Putting Off Procrastination!

This article is written by our Guest Blogger Dr. Vesna Grubacevic, Founder of ‘Qt’ and Performance Transformation Expert.

Dr. Vesna Grubacevic

When was the last time you put off doing something that you said you would do? Do you drag your feet when it comes to taking certain action or completing some tasks like applying for a promotion, public speaking, performance reviews, writing reports, study, phone calls, paperwork, making a life or career decision? Would you like to stop procrastinating and, instead, be motivated to take action?

The Cost of Procrastination

Some people have mastered the art of putting off doing certain tasks, despite knowing that they will be worse off for the delay. Research has shown that around 15% to 20% of adults regularly put off activities that would be better done right away; around 40% of people have experienced a financial loss as a result of procrastination; and procrastinators have higher stress levels and more severe health problems than people who act right away.

3 Ways You Can Stop Procrastinating

Most people are unaware that procrastination is an action – it is the action of delaying, deferring or putting off something. Often the delay occurs because of a lack of or insufficient motivation to do a specific task. Here are 3 ways you can get motivated and stop procrastinating:

1. Is it what you really want?

Think about the activity you have been putting off and ask yourself: “Is the activity aligned with your life purpose, career direction and goals? Will it bring you closer to your purpose/direction/goals or steer you in another direction?” By asking yourself these questions you may find that the activity is not going to help you achieve what you want and you have been putting it off for the right reason. It is important to then act on that insight.

If the activity is aligned with your purpose/direction/goals, perhaps you needed to see the fit with the big picture before you were motivated enough to do it. When we do things without a big picture context, we can feel unmotivated, see no real reason or benefit for doing it. Without a clear big picture to give us direction, we can more easily be distracted and procrastinate.

Once you are clear about the big picture, then ensure that you have clear goals with clear commitments and time frames to help you to achieve your purpose and direction. Ensure that your goals are clear and specific enough, can be measured, are achievable and realistic, create win-wins for all concerned and have a specific time frame. People with vague goals are almost as unmotivated as those without any goals at all. Research at Hofstra University demonstrates that procrastinators who had clear intentions and specific commitments to a time were eight times as likely to follow through on the commitment than those without them.

2. Are you sufficiently motivated?

As you think about the activity that you have been putting off, how motivated do you feel about doing it? Motivation is a feeling, so do you actually feel motivated as you think about the activity or not? Do you feel other positive emotions (e.g. confidence, passion, determination, etc.) or negative emotions (e.g. resentment, guilt, shame, anger, etc) as you think about doing it? It is difficult to put off doing things that you feel motivated to do.

Because our thoughts and emotions are linked together, if you want to feel motivated to complete a task, you simply need to think about something you felt motivated to do in the past (even if it is unrelated to your career). For example, as you fully think about the last time you were really motivated to go on a holiday, you will feel the strong motivation you felt at that time. Once you are feeling that high level of motivation, you are in the right state to do any other task. You will be motivated to take action on any other task by staying in that motivated frame of mind.

3. What meaning do you give it?

What meaning do you give to the activity that you have been putting off? Do you imagine it as being boring or fun? Do you imagine that it will take forever or be quick? Do you imagine that you will be able to do it easily or worry that you will stumble or get stuck? Do you imagine it will lead to confrontation or clear communication? If you imagine positives around that activity, you will be more motivated than if you imagine the negatives.

For some procrastinators, anticipation of the task is often far worse than what the task turns out to be. Are you anticipating the task turning out well or not? By visualising the activity being a success, you will be much more motivated to take action.

Imagine how much more productive, fulfilled and successful you could be in your career once you master motivation and put off procrastination!