Procrastination: “I’ll Do It Tomorrow”

How many times do we have something important to do and put it off to such an extent that we finally don’t get it done? Do you think your neglect is justified? Do you think there is no solution? We explain what procrastination consists of, what its repercussions are and how to combat it.

Procrastination is a behavioral habit related to willingness and willingness to act. It refers to the action of delaying or postponing situations or activities that we have pending and that must be addressed. Let’s go deeper.

I’ll do it tomorrow … Or next month

Imagine that you have to do a report for one of your best clients. The boss is putting you in a great hurry, because the closing of a very important agreement depends on it. The most coherent thing is that you try to do it as soon as possible. But, procrastination tempts you to put it off. In fact, you do a lot of small, superfluous and postponed tasks before, leaving the big report for the end of the week.

Another example. Your purse has been stolen and inside you carry, among other things, your ID, driver’s license and numerous credit cards. Normally, you are urged to file a complaint, cancel your credit cards and ask for an appointment to get your cards back. Not doing this would be in addition to somewhat negligent behavior, a way of procrastinating.

Consequences of procrastination

Procrastination is commonly used to refer to the feeling of anxiety caused by not having the willpower to finish a task that we have pending. It is pure helplessness and frustration!

In the above cases, a setback is being postponed indefinitely, knowing that it is a truly urgent situation and that it must be resolved without delay. This non-resolution creates a certain burden. Delaying duty does not reduce the anguish, anger, or worry that we may feel. Rather the complete opposite.

These discomforts will increase as time passes and the conflict is not resolved. The person knows that he has something important pending and that if he does not face it, it will harm him. Also, if this behavior occurs on an ongoing basis, it can become a very difficult and truly harmful habit to break.

Procrastinators live for a long time in a kind of lethargy. They are mired in inconsequential activities, while other tasks that they have to do, they leave them for the last moment or for never.

Reasons to postpone sine die

When we delay tasks or urgent situations, we do so for two reasons : because we have replaced it with another activity that is more pleasant or irrelevant to us; or simply because we prefer to do nothing.

If the justification is that another task urges us, then we will be victims of the “here, now and now”. There is currently a tendency to take as urgent what is current, what is emerging on a day-to-day basis. This delays large projects with better long-term rewards or benefits.

If we prefer to do nothing, then we are becoming our own enemies. Although it is good to rest from time to time, falling into laziness, despondency, reluctance or pasotism plays significantly against us. Procrastination is an enemy of productivity and does not allow you to take advantage of your potential.

Strategies to combat procrastination

Some simple guidelines that can lower your level of procrastination include asking yourself a couple of key questions:

• If sooner or later I’m going to have to do it, what do I get by delaying it?
• Is it something that only affects me or involves many more people?

Once answered, you have probably changed your attitude. But you still need more strategies to combat it.

• 2-minute rule: It is based on the idea that if you take more than 2 minutes to plan an action, you have to stop planning it and do it.
• Overcome your resistance: once you have taken the first step, your reluctance or fear to do it disappears.
• Manage your energy, not so much your time : if you are tired or angry, the chances of abandoning the task or starting it are increased. And, with it, increase your procrastination.

• Divide and conquer: segmenting the work into small tasks or concrete steps helps to see the end closer and closer.
• Set rewards : once you’ve reached your goal, it’s good to indulge yourself. Do something that relaxes you, calms you down, or that you feel like doing.

Positive procrastination

There are some theories that speak of positive procrastination to refer to the good intention that exists behind the negative attitude of procrastinators. It is an instrumental approach that advocates how people act to obtain a benefit. For example, to avoid doing tasks that are boring, tedious or too mechanical, in order not to generate confrontations or violent or painful situations.

In this sense, for people who are very perfectionists, procrastination can even be a virtue. Not wanting to do something in a hurry and hastily so that the result is optimal, they decide to delay the task. And they don’t start it until they make sure they have enough time to finish it perfect.

Other authors speak of productive laziness. They define it as one that motivates people to look for tricks, solutions or cognitive shortcuts to do a task with minimal effort.

Avoiding responsibility or taking refuge in superfluous tasks can make you a chronic procrastinator. Put a solution and try to abandon this attitude. Advocates solving problems or more complex tasks first. You will see how you feel better about yourself!