Generally, procrastination is considered a dirty word in the world of self-improvement. It is sometimes used as a synonym for laziness and more often an excuse to beat yourself up. Nothing beats self-flagellation like…erm… well, self flagellation!
Whether you take it as a sign that you are fearful, you’re incompetent or going to be judged, it often gets a bad rap! Countless blog posts, YouTube videos and even courses have been created to banish procrastination.
There’s that joke (apparently based on true events) that the person running a procrastination course didn’t get any sign-ups until the very last minute! Whether this is true or not, it serves a purpose to further damage the reputation of procrastination!
However, here at Next Few Steps, we love turning the tables on conventional thinking. Perhaps we could use procrastination as a signal that something in our life needs some sort of change. In this way, we can look at procrastination, not as the devil incarnate it is so often touted as, but as a really useful tool to help us understand our own mental cogs and balances.
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is the unnecessary delaying of a task or a decision for a variety of reasons including lack of confidence, anxiety or stress.
For example, we could put off cleaning the bathroom because we fear it will be a long, laborious and boring job. Our brains kick in, justifying that it will get done later, but for the moment, it would bring us more pleasure if we sit and watch that YouTube Clip of an ocelot playing a mouth organ.
You may want to check out our blog post on the causes of procrastination.
Why is it often seen as a negative trait?
The problems associated with viewing procrastination as a negative trait. If that were the case, why is it such a part of our lives? Mother Nature is pretty darned clever, so she must have thought it was useful as we evolved from the primordial forests to modern urban jungles!
It’s time to flip our thinking and use procrastination to our advantage.
Like a lighthouse warning ships of impending dangers, our procrastination can be a signal to warn us we need to look closer at this task.
7 ways to use procrastination to your advantage.
1. A signal that the task is not ‘in your wheelhouse’ (and need to delegate)
Running a business is a tiring task, partly because we are overloaded with so many tasks that we are not always confident doing. Marketing, advertising, finances, taxes, payroll, rentals, PR, hiring and firing… the list goes on and on. There are a few exceptional individuals who seem to have this list licked, but for the most part, the rest of us ‘mere mortals’ have at least one area we are complete newbies in and often find ourselves floundering!
So when the time comes to complete our Self Assessment for the tax office, or make a final judgement about who to hire, we can often find ourselves feeling out of our depth and unsure how to proceed.
This is often when procrastination hits! We vacillate between candidates, we put off the tax form, knowing that there is a drawer of random unsorted receipts waiting for us before we get anywhere near our form.
Perhaps this is a signal that we should admit defeat and outsource these tasks to another talented individual or compliant that can:
A. Do the task far more competently than us.
B. Do the task in a tenth of the time it would take us
C. Do the task and give us the reassurance that it will be done properly, rather than fudging our way through the form and spending the next three months in abject terror that we have made a mistake and the tax inspectors are busily trundling up to our door to haul us away to prison.
D. Do the task – and save us the stress and sleepless nights of trying to do it ourselves.
There seem very few reasons why we should not outsource the tasks we find difficult, overwhelming or downright impossible.
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- Thinking that we are doing it because we must save money is very often an outright lie we tell ourselves. Spending a week on our tax form is not an efficient use of our time as we could have landed several high-paying clients in that time.
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- Thinking we are doing it because we are the only ones who can or it won’t be done right is clearly a lie as we wouldn’t be procrastinating if we could.
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- Thinking it must be done by us because we are the business owner/CEO/director, especially if we are a small business, is a lie – do you think Richard Branson is there putting his direct mail in envelopes every evening?
So by understanding that putting this task off could well be a sign that you need to outsource this task to someone more qualified, you are saving yourself from an ocean of pain and stress.
3. A signal that you are on the wrong track
Putting off a task might be a signal that your compass is slightly askew. You started this blog a few months ago now, and despite the initial enthusiasm, you are struggling to get your bum on a seat and write. You’ve said all you can and are running out of content.
Not only that, but you are just not inspired by the topic any more. Bearing in mind that you have probably invested weeks or months of your time writing about the same subject over and over again, it is not surprising that your motivation might wane slightly.
So perhaps this inability to sit down and type is a sign that this project is coming to an end, or that you need a slight adjustment in your direction.
If you feel this applies to you, think carefully before making any course adjustments and even then, make small changes each time, rather than huge, drastic changes.
3. A signal that we are not yet prepared to tackle this task
Just because the task seems overwhelming now, doesn’t mean that you will always feel like that.
Taking on any new tasks – a job, a business, a side hustle, a new hobby etc. can be an extremely steep learning curve: one that would make Eddie the Eagle quake in his fur-lined ski boots.
Setting up a new book club may sound like an awesome idea, but have you thought about renting a location; getting public liability insurance in case someone injures themselves; marketing to gain more members; how much will you charge; who will look after the float?
It’s not surprising that the book club idea is never brought into reality. We’ve probably never attempted half these things. But has anyone ever started a book club? Of course! So it must be possible.
Just because we don’t know how to do these things NOW, doesn’t mean we will never know how to do them. We grow, we learn, we expand our comfort zones.
Therefore, take each little challenge as it comes, do your due diligence, get help where you need it, and soon you will look back on your progress and wonder how you managed to become so competent!
4. A signal that your energy or focus cycles is dipping
You promised you would repaint the kid’s bedroom… way back last Christmas, Yet, the peeling Tellytubby wallpaper still laughs its mocking accusations every time you go into your 16-year-old’s room. Why can’t you just get on with it?
It may be a signal that your energy is at a low ebb. You have a million other little tasks that have taken up your time and yet this one remains stubbornly attached to the bottom of your to-do list. Work has been manic, the kids have all their polo and harpsichord practice six times a week and you’re on your knees!
Taking time to evaluate our energy cycle and synching the difficulty of the tasks we choose with it can make the job so much easier.
The same goes for focus. We all have daily rhythms where we are fully focused, ready to take on the more challenging of tasks, and we have other times when we can barely think straight.
Aligning the more challenging tasks with periods of high focus or energy can make completing them a breeze. Try scheduling some mindless cleaning or exercise for periods of lower focus.
5. A signal that other (lower value) tasks are taking up mental space
If our to-do list runs to 18 A4 pages (to quote the popular US comedy ‘Friends’ -“front and back”), then it probably isn’t surprising that we are finding it difficult to prioritise the most difficult tasks.
You have only got so much working memory to hold all the tasks in your brain, so this is why productivity gurus often advise listing your things to do in some sort of brain-dump – leaving your grey matter free to do what it does best – solve problems creatively. However if you have a lot of low value tasks on your list – washing up, popping to get petrol and checking your bank statements, then this can cloud your clarity of thought.
One way to remove these tasks from renting space in your brain, it to get them done, delegate them or decide not to do them at all. Just remove them from your list and be happy with your choice.
This leaves your brain free to focus on more pressing matters that could well be of higher value to your business or life.
6. A signal that your confidence is low
There are occasions when we just take a few of life’s hard knocks and our confidence if chipped away at. We get into a fight with our partner, we get a reprimand from our boss and we lose a big client. All in all, it’s not been a great day. We go home late that night a little disheartened and nursing a bruised ego!
Given the events of the past day, it might not be the best time to tackle a difficult new task. Sometimes we just need to crawl into bed and recharge ready for another day.
If you are finding that life’s events are giving you a battering and your confidence has been whittled away to almost nothing, it might be worth arranging an appointment with your GP or getting some professional help.
7. A signal that you need to change your environment
If you are addicted to a series on Netflix and can’t stop yourself watching the next episode of your favourite show, then you don’t beat yourself up! Social media is designed to be addictive. In fact, these companies spend billions or their hard-earned cash making it addictive. We all need a bit of downtime and to switch off from the ‘hurly-burly’ of modern life.
However, we often find that rather than planned time, we veg in front of the T.V. channel-hopping to find the least-worst programme to watch. At this point, it might be a signal to reach for that big red button and go and do something more productive.
Although your television is often the biggest culprit that can derail your productivity, there are many other factors in your environment that can cause you to procrastinate.
Chaotic organisation is one example. You need to send in a form, but you’ve looked everywhere and the blasted thing has vanished. It takes hours to track it down and that lost time is gone forever. What a waste!
If you would like to know more about overcoming procrastination, check out our article here.
Conclusion
So next time you find yourself putting off what you know should be done, dig a little deeper and see if you can use this feeling as a signal, alerting you to a problem that needs rectifying. Then you can quietly thank the procrastination for doing its job, rather than cursing its appearance in your life, and go about your day-to-day business in the knowledge that you are crushing your goals!
And if you would like to really get a fantastic insight into procrastination, check out Adam Grant’s YouTube TED here