“Procrastination Considerations for You”

Do you procrastinate because you think things will get better? And then they don’t. We’re talking about life changing decisions, not just simple tasks.  It can sometimes come down to survival or even merely getting by… Rather than thriving.       

• How does procrastination impact your life right now?       

• Is someone else’s procrastination impacting you?

• Are YOU procrastinating something? 

Many explain procrastination as a hindering of growth because it gets in the way of our ability to fulfill our purpose, it distracts us… Procrastination postpones the inevitable. Procrastination keeps us from thriving and feeling our best! 

What do you NOT want to procrastinate doing during these final three months in 2024? Is your procrastination keeping you from improving and growing? 

“If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.” ~ Ivan Turgenev, in “Virgin Soil” (1877 novel)

When procrastinating, we do not give ourselves the space to think creatively or explore new possibilities. We are too often focused on catching up or putting out fires, untying the knots!  This way of being stifles innovation and personal expression. You are encouraged to think about what’s keeping you stuck in the procrastination knot! Yes, a knot! Visualize what a tight, loopy, stuck not looks like to you… now think about how that knot looks inside your thoughts when you think about what you are delaying. What is stuck inside that knot?

“What you resist persists.” ~ Carl Jung (1875–1961)

The following ideas often limit our ability to move beyond the daily struggle of procrastination:

Missed Opportunities for Growth. Procrastination often leads to missed chances for advancement, whether it’s applying for a promotion, starting a personal project, moving, or signing up for a course. When these opportunities pass by, we stay stuck in the current situation rather than progressing toward goals.

Constantly avoiding tasks can diminish our self-esteem because we begin to feel incapable of meeting our goals. Over time, this erodes our belief in the ability to succeed, and we stay in survival mode, taking fewer risks and seeking out fewer growth opportunities. We can begin to avoid personal development. Self-improvement activities, like reading, exercising, meditating, or learning new skills, often get pushed aside when we are stuck in survival mode. The focus becomes our short-term needs, and then our procrastination ensures that our long-term growth is neglected.

Delayed Decision-Making. Putting off important decisions keeps us in limbo, unable to move forward with clarity. This indecision can prevent us from taking the steps needed to improve our career, relationships, lifestyle, or health. We remain in survival mode, just reacting to circumstances rather than proactively shaping our future.

Reactive Thinking vs. Proactive Innovation. Procrastinators often operate in a reactive state, dealing with immediate crises or last-minute tasks. This survival-mode thinking leaves little room for our proactive innovation. Creativity requires time to explore new concepts, challenge conventional ideas, and develop unique solutions. But when we’re constantly reacting to tasks we’ve delayed, then we can’t devote the time or energy needed for our most creative endeavors.

The increased pressure often reduces our quality of work. We begin to feel the mental clutter! While some may claim that they “work best under pressure,” the quality of creative work often suffers when rushed.

Blocked Creativity. Procrastination can erode confidence in our creative abilities. Constantly putting things off or completing them at the last minute reinforces the belief that we are not capable of producing quality creative work. This lack of confidence becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, where we are less likely to attempt creative projects, explore new ideas, or trust in our own instincts and intuition.

Creativity thrives in a state of mental clarity, where the mind has the freedom to explore new ideas. Procrastination often leads us to a buildup of unfinished tasks and looming deadlines. When the mind is preoccupied with the stress and anxiety of what hasn’t been done, it leaves little room for creative thought. When we procrastinate, we are constantly worried about what we’re avoiding, we cannot access the mental space required for creative thinking if we are reminded of the “unfinished tasks”.

Procrastination then results in hastily completed projects that didn’t mature through deep reflection or refinement. The creative processes can benefit us! Creativity gives us time to brainstorm, edit, and evolve an idea. When procrastinators are forced to complete work under tight deadlines, we lose the opportunity to fully explore different perspectives and possibilities.

We actually miss out on the creative flow! Creativity often requires entering a state of "flow," where time seems to melt away, and you are fully immersed in the task. Achieving this flow state requires focus, uninterrupted time, and a calm “in the moment” mind—all of which are hindered by procrastination. The distractions that we engage in (e.g., social media, chores, or less important tasks) prevent us from reaching the deep level of focus needed for “flow”. Deep focus and “being in the flow can give us the intent focus to complete the task”.

Increased Stress and Anxiety. The backlog of tasks causes stress to build up over time. This stress shifts our focus from “thriving” to merely “surviving” each day, often juggling last-minute deadlines or crises, which leaves little energy for our personal development, self-reflection, or long-term planning.

Reduced Confidence and Self-Worth. Constantly avoiding tasks can diminish a person’s self-esteem because we feel incapable of meeting our goals. Over time, this erodes the inner ability that we have to succeed. We stay in survival mode, taking fewer risks and seeking out fewer growth opportunities. Over time our self-worth and confidence declines.

We begin to believe in the fear of failure. One reason people procrastinate is fear—fear of failure, rejection, or making mistakes. This fear stifles creativity because it discourages experimentation. Creativity involves taking risks, making bold choices, and trying things that may not work. When we procrastinate, we may avoid exploring new possibilities because we’re too focused on avoiding failure rather than embracing the messy, emerging process of creativity.

Unfinished Projects and Lack of Fulfillment. Procrastinators often start projects with enthusiasm but never complete them due to delaying actions. This cycle of unfinished work prevents us from experiencing the fulfillment of seeing our ideas come to life, leaving us stuck in mediocrity.

Procrastination leads to cramming work into shorter, more intense periods, which can result in burnout. This exhaustion makes it difficult to engage in the completion process. Instead of having the energy to play with ideas, problem-solve, or innovate, procrastinators are often too drained from the cycle of delay, we panic to engage our creative minds. We freeze!     

• Do you feel that your procrastination leads you to cram work into shorter, more intense periods?       

• Are you feeling exhausted or burned out?     

• How would you benefit from having the energy to play with ideas, problem-solve, or innovate? 

A Simple Exercise for Addressing Your Procrastination:

You can repair your procrastination.  It’s up to you. 

Think on This:

Do you think that you might benefit from writing out what you often procrastinate?Possibly reviewing and/or sharing this list could help in solving the continual problem of your procrastination, OR even the procrastination of others around you! 

Start Here:

1.    List out the top 3 things which you regularly avoid doing.

2.    Then, explain how you might protect yourself from procrastinating on these three tasks?

When you identify your tasks on the list above, you can then begin to cultivate new processes to “focus” and create greater joy in your daily routines! You will notice deeper confidence within you and a new strength in those actions which you used to avoid doing. 

Your new Self-awareness will blossom.

Shift your mindset - Listen to your inner knowing - Believe in your inner knowing – Embrace the idea of doing more of what you love to do - Identify what you no longer would like to do – How might you remove the tasks which you procrastinate?  - If you must complete the tasks which you typically procrastinate, how might you now begin to personally celebrate completing those tasks? It’s up to you. 

Your potential is transformative. You have the ability to move beyond procrastination and create the life you envision. You can thrive! Trust in your journey and your capacity to grow! It’s up to you. 

“Procrastination has robbed us of too many opportunities.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach, in “Simple Abundance” (2011) 

Sources:

1.    Great Procrastination Quotes to Ponder

2.    The Enlightenment Journey.com