Don't delay - tackle procrastination today

Have you ever found yourself putting things off?

A big task, or something new you’d never done before?

Or maybe just something you thought was a bit tedious?

Most of us have been there at one time or other in our lives.

Once, it took me nine months just to look at some paperwork to do with my super, purely because I thought it was going to be a bit of a chore to fill out.

Procrastination takes many shapes, and yet, despite what many of us have been told, it’s rarely a question of laziness. Its root causes are more complex. 

The good news though is there are loads of simple techniques you can adopt to help overcome it.

Action from understanding

We've all been there, pushing tasks to the last minute or avoiding them altogether. Even as a senior professional, you might find yourself postponing crucial tasks despite knowing their importance. You might even tell yourself you work better under pressure.

But dealing with procrastination starts with understanding what triggers it.

Many triggers can be at play. I’ve found some are more common among seasoned professionals. Fear of failure - or judgement - self-doubt and perfectionism tend to come up time and again.

Fear of failure is very common and it’s often associated with high performers. It plays out as a belief that "I must succeed in everything I do." In turn, that leads to task avoidance because you’re anxious you might not be able to complete something to the high standards you set yourself.

You can add in a little “If I fail, people will judge me” for good measure and you’ll find yourself well and truly stuck!

Early on in your career, or when you’re looking to transition into something new in your life, you might be more concerned you simply don’t have the skills for the job. "I'm not good enough" is the belief, and that self-doubt can be stifling because you doubt your ability to complete a task successfully. 

Finally, perfectionism might look a bit like fear of failure, but the belief is subtly different. It’s another one you might struggle with as a high achiever if you believe that "it's not worth doing if it's not perfect." That search for flawlessness is daunting and that leads to delay.

Do something about it

I recognise all three of these triggers (and more) in my own behaviour over the years but it wasn’t until I explored NLP that I learned some powerful, practical ways to address them.

Here are four for you to have a play with.

Reframing - I wrote about reframing in my last newsletter on beliefs (which you can read here) and it’s really helpful when it comes to procrastination. By reframing the task you face in a more positive light, you can make it more appealing and motivating to work on.

You could reframe it as a challenge, a means of achieving a personal goal, or an opportunity to learn something new.

Visualisation - goes hand-in-hand with reframing. We tend to think of it in terms of sports stars picturing their winning shot or scoring the extra-time spot-kick. 

But you can use it too by picturing yourself successfully completing a task and visualizing the rewards. It’s incredibly simple but it can boost your motivation and reduce procrastination.

Chunking - Another technique you might already use somewhere in your life is chunking. Breaking large tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. You can appreciate the value of breaking complex work projects into actionable steps, and the same approach can work equally well in your personal life.

I tend to start this one off by asking myself what is the smallest meaningful first step I can take to get the ball rolling. It could be as simple as logging in to an account or reading two pages of a book. If I can achieve that, then I can tell myself I’m going to get the whole thing done.

Positive language patterns - One final tool to try out. All you’re going to do here is replace negative self-talk with positive, action-oriented language. For example, move from "I can't do this" to "I am capable of learning and improving." Or shift from “I have until Friday to do this” to “I’ll do an hour a day and have it finished by the end of the week.”

Put any combination of these techniques into practice and over time, you can definitely expect to increase your productivity. More than that, you’ll likely reduce your stress levels and increase your self-confidence at the same time.

Just remember, it's a journey and change won’t happen overnight. Identify your triggers and beliefs, then apply these tools consistently over time to develop a more proactive mindset. You’ll procrastinate less, and achieve more, in both your personal and your professional life.