If you love to procrastinate then these are four words you will be very familiar with: "I'll do it tomorrow." While it's true these four words may actually comfort you as you say them to yourself- knowing full well that a critical assignment date draws closer or your bedroom becomes messier and messier or you have precious little time left to study for that important exam - they also create a major problem. A major problem that could warp into a major meltdown! And major meltdowns are never pretty. They normally end in us slumping to the ground in agony screeching like the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz, "what a world, what a world, what a world" or in the case of the scarecrow, "If I only had a brain!"
The good news is you probably do have a brain after all! What a relief. The big problem is, however, that while the words "I'll do it tomorrow" may comfort you and give you a sense of relief that everything be will be OK or a hope about what tomorrow may bring, they are also the bane of your entire existence! They torture you. They tease you. They make you think that when you wake up in the morning you will be super-motivated and super-pumped to tackle a task that yesterday seemed completely impossible. But not today! Today (being tomorrow) you know all the answers and have all the confidence in the world and all the obstacles that stopped you from starting the task yesterday are now gone aren't they? Well aren't they? Unfortunately the answer is no, because nothing at all has changed! Everything is the same. Except that today is the day! Things are going to happen! Angels are going to fly! The earth is going to shake! OK well maybe not, but you are going to do some work you have been putting off anyway.
Why Can't I Just Stop?
Tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes and you just keep thinking, "Well maybe tomorrow I will do the work!" One day makes no difference anyway does it? Each day you face the same dilemma and each day you make a decision that tomorrow is the best option.
Have you ever felt the rush of an assignment due the next day and you haven't started yet? It may not be a good rush, but it's still a rush and that's why people do it. They then spring into action, usually with a heavy degree of dread and stress about the task ahead. But nonetheless, what was once a boring task has now taken on a challenging context. Their previously boring life now has a serious edge! This is the ultimate test and people like to test themselves - and pass (although most just fail and look a fool). In a procrastinator's mind, this rush allows you to perform to an exceptionally high standard and achieve things normal circumstances won't allow. However, it's the testing and failing that is the seriously dangerous part of this practise.
Get Out Of Your Own Way
First of all, don't beat yourself up, you're human after all. We're flawed. That's life. If we weren't you wouldn't be reading this. Everything will be OK! We promise. In fact, most people are just like you - so you are actually 'normal' (if there is such a thing). So please drop any guilt you may feel about it right now because it really won't help you - it will only make you feel sorry for yourself. And feeling sorry for yourself is not the way to deal with procrastination.
The next time you catch yourself procrastinating ask yourself these questions: 1. Where in my life or school work do I feel bored, or long for drama and excitement? 2. What does procrastinating allow me to experience that's positive and desirable? 3. How can I recreate that positive experience without having to use procrastination? 4. Conversely, what is the negative experience that procrastinating causes me?
The good news is you probably do have a brain after all! What a relief. The big problem is, however, that while the words "I'll do it tomorrow" may comfort you and give you a sense of relief that everything be will be OK or a hope about what tomorrow may bring, they are also the bane of your entire existence! They torture you. They tease you. They make you think that when you wake up in the morning you will be super-motivated and super-pumped to tackle a task that yesterday seemed completely impossible. But not today! Today (being tomorrow) you know all the answers and have all the confidence in the world and all the obstacles that stopped you from starting the task yesterday are now gone aren't they? Well aren't they? Unfortunately the answer is no, because nothing at all has changed! Everything is the same. Except that today is the day! Things are going to happen! Angels are going to fly! The earth is going to shake! OK well maybe not, but you are going to do some work you have been putting off anyway.
Why Can't I Just Stop?
Tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes and you just keep thinking, "Well maybe tomorrow I will do the work!" One day makes no difference anyway does it? Each day you face the same dilemma and each day you make a decision that tomorrow is the best option.
Have you ever felt the rush of an assignment due the next day and you haven't started yet? It may not be a good rush, but it's still a rush and that's why people do it. They then spring into action, usually with a heavy degree of dread and stress about the task ahead. But nonetheless, what was once a boring task has now taken on a challenging context. Their previously boring life now has a serious edge! This is the ultimate test and people like to test themselves - and pass (although most just fail and look a fool). In a procrastinator's mind, this rush allows you to perform to an exceptionally high standard and achieve things normal circumstances won't allow. However, it's the testing and failing that is the seriously dangerous part of this practise.
Get Out Of Your Own Way
First of all, don't beat yourself up, you're human after all. We're flawed. That's life. If we weren't you wouldn't be reading this. Everything will be OK! We promise. In fact, most people are just like you - so you are actually 'normal' (if there is such a thing). So please drop any guilt you may feel about it right now because it really won't help you - it will only make you feel sorry for yourself. And feeling sorry for yourself is not the way to deal with procrastination.
The next time you catch yourself procrastinating ask yourself these questions: 1. Where in my life or school work do I feel bored, or long for drama and excitement? 2. What does procrastinating allow me to experience that's positive and desirable? 3. How can I recreate that positive experience without having to use procrastination? 4. Conversely, what is the negative experience that procrastinating causes me?
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