Are You A Serious Procrastinator? Here's How To Finally Move Past This Crippling Habit

So what is Procrastination?
Everyone puts things off sometimes, but procrastinators chronically avoid difficult tasks and actually look for distractions. Procrastination in large part reflects struggles with self-control. Perfectionists are often procrastinators; it is psychologically more acceptable to never begin a task than to face the possibility of failure.
Procrastinators often say that they perform better under pressure, but research shows that is not the case; more often than not that's their way of justifying putting things off. Procrastination also involves some degree of self-deception; they are at some level aware of the truth of their actions.

The first type is chronic procrastinators; for them the behavior cuts across all domains of life.
A second type, avoiders, put off tasks because of fear of failure or even fear of success, but in either case are very concerned with what others think of them.
Then there are decisional procrastinators, who are unable to make a decision; not making a decision absolves them of responsibility for the outcome of events.

Just because procrastination is universal doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. And too often, we find ourselves procrastinating when we know we shouldn’t. We mutter, "I should really be working," as we stalk our sophomore year homecoming date on Facebook, stand in front of the open fridge for the fourth time in an hour, or realize we’re watching guitar lessons on YouTube when we don't own a guitar.
Procrastination can also go beyond work, affecting other important parts of our lives. Not getting that symptom checked out leaves an unknown disease untreated. Avoiding a difficult conversation only prolongs the conflict. And delaying an important life decision, like breaking up, making a serious commitment, going back to school, or finally changing career paths, can lead to running in place for years. Result? Self kicking and deep frustration.

Whether it’s a crying baby or a ringing phone, we tend to pay attention to what’s right in front of us.
It’s a lot harder to prioritize things that aren’t urgent. From organizing the basement to saving for retirement, we all have things we never get around to. As a result, tasks big and small sit neglected at the bottom of the to-do list for months, if not years.

What can you do?
Check out the bigger picture. Take a step back. What would this decision that you've been putting off mean for your life? What are your values and goals? What’s the big picture? Taking on a new perspective can jump-start the process of taking action.

Too often, we find ourselves procrastinating, because we’re not sure what to do first.
This kind of procrastination is about avoiding negative emotion. No one likes to feel incompetent.

What can you do?
Build confusion into the task. Acknowledge that it’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed or stupid when you’re just starting out, especially if you’ve never done the task before.
Make “figure out steps” the first step. Put “scream into your pillow” at the top of your to-do list, if that gets you moving.

Sometimes high standards have quite the negative effect, when we are convinced there’s no way we can meet the standards we set for ourselves.

What can you do?
Break the link between performance and self-worth.
There is a big difference between who you are and what you achieve. There’s so much more to your worth than your accomplishments — your identity, family, passions, experiences, travels, friends, politics, taste, knowledge, challenges you’ve overcome, and, most importantly, how you treat other people.

Some people can open a textbook for the first time a few days before the final exam and still do better than those who planned ahead. What if you are just one of those people?

What can you do?
Know thyself.
Not everyone procrastinates because they get distracted. Those of us who work better under pressure and prefer the adrenaline rush that comes with a close deadline might choose to start later. It's okay for you to make this choice!

Sometimes what you're supposed to be doing is just boring. Or hard. Or both. Who wants to do taxes or call customer service?

What can you do?
Plan ahead and compensate. Do something fun now, after you've fully committed to begin your task right after that.

One of the reasons why we procrastinate is because we find the work too overwhelming for us. Break it down into little parts, then focus on one part at the time. If you still procrastinate on the task after breaking it down, then break it down even further. Soon, your next task will be so simple that you will be thinking “gee, this is so simple that I might as well just do it now!”.

Different environments have different impact on our productivity. Look at your work desk and your room. Do they make you want to work or do they make you want to sleep? If it’s the latter, you should look into changing your workspace.
One thing to note is that an environment that makes us feel inspired before may lose its effect after a period of time. If that’s the case, then it’s time to change things around again!

Having a companion makes the whole process much more fun. Ideally, your partner should be someone who has his/her own set of goals. Both of you will hold each other accountable to your (different) goals and plans. You can talk about them, work in the same space and generally share your failures and accomplishments.

Being too hard on yourself for procrastinating or failing isn’t healthy and is definitely not productive. Often our behavior is robotic. We do things not because we’ve really thought about it, but because it’s a habit or we’re unconsciously copying other people. Ones you've forgiven yourself for procrastinating or failing, ask yourself if you can now try and perform your task in a manner that will suit you better.

Fantasies about the future are very good to have, but excessive fantasizing has been proven to be a goal-killing anxiety inducer and a huge reason we procrastinate. When you build castles in the sky, you may be sabotaging real, obtainable goals. Try visualizing the process of what needs to be done to achieve the goal and not the prize ceremony at the end.

Not everyone likes to write, but you can really benefit from documenting your process as you start on the road of quitting your procrastination habit. Reading about yesterday's hardships and accomplishments can be great for today's productivity and well-being. Besides, you don't have to pull a Dear Diary if you don't feel comfortable writing. Use a video camera, a voice recorder, anything that will get you to document.

“No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide.”
Wise words from Fight Club and a great piece of advice for us all. Our ability to say “no” to things that aren’t really moving us towards our goals is a tough skill to learn, but since it becomes impossible to do anything when we’re suffocating under meaningless obligations, it’s necessary that we acquire it and learn to eliminate.