Here is a great 10-minute TEDx talk on “Why We Procrastinate” by Vik Nithy! Vik talks about the reasons why we procrastinate things that are important, which involves a battle between two different parts of our brains, and how we have a monkey that takes control and steers us away from anything scary, unpleasant, or overwhelming.
I like how Vik says:
So, when we procrastinate, we experience a mild anxiety response to a threatening stimulus which just happens to be an assignment that you may have to complete. So, what is it that we’re afraid of? Well, meet your monkey mind! This is the part of your brain, the voice in your head that reacts to the threatening stimulus of an essay. You may be afraid of overwhelm. You might find that the task is overwhelming and you don’t know where to start. You might, if it’s an unpleasant task, dread the displeasure of doing the task, and if it’s a more complex task, when your performance is being measured, then you may have a fear of actual failure. So perfectionists use procrastination as a self-handicapping tool to avoid personal failure.
Do you agree with what he says? Do you think you will try what he says to do? (Get things set up beforehand, Visualization, Plan for distractions, Plan for failure) If so, which one?
Procrastination is the thief of time…. I believe in this
So true!
Procrastination is typically a decision-based issue like Vik says – this is probably the most common cause. To add to what Vik says, procrastination can also be a disorganization issue.
Either way, procrastination is no good. What helped me the most in overcoming procrastination is: 1) having a reasonable to-do list daily, and 2) if a task takes less than 2 minutes, do it NOW.
Amen! No need to put off what you can do today… or even NOW! Thanks, Ruthanne!
I don’t usually procrastinate when it comes to work. I get started early and keep going. Maybe I don’t procrastinate because I love my job so much, each day is working with new clients and new and exciting fabric and window treatments. The one thing I do procrastinate on is when it comes to re-organizing cupboards and closets!
I would procrastinate too if I had to reorganize my cupboards and closets too!