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If you love to procrastinate then these are four words you will be very familiar with: "I'll do it tomorrow." While it's true these four words may actually comfort you as you say them to yourself- knowing full well that a critical assignment date draws closer or your bedroom becomes messier and messier or you have precious little time left to study for that important exam - they also create a major problem. A major problem that could warp into a major meltdown! And major meltdowns are never pretty. They normally end in us slumping to the ground in agony screeching like the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz, "what a world, what a world, what a world" or in the case of the scarecrow, "If I only had a brain!"
The fascinating and somewhat disturbing news is that when it comes to procrastinating you are not alone. One of the biggest reasons people do not achieve their goals (and then feel unhappy about it) is because they are chronic procrastinators. It has been reported that 94% of people are putting something off and it is making them feel unhappy - that's right 94%! If you're a procrastinator you are truly not alone. In fact, you're totally normal! However the good news ends there. Students that procrastinate are more likely to achieve lower subject grades, lower exam scores and lower overall grades. Worse still, procrastination is strongly linked to poor health and less money. That's right, procrastinators have less money. Amazing isn't it? But we're not trying to make you feel bad because you might be poor and unhealthy. We're just trying to help you early in your life by making you aware of it now.
Why Can't I Just Stop?
Procrastinators tend to tell themselves little while lies such as: "I am a perfectionist so if I'm going to do something I'm going to do it right" or "I'm almost ready to get started" or "I'm working on it, it will be done soon" or "I need more information before I get started" or "I'll get started tomorrow when I'm refreshed" or "I have a few things to do first" or "I work better under pressure" or "I just need more time." Can you notice what is happening here? It's just one excuse after another isn't it?
We're not here to tell you that these excuses are necessarily complete untruths but if these phrases are familiar to you then you might just be a serial procrastinator. You probably tend to spend a lot of time convincing yourself of these lies and ultimately you will most likely believe them to be totally true. The major problem with this approach is that it will ultimately bring no long-term satisfaction to you at all. In the short term you are off the hook but the list of tasks you need to complete gets very long and you start feeling very unhappy. Sound familiar? If you do tell yourself these things, stop it immediately! You are just lying to yourself. Stop the lies and accept the truth. Find the real reason for your procrastination.
Get Ahead Of The Game
First of all, don't beat yourself up, you're human after all. We're flawed. That's life. If we weren't you wouldn't be reading this. Everything will be OK! We promise. In fact, most people are just like you - so you are actually 'normal' (if there is such a thing). So please drop any guilt you may feel about it right now because it really won't help you - it will only make you feel sorry for yourself. And feeling sorry for yourself is not the way to deal with procrastination.
Instead, just take a moment and think about it. Think about what the payoff is for you. Think about what it is that reinforces why you should procrastinate. There has to be a payoff. No-one does anything they don't want to do without a payoff being involved. So what's yours? Is it because you don't like being told what to do? It is because you want to be in control - even if that means failing? Is it because you fear what your friends will think if you get your work done and act like a good student? Is it because you think it will be too hard? Is it because you don't know where to start and are hoping someone will help you? What is making you believe procrastinating is a desirable action? Think hard here. What could it be?
The fascinating and somewhat disturbing news is that when it comes to procrastinating you are not alone. One of the biggest reasons people do not achieve their goals (and then feel unhappy about it) is because they are chronic procrastinators. It has been reported that 94% of people are putting something off and it is making them feel unhappy - that's right 94%! If you're a procrastinator you are truly not alone. In fact, you're totally normal! However the good news ends there. Students that procrastinate are more likely to achieve lower subject grades, lower exam scores and lower overall grades. Worse still, procrastination is strongly linked to poor health and less money. That's right, procrastinators have less money. Amazing isn't it? But we're not trying to make you feel bad because you might be poor and unhealthy. We're just trying to help you early in your life by making you aware of it now.
Why Can't I Just Stop?
Procrastinators tend to tell themselves little while lies such as: "I am a perfectionist so if I'm going to do something I'm going to do it right" or "I'm almost ready to get started" or "I'm working on it, it will be done soon" or "I need more information before I get started" or "I'll get started tomorrow when I'm refreshed" or "I have a few things to do first" or "I work better under pressure" or "I just need more time." Can you notice what is happening here? It's just one excuse after another isn't it?
We're not here to tell you that these excuses are necessarily complete untruths but if these phrases are familiar to you then you might just be a serial procrastinator. You probably tend to spend a lot of time convincing yourself of these lies and ultimately you will most likely believe them to be totally true. The major problem with this approach is that it will ultimately bring no long-term satisfaction to you at all. In the short term you are off the hook but the list of tasks you need to complete gets very long and you start feeling very unhappy. Sound familiar? If you do tell yourself these things, stop it immediately! You are just lying to yourself. Stop the lies and accept the truth. Find the real reason for your procrastination.
Get Ahead Of The Game
First of all, don't beat yourself up, you're human after all. We're flawed. That's life. If we weren't you wouldn't be reading this. Everything will be OK! We promise. In fact, most people are just like you - so you are actually 'normal' (if there is such a thing). So please drop any guilt you may feel about it right now because it really won't help you - it will only make you feel sorry for yourself. And feeling sorry for yourself is not the way to deal with procrastination.
Instead, just take a moment and think about it. Think about what the payoff is for you. Think about what it is that reinforces why you should procrastinate. There has to be a payoff. No-one does anything they don't want to do without a payoff being involved. So what's yours? Is it because you don't like being told what to do? It is because you want to be in control - even if that means failing? Is it because you fear what your friends will think if you get your work done and act like a good student? Is it because you think it will be too hard? Is it because you don't know where to start and are hoping someone will help you? What is making you believe procrastinating is a desirable action? Think hard here. What could it be?
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