daily schedule.
Plan and act with intent.
Hedonistic Delay
Be honest. How many times have you told yourself just one more scroll on TikTok? Just one more picture on Instagram or one more fantastic post of Reddit's/r/animalsbeingderps.
Before you notice, the time has passed you by, and the slot you had to do something is long gone.
Let's face it. It makes no sense to spend endless hours on social media, watching TV, etc., especially when you have other things more important to do.
But at that exact moment, it makes absolute sense.
Instant gratification is tricky to battle, but here are a couple of suggestions.
How to counteract?
Schedule social media time
Limit usage of social media (you can do this on most phones)
Limit distractions on desktop (use browser extensions to block websites for certain hours)
Set a recurrent alarm asking you how you have procrastinated in the last 15 minutes. Be honest with yourself.
Psychological Delay
Mental health is not something to run away from.
The range of mental health issues is broad, and even in 2022, we're still trying to put it on our top priority list.
I've heard once that no one treats us as bad as we do inside our head and that we say the worst things to ourselves.
Feeling helpless and unable to perform happens; the best thing you can do is ask for help.
How to counteract?
You come first. Focus on working on your mental health.
Ask for help.
Don't overthink procrastination. You could worsen your condition.
Irrational Delay
Do you have to send an email that you know might have harsh repercussions? Are you delaying writing that email and sending it? The problem isn't in the email itself but in the turmoil of reactions you expect.
Do you keep delaying a meeting where you know there will be conflict? Again, the main reason you're waiting is that you don't want to face the tense situation and the emotions that come from it.
Irrational delay is often fueled by fear of failure or anxiety.
How to counteract?
Do you feel more confident at a particular time of day? Leverage that timeframe.
Set a recurrent alarm asking you how you have procrastinated in the last 15 minutes. Be honest with yourself.
Use implementation intentions (IF ___ THEN ___ ) to help you decide what to do next.
Make it simple
Pychyl mentions something interesting.
Deep down inside, we humans don't work on a project or task basis. Actions drive us. So the big question you must ask yourself is: What's next?
Having a clear understanding of the following action reduces the friction of deciding what to do and prevents your brain from wondering and trying to find something better to do.
When writing down your to-do list, make sure you help yourself and be clear on what is intended for that task and the next action.
Well, that's it from me. I hope you have a fantastic weekend and that this issue helps you prevent the frustrating procrastination we all feel at times.
⏱ TL;DR
There are 5 types of procrastination:
Inevitable - Something popped up
Arousal - 2 hours to write a 30-page report? Ohhhh, what a rush!
Hedonistic - Just one more scroll won't hurt
Psychological - Make mental health a priority
Irrational - If I don't address the situation, it won't hurt me
You'll reduce procrastination by always having the answer to the question "What's next?". It reduces the friction of moving to the next task and doesn't allow your brain to wander.
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Have an incredible week! 💪🏼
Parada 👊🏼 A Leader's Mindset