The 7 Signs of Procrastination
“Procrastination is opportunity’s natural assassin.”
A lot of us struggle with procrastination. And then we start labelling ourselves as procrastinators. There’s a lot of shame and frustration that comes when we think about procrastination - and you know we’re not about that here.
Even some dictionary definitions assign some kind of moral judgement on procrastination.
Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something - Oxford reference
PROCRASTINATE is to put off intentionally and habitually - Merriam Webster
Cambridge Dictionary - the act of delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring
What if I told you that procrastination is just a signal? We do not need to claim it as part of our identity; instead, we can just notice it and see what clues it holds for us. So what are some of the things it is telling us:
Lack of motivation: you don’t know why you are doing a thing or don’t connect with why you are doing a thing. Use this signal to find a reason why this matters to you (or maybe it doesn’t, and you can just take that thing off your list).
Lack of Urgency: if there is a lack of urgency, it is easy to shift a thing to a later date. Sometimes we need a sense of urgency to really help with the motivation. Use this signal to really decide if it is something that needs to be done now. If it does, but you are struggling with motivation, ask what would help you make it happen.
Marinating - maybe you still need some more details to come together for yourself, and so you’re still trying to figure it out. Use this signal to give yourself the space and energy to get the details you need.
Tips:
Change your environment - can be as simple as moving to a different spot or tidying up your desk. Fresh space can offer fresh perspectives.
Walk away from the immediate task and let things marinate - procrastination can be a signal that there are still some ideas that are trying to come together. Work on small mindless tasks that allow your mind the space to wander and come up with new ideas.
Do something fun or creative - challenge your brain to do something different, let your mind expand laterally, enhancing your creative problem-solving skills
Task is too broad - Procrastination can stem from being overwhelmed by the vastness of the task (or tasks) in front of you. When you have a goal or a project you’re trying to accomplish, we tend to see the thing as a whole instead of seeing it as many smaller steps organized, prioritized, and strung together.
You’re overbooked - psssst. You might not be procrastinating, you may just have too much on the go. This is the signal to take a look at your schedule and make some changes. How long are things actually taking? How can you build in time for this task?
Energy Misalignment - are you getting enough sleep, nourishing yourself - do you have the physical energy to do this task? Or, is this task a very creative task, but you’re feeling like you don’t have the focus or attention span to really dive into that creativity? Use this signal to really think about the type of energy you need both physically and mentally to complete this task and try to align when you work on it with when you have the right energy for it.
You’ve got feelings - Feelings like confidence, fear, uncertainty, and resistance can push us into a frozen state. Sometimes those feelings override our desire to get something done. This is the signal to acknowledge what you are feeling, give yourself some grace, and show up one step at a time.
Let’s start noticing the signals that procrastination is trying to tell us instead of adopting the identity of a procrastinator. Remember who you are and what you are capable of - and if this is hard, take a look at your history and all the challenging things you have done to this point. And there’s no harm in phoning a friend for a little help or a confidence boost. It’s time to let go of that procrastination label.
If you need more support or an accountability partner, book a discovery call, and let's chat about how I can support you.
