Overcoming Procrastination

Who has never put off replying to that nitpicky client's email, updating the spreadsheet the boss asked for, or having that difficult conversation with their partner? Or did you stop to take a quick look at social media before starting an unpleasant task, and when you realized it, an hour had passed, and you hadn't even started what you were supposed to be doing

In the vast majority of cases, procrastination makes our situation more difficult: the picky client becomes more irritable due to the delay in receiving a response, the feelings involved in your difficult conversation become more exacerbated, the "timing" of the conversation may pass, and the deadline to complete your task becomes shorter.

So why do we procrastinate?

Procrastination is not laziness. Procrastination is not a problem of time management or priority management. It is also not a character flaw. It's a way of dealing with negative emotions like fear, insecurity, resentment, frustration, boredom, etc. Where there is a difficult-to-handle emotion linked to a task, there is room for procrastination.

We are programmed to prioritize the regulation of emotions in the short term to the detriment of actions that bring us benefits in the medium and long term. A vicious cycle can occur when we procrastinate because the relief and pleasure of the activity we choose to replace the one we should be doing increase our tendency to repeat this behavior.

Procrastination exemplifies the present bias well, our innate tendency to prioritize short-term needs over long-term ones.

So, what can we do to avoid procrastination?

Since procrastination is linked to emotional management, learning to handle emotions in a new way is a path to resolving the issue more permanently.

Our brains are hardwired to seek rewards. To overcome procrastination, which brings a strong reward to the brain, it is necessary to find a greater and better reward— a way to alleviate the negative emotions of the present, says Dr. Judson Brewer, director of research and innovation at Brown University.

In a deeper and more laborious way, we should seek self-forgiveness and self-compassion, treating ourselves with kindness and understanding. There are studies that show that when we forgive ourselves for procrastinating once, the likelihood of procrastinating again decreases. There are several studies that draw a correlation between self-compassion and motivation and personal growth, by reducing stress levels and thus increasing levels of motivation, optimism, curiosity, and initiative.

There are some tactics that help us avoid procrastination. They reduce the negative emotions related to the task at hand and give our brain rewards in the form of dopamine.

1.    Objectively examine and acknowledge the negative and harmful side of inaction.

Not doing a task brings many possible costs: less time to complete it, potential damage to your reputation for delivering a project late, and losing the "timing" of an important conversation. Becoming aware of these risks and costs is a way to bring the reward to action and take it away from inaction.

2.    Identify and take the first step.

Do you need to fill out a spreadsheet? Open Excel and the document with the data. You need to write a text, open a document in Word, and open the folder that contains your sources.Taking the first step is beneficial because when we complete a task, even a small one, we receive a hit of dopamine, which encourages us to want to tackle the next task.

3.     Break down the challenge into several smaller ones.

Is it your challenge to run 10 km? Break the 10 km into smaller goals of 1 or 2 km.

You need to read a 50-page report and break it into tasks of 5 pages or by sections.

When we break a large task into several smaller tasks, we reduce the size of the challenge, decreasing the stress related to it and making it easier to accomplish the tasks. With this, dopamine is released, and our brain receives the reward it was seeking.

4.    Assign a reward for each small task completed.

After reading 10 pages of the report or filling out 5 columns of that spreadsheet, treat yourself. It could be taking a break, having a coffee, eating that piece of chocolate, checking social media, or chatting a bit with a friend.

As mentioned before, our brain seeks rewards. By assigning rewards to completed tasks, you increase the likelihood of stopping procrastination and getting to work.

5.    Disconnect

Our cell phones are a silo of distractions. Social media, games, and WhatsApp can captivate us for hours, leaving us unaware of the passing time. To conquer this challenge that is almost impossible for many, there are some solutions: you can set time limits for social media use, install apps that block your access to sites, place your phone in another room (or leave it in your bag or backpack if you work in person), use the Pomodoro technique, and only allow yourself to check your phone for 5 minutes every 25 minutes of work. This is another way to receive dopamine for completing a task instead of receiving it through procrastination.

Understanding the reasons that lead us to procrastinate on a certain task is an important step to avoid procrastination. Learning to deal with discomfort is an essential part of growing as individuals and professionals.

However, there are some strategies that help us without the need for such deep dives and that help us stop procrastinating immediately.

By Alessandra Corrêa