Procrastination is often handled as a thing to get rid of as quickly as possible. Weather via brute force, or gaslighting yourself to work through the unpleasant feeling of “I don’t want to be doing this right now”
When it comes to productivity, procrastination is Public Enemy No. 1.
I’ve been reading Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, and there’s a whole chapter dedicated to procrastination. The main thesis is that procrastination is a signal, a feeling to be listened to and help steer your efforts to get closer to where you’re trying to go.
Two arrows
- Procrastination itself. The activity you’re supposed to be doing, vs what you’re actually doing.
- Your reaction to it.
The first arrow is pretty easy to beat, via accountability partners, putting your phone in a box, and hundreds of other smart tricks. The second one is the tricky fella. According to Dr. Tim Pychyl, the strongest emotion associated with procrastination is guilt.
This is a bad psychological state to be in and try to ‘overcome’ procrastination.
The problem with procrastination is not that you’ve been lazy. The problem is that you shot the messenger
Exploring your procrastination
The Triple Check
Looking through the lens of holistic education, motivation arises from “the interplay of head, hand, and heart”. This is a philosophy from Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi.
Try to figure out why you’re struggling for motivation. The book shares these prompts
- Head: Is the task appropriate?
- Heart: Is the task exciting?
- Hand: Is the task doable?
Identifying the source of your procrastination will help make the shift from self-blame to self-discovery by providing both an explanation and a practical solution.
Looking outside yourself
Sometimes your head, heart, and hand could all be perfectly aligned, but you still find yourself procrastinating. There’s a chance that the system you’re operating in is the source. Worth exploring too
A door to discovery
Look at the activities you default to when you’re procrastinating. These seemingly distracting activities could be telling you something about your innate/genuine interests.
Jason Fried on procrastination:
Personal example of a healthy reaction to procrastination
Picture this: I’m supposed to be writing this note, but I find myself washing some dishes and making a cup of tea after writing 3 paragraphs.
I quickly recognised it, and quickly acknowledged the source of friction. I haven’t been writing as often as I used to, meaning I feel a little out of practice. But once I accepted that the first couple of reps won’t be as smooth as peak, I was excited to get back to it!