You know that thing you’ve been putting off doing? Yes, that. What’s taking you so long?
Perhaps you need to reply to an important-but-not-urgent work email, or pay an overdue utility bill. These tasks are straightforward enough, so why does alphabetising your books seem preferable instead?
Procrastination is the pits. It leaves us feeling guilty and self-loathing. When contemplating, say, getting round to finally sorting out that life insurance quote that’s been on a Post-it note on the fridge for nine weeks, why does scrubbing the shower grouting with a toothbrush suddenly become more pressing?
It cannot be that, as a species, we are inherently bone idle and appalling at managing our time, because the tasks we engage in rather than the ones we need to do often require focus and physical labour. In fact, laziness has very little to do with procrastination, which is, in simple terms, a form of self-punishment.
Procrastination is not just about delaying. It is about engaging in something we know in our gut to be unhelpful – a painful level of self-awareness. We know that we’re avoiding what we need to do, which feels awful enough, but also that doing something else instead is not a great idea either. But we go ahead and do it anyway.
The pattern is irrational. Yet when we start to consider how we feel, things become a little clearer. Procrastination is usually a habit rather than a one-off occurrence. It is unfair to label it as a character flaw (although it may be perceived as such by those close to us). Rather, it is an inability to manage uncomfortable feelings associated with a task.
Particular jobs such as cleaning the toilet or unblocking the bath plughole are universally revolting because they involve matter we instinctively know could contaminate us. We’re wired to find them disgusting as a form of protection. However, deeper negative emotions – such as frustration, boredom, anxiety, resentment, confusion or insecurity – may be connected with other, less grimy tasks.
If I am sitting in front of my computer trying to write a cover letter for a new job, I might start thinking: “I sound like a fool, they will surely think I sound terrible.” Replacing the task with something monotonous and engaging, such as vacuuming the stairs, is a way for me to cope with those difficult emotions.
Research shows that procrastination can be explained as something we engage in as an urgent self-soothing technique, but the comfort is fleeting at best – once we start thinking about what we’re doing, more stress creeps in. There’s even a scientific name for this thought process: procrastinatory cognitions. In turn, this makes us procrastinate even more. We reward ourselves for procrastinating, while the negative emotions surrounding the task remain, as well as self-blame.
Particular areas of our brain involved with self-perception interpret the tasks we’re procrastinating over as, essentially, not our problem – in the long-term, at least. As humans we aren’t wired to prioritise long-term needs. From an evolutionary perspective, we prioritise providing for ourselves in the present, because our ancestors never knew what was (or wasn’t) around the corner.
So what can we do? Looking in the mirror and saying, “Stop procrastinating NOW” probably won’t work. Time management apps will only get you so far. Really, we need to think about the root cause of why we’re procrastinating. Identifying that it is about emotion rather than efficiency is a good start.
Practically speaking, we can make our procrastination activities harder to do. If you habitually turn to social media, try deleting the apps from your phone and creating new, elaborate passwords. If you throw obstacles into the procrastination cycle, it takes longer to feel the reward and changes how your brain perceives the value of something – such as checking social media.
Ultimately, loosening the grip of this existential habit comes down to self-compassion. Re-evaluate your tasks by creating a new “evidence base” for when you have done similar things well. Imagine the positive outcome. How will you feel in yourself? How will you – or others – benefit? Try writing that down. Presenting our inner dialogue to ourselves can be very powerful.
Another potentially helpful technique is “defusion”. When the urge to procrastinate strikes, set an alarm for three minutes on your phone. Close your eyes. Bring your awareness to what is happening in your inner world – your thoughts about procrastinating (are they streams of words or images?) and the feelings in your body: where do you feel them? Are they familiar? Start noticing the way you’re interpreting what the thoughts and feelings around procrastination mean to you, and how that affects you in that moment. When the alarm goes, you may see your urge to escape your feelings for what it is.
There is a robust evidence base to show that mindfulness exercises, if practised regularly, can improve our ability to accept and tolerate negative emotions without engaging in avoidance or actions that bring short-term relief. It might take a little time, but change is entirely possible. Your books can go unorganised for a while yet.
For more information, visit aviva.co.uk/life
