Is procrastination holding you back?
As a coach there are two issues above all others that I am asked by people to help deal with more than any others the first is work-life balance (or life-work balance as I prefer to call it) and the second big issue is procrastination. Perhaps you are not surprised? Perhaps you are a procrastinator yourself? Dont worry you are in good company and the habit of putting things off until another day is something we all do at some time or another.
So what exactly is procrastination?
How often do you come into your office, you grab a coffee, sit at your desk and there it is. That task you were going to do yesterday, or was it the day before, or even longer. Every time you see it now, you start feeling the pressure of not having done it. So what do you do? You check your emails, you count your paperclips, your restack a pile of papers thats made you feel better hasnt it?But the important job is still there, waiting for you to get on with it and so is the pressure and guilt. Ring any bells? Thats procrastination.
How often do you decide to lose some weight? This time you say it is going to be different. You just need to cut out the chocolate biscuits for the next few weeks. Your colleague comes by and offers you a HobNob Would you like one? Oh I shouldnt, maybe just one wont hurt. Ring any bells? Thats procrastination.
You are your own boss, you rely on networking to create more business. You went to a breakfast event and met someone who is interested in what you do and they encouraged you to give them a call. You return to your desk and you intend to follow them up, but youll give them a couple of hours to get back to their office the next thing you know it is 7pm and too late to call. No problem, you will do it tomorrow. Ring any bells? Thats procrastination.
If these scenarios strike a chord with you, youre not alone. In fact, many people procrastinate to some degree but some people are so chronically affected by procrastination that it stops them achieving the things they are more than capable of and can severely affect their careers.
The key to overcoming this destructive habit of procrastination is to recognise when it starts, understand why it happens (even to the best of us!) and take some active steps to effectively manage your time and the outcomes you achieve.
Procrastination is evident in individual people and it is also evident in businesses and organisations quite often I have come across whole cultures of procrastination. Teams of people can get into the rut of putting things off.
So why do you procrastinate?
Procrastinators work as many hours in the day as other people (and often work longer hours), but they invest their time in the wrong tasks. Sometimes this is simply because they don't understand the difference between urgent tasks and important tasks, and jump straight into getting on with urgent tasks that aren't actually important.
Sometimes, procrastinators may feel that they're doing the right thing by reacting fast. Or they may not even think about their approach and simply be driven by the person whose demands are loudest. Either way, by doing this, they have little or no time left for the important tasks, despite the unpleasant outcomes this may bring about.
Another common cause of procrastination is feeling overwhelmed by the task. You may not know where to begin. Or you may doubt that you have the skills or resources you think you need. So you seek comfort in doing tasks you know you're capable of completing.
Unfortunately, the big task isn't going to go away - truly important tasks rarely do.
Other causes of procrastination include:
- Waiting for the right mood or the right time to tackle the important task at hand
- A fear of failure or success
- Underdeveloped decision making skills