Tamara Meixner, Ph.D., C.Psych
Productive moments feel good. Momentum towards a goal begets motivation for continued action and infuses us with a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and even mastery. And yet, procrastination – delaying or postponing an intended action – is an incredibly common struggle.
Why is it that we delay doing the things we know we ought to, even when it is clear they are good for us?
Contrary to some (hopefully not too popular) beliefs, we don’t procrastinate simply because we are lazy, unintelligent, or undisciplined, we do it because our brains value immediate rewards over future rewards. When we set a goal such as writing a term paper, learning a language, or saving for retirement we envision life at a future time for a future self. In thinking about this future self, our brain readily sees the value in taking actions with long-term rewards – passing the course, becoming bilingual, retiring early. However, when the time comes to act, it is easy to lose sight of this future self and make choices for a present self who generally prioritizes instant gratification or relief over long-term payoff.1 Most young people know, for instance, that saving for retirement is important, but any benefit of doing so is decades off. When faced, today, with a shiny new pair of Nikes, it is easier to see the benefit of wearing them now than of putting the money away for 30 years down the road. While we appreciate future benefits, we often overvalue those that are readily available and/or discount the long-term consequences of our choices. It’s not until a deadline is imminent or future consequences become present consequences that the ache of procrastination finally launches us into action.
How can we tip the scales in favour of action earlier and reduce procrastination?
Reward Action and/or Make Consequences of Procrastinating more Immediate
One way to reduce the tension between present and future selves is to narrow the gap between future consequences and present consequences. If we can find a way of making long-term benefits more immediate, then it becomes easier to avoid procrastination. One approach for bringing future rewards into the present realm is to pair a behaviour that is good for you in the long-term with a behaviour that feels good in the short-term. In other words, link an action that you want to do with an action that you need to do (e.g., only listen to your favourite podcasts while completing household chores). Do what you love while doing what you procrastinate on.
Alternatively or simultaneously, set up a scenario in which the costs of procrastinating become evident sooner; create a new consequence that happens right away if you don’t follow through on your intended action. For example, if you are preparing to write an important test in 2 months, delaying your study start date won’t cause you to immediately fail the exam (and the relief of putting it off might even facilitate further delay). The cost of postponing will only become problematic in the weeks ahead as anxiety grows and it becomes less feasible to review the material. If, however, you commit to a weekly study date with a friend, then the cost of putting it off becomes more immediate (e.g., disappointing someone you care about).
Commit to Five Minutes
Somewhat ironically, enduring the feelings that can accompany procrastination (e.g., guilt, anxiety) is often worse than doing the task itself. And yet, these same feelings can block us from getting started. Commit to spending 5 minutes of focused attention on a task. Particularly for larger projects, the idea of getting underway can be overwhelming and even paralyzing. However, once underway, interest and motivation begin to overtake concern about how quickly you’re progressing or how well you’re doing it.
Maximize Achievability & Redefine Progress
If we want to reduce procrastination, we need to make it as easy as possible for our present self to get started. A great way of doing this is by breaking tasks down. Take time to figure out step-by-step what you need to do, the logical order and a general timeline, and do your best to stick to the plan even in the face of distractions. Consider setting bite-size goals and measuring your progress in time increments (e.g., write 100 words every 10 minutes for 1 hour). Regularly acknowledging small successes while working towards a larger task will afford feelings of satisfaction and maintain momentum. Further, it can protect against approaching tasks with an all-or-none attitude that frequently poses a barrier to getting started.
Adopt a Get-it-done Mindset
Rather than focusing on how well you’re doing a task, try to focus instead on getting it done. Oftentimes, the desire to do tasks perfectly results in putting off starting or finishing for relief from the pressure. You might even set up challenges for yourself to improve efficiency – if you wrote 100 words in 10-minutes see if you can do 120 in the next interval. Remind yourself that once you have a starting point for a task, you can always refine later as needed.
Create a Chain
Do something toward your goal every day. Set a reminder and track it visually. This will help you develop a habit of working on your goal and shift your focus from the result to the process – it is less about how much you get done or the quality of work on any given day and more about whether you’ve lengthened your chain of progress. If you’re struggling to prioritize, consider taking a few minutes each evening to write down, in order of importance, a handful of tasks or steps to accomplish the next day. Work on these item by item, with anything left unfulfilled at the end of the day becoming the highest items on tomorrow’s list.
Reduce Clutter
Clutter – physical or mental – can set the stage for procrastination. Items in our environment both serve as reminders for other incomplete tasks and offer tempting interruptions. Reducing distractions (e.g., turn off notifications, tidy your workspace) can be a powerful way to tackle procrastination and inefficiency that comes with frequent multitasking.
“Slaying the dragon of delay is no sport for the short-winded2” and there is no better time to begin the battle than right now!
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References
1 Rogers, T., & Bazerman, M.H. (2008). Future lock-in: Future implementation increases selection of ‘should’ choices, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 106, 1-20. doi:10.1016/j.obhpd.2007.08.001
2 Quote from: https://solvingprocrastination.com/procrastination-quotes/
Photos
Photo 1 by Pedro da Silva on Upsplash
Photo 2 by Brett Jordan on Upsplash