Begin with the end in mind, Stephen R. Covey advised in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Procrastination is a common challenge for most people, especially in stressful times. We talked about 3 tips to overcome it during the Discover You lunch for the www.go-va.com.au tribe in September.
Wouldn’t you know it, this blog post about procrastination got delayed by — you guessed it — procrastination.
It’s a common challenge. Thousands of studies in economics, education, and psychology have explored why human beings put off doing certain things, even if they know how important those things are.
It helps to know that we can get procrastination under control.
That it isn’t a deep flaw in our character that we are saddled with for the rest of our lives, along with the blame and guilt that procrastination can breed.
One way to stop procrastination is to see it as a way of trying to cope with unpleasant emotions. It’s something we do because we want a break from feeling inadequate or because it keeps us (temporarily) from having to bear emotions like anxiety, boredom, frustration, or resentment.
To overcome procrastination, “put your focus on your actions” instead of your emotions, suggests the psychologist Timothy Pychyl. He’s featured in this ThriveGlobal article by Josh Jacobs from April this year.
No surprise at all that procrastination is a more common challenge in 2020 when we consider all the anxiety and stress that the Covid-19 pandemic has created.
Fortunately, we’ve had many conversations this year on learning how the brain works, so we can help ourselves and those around us to overcome those occasional moments of fear, doubt, or stress.
