From Where I Sit

This is another post in a series on overcoming procrastination. Like the others it will focus on one technique or aspect of the larger project on overcoming procrastination. This post will deal with the motivation behind the things we want to achieve or get done. It will look at the reasons why we want to do something that is blocked by procrastination. It will help you check whether the language of your thinking is playing into the hands of procrastination, and if so will help you change your thoughts into more productive language.

For example, Helen (no real names are used in this blog) thought she should get around to painting the front room of her house. She’d been thinking about it for over a year, and although it obviously wasn’t important or essential she did want to get it done. However every time she thought about the task and reminded herself that she really should get around to doing it, she never got very far and procrastination quickly bogged her down and killed off any energy for the task. And so it had been for a long time; the room remaining unpainted and Helen telling herself she should get around to it. In fact every time Helen remembered that she hadn’t yet painted the room she felt a bit despondent and a bit negative about her inability to get it done and would then avoid thinking about the issue altogether.

I suggested to Helen that her language and thinking about the issue may have been making it harder to overcome procrastination. Every time she thought about the task it was in negative terms; remembering how long she had put it off, thinking about how bad putting off made her feel and thinking about how it felt like something she should, or must do.  All this thinking (while accurate enough) was putting a negative spin on the situation and robbing her of energy and motivation to tackle the task

I explained it to her this way: No one likes to be told what to do, and the same is true even if it us telling ourselves what we should do. Using the word ’should’ just invites a sort of internal resistance to being told what to do, even if it is a good idea. We still tend to dig our heels in, as a reaction to the idea of being told we should be doing something. This internal resistance to the idea of ’should’ plays right into the hands of procrastination, which is why I refer to it as the ‘language of procrastination’.

I suggested to Helen that she consider switching her language and her thinking to consider why she wanted to paint the front room. By focussing on why she wanted to have the front room painted and to consider the advantages and positive outcomes associated with painting the front room, it created a bit more enthusiasm and motivation for getting started.  By bringing a more positive flavour to thoughts of the task, it gives a little bit of an edge over the negative drag of procrastination.  In efforts to overcome procrastination, anything which can even slightly increase the energy, enthusiasm and motivation can assist in the overall success rate.

Just a slight switch of focus away from why I should do something, to why I want to do something can contribute to a greater chance of not getting bogged down in procrastination.