Procrastination is something we can’t avoid.
Sometimes we know we are procrastinating.
Other times it creeps in unnoticed.
To avoid procrastination, we need to know our triggers, how it shows up, and what to do.
Procrastination Triggers
The most common trigger for procrastination is when we feel overwhelmed.
This can be caused by lack of time, the size of a project, a responsibility we don’t like doing, and more.
We often turn these triggers into excuses of why we are procrastinating.
Procrastination Activities
Once we start procrastinating, it can show up in many ways.
A few of the common techniques to procrastinate at work include:
- Procrasta-meeting – Filling the calendar with meetings (formal or informal) to avoid the tasks.
- Procrasta-email – Spending time sending and receiving notes to avoid of getting to work.
- Procrasta-research – Searching the internet for more information to avoid writing the report.
- Procrasta-perfecting – Continuing to tweak a piece of work to avoid sending or publishing.
- Procrasta-catastrphizing – Imagining everything that could go wrong to avoid facing the work.
- Procrasta-cleaning – Organizing your desk, files, email, you name it…as long as it isn’t the work.
Procrastination Remedies
The solution for procrastination differs based on your personal triggers and activities.
Some techniques that work well include:
- Spend 30 minutes breaking the project into parts – this makes a project less daunting.
- Spend 30 minutes just starting – often when you get into a project it is easier than you thought.
- Block a few hours to get a task you dread completed – this gets it over instead of dragging it out.
Your Turn
What tends to trigger your procrastination?
Do you know what you typically do when you are procrastinating?
How could you take an action the next time you find yourself procrastinating?