Procrastination is an Emotional Disorganization

Though at the surface, Procrastination looks like a will power crisis or poor time management, but at its core, it’s basically an emotional issue.

Hence understanding to manage emotions is the key to beat your procrastination.

Why we procrastinate: 5 Powerful Reasons

1. Fear of failure: Fearing that you may not come up with the expected result and what others will say!!
2. The task is too challenging or perceived as too challenging: This perception holding you back to take action.
3. Perfectionism: It is called paralysis by analysis. Perfectionism is a myth and a reality. This is to be understood first.
4. The task is too boring: If you find the work is too boring, you will try to defer it because you are not finding any attraction.
5. The task is not important: You think that the task is not important and hence delaying your action. But in reality, the task can be important.

Hence Procrastination is a form of emotional disorganization—a psychological struggle between our sense of urgency and our Fear of failure, to be honest.

It’s not just about delaying tasks; it’s about the emotional turmoil that underlies that delay.

What are the indications of procrastination:

Here are some dialogs, which run inside your mind, like “Let us do this tomorrow” or “I don’t have time today” or “I am too tired, so let me have some rest” etc.

To overcome procrastination, it’s essential to address the emotional disorganization at its root.

Image source : Pexels

Start with Solid foundation based on 3-D Principle

In order to get started, you must prepare a Solid foundation based on 3-Ds.

These three Ds are pillar of your new habit building for increasing your FOCUS & CONCENTRATION. which are as follows:

• First D is Decision: You must take decision to complete the most urgent & toughest task first.
• Second D is Discipline: You must make yourself disciplined enough so that the new habits you have learnt, will be practiced repeatedly, until they become automatic.
• Third D is Determination: With developing solid determination you are locking your newly acquired habits firmly and they become permanent in your daily life.

Overcoming procrastination requires a strategic approach that addresses both the emotional and you.

9- proven steps for overcomimg procrastination

Here are NINE proven steps to help you conquer procrastination and boost your productivity:

1. Acknowledge and Understand Your Emotions
Identify Triggers of your emotions leading to procrastination, such as fear, anxiety, or self-doubt. Understanding these triggers is the first step toward managing them.

Another reason you procrastinate is because the task is difficult. The reason behind this that human being try to avoid pain as far as possible and indulge in pleasures.

2. Lack of motivation
This is one of the most important reasons and this sets the tone for procrastination.

May be the task doesn’t excite you.

Try to understand the reason behind the lack of motivation and find a solution.

Check out the following options:

• Eliminate the task if the task not at all excites you.
• Rework the task to make it a more challenging.
• Delegate the task and make yourself free for more urgent / important tasks.
• Breakdown the task into smaller pieces so that you can easily implement the same.
• Just start acting on the task & you will find solutions to the challenges as you progress.

3. Identify the story behind procrastination:

It is most important to closely observe what thoughts are crossing your mind?

What story are you creating yourself to procrastinate? You will be astonished

What self-talk you are continuing to procrastinate.

Here are some common excuses to procrastinate:

• It is not very important
• I shall do it tomorrow
• What people will say if I fail?
• I have no time today.

4. Reframe the Task:

Shift your perspective on the task at hand.

Create a more empowering story which will neutralize your old stories for excuse.

Instead of focusing on the potential for failure, consider the task as an opportunity for growth and learning.

Repeat your new powerful stories daily two times, so that this percolates into your subconscious mind.

Break the task into smaller, manageable steps to reduce feelings of overwhelm.

Just change the stories as follows:

Instead of telling yourself that “ I don’t have time for this work, tell “ I am creating time for this work”.

Instead of telling yourself that “ I am too bad for this work”, tell “ I am fully confident to do this work”.

the actions you have to take to achieve the goals.

• Prepare a strategy of all the actionable points.
• Start taking actions immediately.
• Consistently do something every single day which takes you towards your goals.

6. Take action immediately

A study on Action Oriented persons has shown that those who are more action oriented are earning more money and moving at a faster rate in their career & businesses.

To be action-oriented separates the thinkers from doers.

Taking action is a skill and moreover it is a mindset.

Failure to execute is the biggest problem for 80% of the people. That’s why only 20% persons succeeds and the rest continue their life by only thinking to act!!

This is because of the fact that most people confuse between activity & accomplishment.

Follow the Two-Minute Rule, which says that If a task can be done in two minutes or less, do it immediately.

This quick action helps reduce the buildup of small tasks that can lead to procrastination.

7.  Identify & eliminate your Distractions areas
Create a work environment free from distractions like social media, unnecessary notifications, or clutter.

Unless you are aware of the ways for your procrastination, you will not be able to bounce back.

Hence, make a list of all distractions which are interrupting your deep work and concentration.

Start taking action one by one distracting points and be a clear winner!!

After breaking your distractions points one by one, feel the EMOTION. How do you feel now?

Don’t blame / judge yourself immediately.

Once you recognize ypur emotions, take control over your mind.

You will see a huge difference within a week for sure.

8. Create quick wins by starting with small but definite actions:

You are killing your motivation by trying to do the tasks which needs huge preparations.

Specially when you are a habitual procrastinator, it is not easy to jump on the hardest task.

Instead, you breakdown the hardest task into small achievable task on consistent basis.

e.g instead of doing work out 1 hour a day in the morning, which you don’t want to do on regular basis, start working out 15 minutes a day at the morning. This will give you a huge relief and you will have good emotion of achieving your targeted work out.

Also, this way you will create your momentum and try to achieve hardest goals. It will become your habit.

By breaking down your tasks into small tasks, you will eventually achieve the following:

• As you start achieving quick wins, you will increase your self-esteem.
• This will allow you to complete the tasks as per target.
• It will reduce your habit of procrastination.
• Within a cou0ple of weeks you will understand that getting things done has become your habit.

9. Record your activities on paper

As you progress, record everything on paper.

Write down the activity, time taken to complete the activity, any interruption etc.

Whenever you switch your activity from one to another, write the reason for the same. This will reveal your concentration level during the work.

Continue this activity for two to three weeks and review every day. Review for the under-utilized time or un-utilized time.

This will reveal how you have spent your time in doing the Urgent/Important works Vs the time utilized in non-important work.

This can also shock you at the beginning!! But go on converting less productive time to most productive time and you are out of procrastination.

Call to action (CTA)

Procrastination is more than just a bad habit; it’s a symptom of emotional disorganization.
By following the above eight steps, you can systematically overcome procrastination and take control of your time and productivity.

procrastination requires more than just time management skills—it demands emotional resilience and the ability to navigate our inner world with awareness and compassion.

The key is to address both the emotional and practical elements that contribute to procrastination, enabling you to break free from the cycle of delay and achieve your goals with greater ease and confidence.

Image source- Pexels