Vanessa's notes on procrastination
19 August 2021
Hi everyone, my name’s Vanessa and I’m in my second year of Master of Applied Linguistics and TESOL and Master of Translation and Interpreting Studies at Macquarie.
Feel better now and regret it later. That is what normally happens when we procrastinate.
Rather than blaming ourselves for procrastinating and feeling frustrated, we should start by trying to understand why we do it.
It is important to understand that procrastination is not related to laziness but to self-protection (although it ends up being more harmful). Our need to avoid present unpleasant feelings and negative moods drives us to choose any other activity over the one we are supposed to be doing.
Those negative feelings may have to do with the fact that the activity we are supposed to be doing is boring or unpleasant, or they might be produced by our own insecurity and self-doubt. If you are afraid of messing something up, you certainly do not look forward to working on a task you feel you will fail at. So, what do we do to avoid feeling so badly? We do something else instead and this brings relief. Unfortunately, this sensation is only momentary. That dreadful task is not going anywhere and postponing it will only make the situation more stressful. Present you may be having a blast now, but future you will pay the consequences.
How can you tackle procrastination? More than focusing on time management, it is necessary to work on your emotions so we can break the procrastination cycle. Some researchers suggest that forgiveness is an effective way to start. If you forgive yourself for procrastinating now, this will have a positive effect on productivity, and you will procrastinate less next time you face an unpleasant task. Another solution lies in self-compassion, which increases motivation and feelings of self-worth. If you feel better about yourself, you will feel stronger and more capable when having to do a demanding activity.
Other actions you can take to deal with procrastination include:
- establishing a reward for yourself for when you finish your task
- acting on tasks as soon as they arrive
- minimising distractions around you (yup, that’s your phone we’re talking about!)
- focusing on the next step – it helps reduce stress!
- Asking someone to check up on you – peer pressure might help!
- Downloading the MQ Wellbeing app! Check the resources if offers for productivity, stress and anxiety, management of emotions and confidence. Working on yourself will help you face challenges in a better way.