Procrastination: Overcoming the Delay

I was talking with an old friend the other day and he said, that the older he gets, the more he procrastinates. Deadlines or no deadlines, he procrastinates. If this is you, then you are probably procrastinating in other areas of your life as well. Abraham Lincoln once said,” You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today” If this is true, then why do we continue to procrastinate? I’ll tell you why… it’s human nature. We all procrastinate in one way or another.

Putting off tasks or problems usually tends to compound the issue and makes it more difficult to overcome, yet we still find ourselves making all kinds of excuses. Perhaps your professional life has become a series of commitments that make you feel anxious and overwhelmed. Maybe your honey-do’s at home are piling up because you would rather spend your time doing something fun instead of painting that fence. When you are working on that project, progress is slow, and your successes are minimal. It’s hard to feel enthusiastic and motivated, so you keep telling yourself “I’ll take care of it this weekend” or “I work better under pressure” or “it’s really not that important right now.” Sound familiar?

Procrastination is an active process where you choose to do something else instead of the task that you know you should be doing. In contrast, laziness suggests apathy, inactivity and an unwillingness to act. So, procrastination isn’t a laziness problem or even a lack of time management skills. Procrastination is your mind’s way of protecting you from doing something that you decided was difficult or unpleasant. When you make up your mind that a particular job or task is unattractive, your mind goes right along with you and rationalizes the decision, whether it’s true or not.

The human mind is designed to avoid stress. If unpleasant tasks are stress inducing, then procrastination is simply a stress reducer. What better way to ease the stress of an impending deadline or a looming basket of laundry, than to take a break. So, you surf the internet, play on your phone, or do anything else to avoid doing what needs to get done. Not only is your mind doing a great job of removing the unwanted task, but you are rewarded doubly by receiving immediate gratification from other more enjoyable activities.

The key to ending procrastination isn’t having more willpower, becoming more organized or waiting for inspiration. Procrastination is a habit, and the key to solving the procrastination problem is by interrupting the habit loop and creating new patterns of productivity.

Here are the steps you can take to help you end procrastination:

1. Take a deep breath and begin by acknowledging that you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed. You can’t get where you are going if you don’t know where you are.2. Tell yourself and connect with why the job is important. Even the most terrible of tasks has its reward. What do you have to gain from getting it done? Make a list of at least three positive returns; these can range from positive feelings to tangible results.

3. Close your eyes and visualize yourself working on the task or project. Visualize or imagine the smile on your face as you envision yourself doing the work. Use your imagination to see the project all the way through and feel the pride of accomplishment that comes with a job well done.

4. OK! Open your eyes and let’s get to work. Don’t think! Just start doing it.

Now, a tip for success is to plan how much time you want to spend on it. You may decide that five or ten minutes is good, and that’s ok. What’s important is that you are creating momentum.

Next, take a break! Get up and stretch, get something to drink or play a game for a couple of minutes. By rewarding yourself, you are activating the pleasure centers in your brain and forging new neuro pathways to create a stimulus response, thus conditioning your mind to accept the new habit. Now remember, this is just a short break, so if you need to, set a timer.

Now it’s time to get back to work. If you need a little motivation to get started; begin by taking a deep breath, closing your eyes and repeating the process. Remember, this is all about change and by completing the loop, you are creating new habits, and accomplishing more than you ever thought possible.

In closing, every week I get several calls or emails from people looking to end the procrastination cycle. Clients come to see me for a broad range of procrastination habits, including work-related delays, exercise, and writer’s block. With hypnotherapy, I can directly communicate the changes you want to make by giving powerful positive suggestions to your subconscious mind, rapidly improving your productivity, and increasing your ability to make lasting change.

Clients who have procrastinated for years come out of hypnosis with a greater appreciation and self-worth. They let go of the daily struggle of just getting it done, and rapidly begin completing their goals. You can end your procrastination problem now, by following these simple steps and by seeing a hypnotherapist. I can help!

David Klaproth is a clinically trained and certified hypnotherapist, with a degree in mind body psychology from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute, College of Hypnotherapy, in Tarzana, California. He specializes in stress, anxiety, stop smoking, confidence and general self-improvement. He helps clients world wide online become happier, healthier and more productive, becoming the person they really want to be. For more information, visit http://www.klaprothhypnosis.com