What do the following words mean to you: "I'll do it tomorrow"? If you are a procrastinator they will mean a great deal. If you are not they may mean nothing. So which are you? Are you the type of person that allows due dates to creep up and tap you on the shoulder? Or do you get your work done nice and early to eliminate all worry and panic? (Congratulations if you do!)
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.
Do You See The Problem?
Procrastinators tend to tell themselves little while lies such as: "I am a perfectionist so if I'm going to do something I'm going to do it right" or "I'm almost ready to get started" or "I'm working on it, it will be done soon" or "I need more information before I get started" or "I'll get started tomorrow when I'm refreshed" or "I have a few things to do first" or "I work better under pressure" or "I just need more time." Can you notice what is happening here? It's just one excuse after another isn't it?
The 'truth' in all of this is simply that postponing anything for a day or two isn't really that big of a deal at all - so don't fret if that's all you do in this situation. The big problem is when one day becomes two days, two days becomes four days, four days becomes a week, one week becomes a fortnight, a fortnight becomes a month and then a month becomes a year. This trend can literally last forever. Unless of course your exam is today and you didn't study! Then procrastination isn't your issue anymore anyway - your bleak future after failing is! Also figuring out who to blame will be another thing you will need to work out.
Find A Solution
It's time to stop, take a deep breath and think for a moment about why this is happening. What could the "payoff" be? What is reinforcing the behavior? What is making you want to procrastinate? Do you like drama? Do you enjoy the rush of having to get lots of work done in a short amount of time? Do you hate being told when to do work? Do you want to have a great time first and do your school work later? Are you worried your friends won't think you're "cool" if you do your school work and hand everything in on time?
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.
Do You See The Problem?
Procrastinators tend to tell themselves little while lies such as: "I am a perfectionist so if I'm going to do something I'm going to do it right" or "I'm almost ready to get started" or "I'm working on it, it will be done soon" or "I need more information before I get started" or "I'll get started tomorrow when I'm refreshed" or "I have a few things to do first" or "I work better under pressure" or "I just need more time." Can you notice what is happening here? It's just one excuse after another isn't it?
The 'truth' in all of this is simply that postponing anything for a day or two isn't really that big of a deal at all - so don't fret if that's all you do in this situation. The big problem is when one day becomes two days, two days becomes four days, four days becomes a week, one week becomes a fortnight, a fortnight becomes a month and then a month becomes a year. This trend can literally last forever. Unless of course your exam is today and you didn't study! Then procrastination isn't your issue anymore anyway - your bleak future after failing is! Also figuring out who to blame will be another thing you will need to work out.
Find A Solution
It's time to stop, take a deep breath and think for a moment about why this is happening. What could the "payoff" be? What is reinforcing the behavior? What is making you want to procrastinate? Do you like drama? Do you enjoy the rush of having to get lots of work done in a short amount of time? Do you hate being told when to do work? Do you want to have a great time first and do your school work later? Are you worried your friends won't think you're "cool" if you do your school work and hand everything in on time?
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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