Overcoming Procrastination, Part One: Diagnosing Your Procrastination Style

"I'll get to it first thing tomorrow!"

"I just need to do some background reading, clean out my in tray, answer my emails, and file all the backlogged paperwork before getting to work on that project."

"Nothing ever gets done before the last minute, so there's no point in starting now."

If any of these statements sound familiar, then you might have a problem with procrastination. One good definition of procrastination is "the intentional and habitual postponement of an important task that should be done right now." According to an article published in the January 2007 edition of Psychological Bulletin, 15-20% of the general population are procrastinators. In most cases, delaying difficult or unpleasant tasks adds to stress and inefficiency. In severe cases, procrastination becomes a persistent and debilitating disorder that can lead to academic failure or the loss of a job.

Everyone procrastinates once in a while, but not everyone does it for the same reasons. And one person can have different reasons for procrastinating, depending on the task. Read the following scenarios to see which ones apply to you, and then follow our prescriptions to help you overcome procrastination for good.

Fear and Anxiety

Symptoms: Fear of failure (and sometimes fear of success) is a common reason for putting things off. The problem may be compounded by poor self-esteem, previous mistakes, or irrational feelings of anxiety.

Treatment:

• Mary Kay Ash once said, "If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right." Self-confidence is a prerequisite for success, while self-doubt can undermine even the most capable individuals. If you dwell on your fears or on past failures, you'll make it much more difficult for you to succeed.

• Pay attention to your thoughts throughout the day. You'll probably notice negative thoughts such as "I must be so stupid for not getting this!" and "There's no way I can pull off that project." Replace those thoughts with positive statements, such as "I am good at my job, and I will soon learn this new procedure" and "That project will be challenging, but I am definitely up to the task."

• Focus on the work that's in front of you and not on the potential outcome.

• Ask your supervisor and coworkers for their honest opinion about the quality of your work. Chances are they hold you in much higher esteem than you hold yourself.

• Fake it till you get it. Act like you're an efficient, capable, and happy worker, and your mindset will soon follow.

• List everything that could possibly go wrong. Once you see how unrealistic most of your fears are, you'll be able to let them go.

• Take a few slow and deep breaths whenever you feel nervous or anxious. Try meditation, yoga, and other relaxation activities outside of work.

Feeling Overwhelmed

Symptoms: You feel overwhelmed by the complexity and enormity of a project, such as preparing an annual report or doing an overhaul of the office records. The temptations are to postpone the project indefinitely or to give up altogether.

Treatment:

• Henry Ford once said, "Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." Although he was probably talking about car assembly, the same principal applies to virtually any task. Don't panic about how you're going to complete the whole project. Instead, break the project up into small, manageable tasks. Decide how much time you'll need for each task, when you'll do it, and when it should be completed. Also decide if you'll need help – from whom, how much, and at what stage of the project.

• Choose one small task and start on it right away.

• Reward yourself every time you complete one of the tasks.

• Try to spend some time working on the project on a regular basis, e.g., devote a specific day or timeslot for the project.

Perfectionism

Symptoms: Your work is always outstanding … when you manage to complete it. You have high expectations for yourself and are terrified of falling short. Sometimes you have trouble beginning or completing tasks, because you're afraid that the final result will be less than perfect.

Treatment:

• Strive for excellence and not perfection, since the latter is unattainable.

• Don't edit as you go. Force yourself to complete a rough draft of a document or individual segment (e.g., chapter) first, despite any mistakes and gaps, and only start tweaking once the whole thing is finished.

• Give yourself a deadline.

• Recognize where it's possible to save time. For example, if a report only calls for a rough estimate of past expenses, don't offer exact figures complete with graphs and statistical analysis.

• After finishing, begin a new project to prevent yourself from constantly revising the last one.

• Remember that producing something is always better than nothing. Remind yourself that what may seem like shoddy work by your standards is probably acceptable or above-average work by most standards.

Fueled by Deadlines

Symptoms: No matter how much advance notice you have, you can't really get down to work until the deadline is just around the corner. Fueled by adrenaline and working furiously until the last minute, you'll generally complete tasks on time … but just barely. However, the quality of your work may suffer from the rushed job, and you may be suffering from stress and anxiety.

Treatment:

• Set yourself an early deadline, and meet it rather than the actual deadline.

• Chances are that you've failed to meet a few deadlines or have produced poor work in the past. Gently reminding yourself of those experiences will prevent you from making the same mistakes.

• Remember that you're probably inconveniencing your supervisor, colleagues, and/or patients by waiting until the very last minute, even when your work is completed on time.

• This pattern of behavior may be particularly difficult to break. You might rely on the sense of the urgency created by an impending deadline, and find it difficult to focus without the intense pressure. Working madly at the last minute may also give you a greater sense of accomplishment than making slow and steady progress. Getting your adrenaline rushes outside of work, such as through participating in a sport, might reduce your thrill-seeking tendencies on the job.

The Busy Procrastinator

Symptoms: Got a major project coming up? Suddenly, you find the time to return all of your calls, file your papers, and meticulously organize your workspace. In fact, the only thing you can't find time for is the project itself.

Treatment:

• Prioritize. Handle urgent and important tasks first, and do not let yourself be sidetracked by busy work. Preparing a schedule of how you plan to spend the workday will help you stay focused, and not allow any one task to take up too much of your time.

• If possible, delegate some of your tasks to other people.

• Avoid biting off more than you can chew. Say "no" to projects and commitments that you don't have time for.

Feeling Lost

Symptoms: You feel like you're out of your depth, lost, and confused. You may have received unclear or insufficient instructions, or lack the training and resources to complete your assignment.

Treatment:

• Ask for clarification and/or help until you feel able to do the job.

• Consider taking additional classes, attending seminars, and getting other forms of training.

• Find a mentor who can provide you with valuable advice and guidance.

Avoiding Unpleasant Tasks

Symptoms: Whether it's paperwork or preparing for meetings, everyone has tasks that they hate to do and love to put off.

Treatment:

• Remind yourself that the dread and anxiety you experience while procrastinating is probably worse than the task itself.

• Schedule unpleasant tasks early in the day, so that they're out of the way and off your mind.

• Give yourself a small reward (e.g., a decadent latte with whipped cream) after completing the tasks.

• Remind yourself that part of being a responsible adult means taking on tasks that are necessary, but unpleasant.

• Make tedious or repetitive tasks into a game. For example, start a friendly competition with a coworker to see who could file the most charts correctly in 30 minutes.

You Hate Your Job

Symptoms: You actively dislike or are totally bored with most of your duties and not just a few aspects of your work. The demands placed upon you are unreasonable, and you have little or no control over your work environment. You feel like your work is underappreciated or has little value. You might also harbor feelings of hostility towards your boss or workplace. You procrastinate or perform poorly at work, because you feel frustrated or apathetic, and you may be deliberately trying to spite your employer.

Treatment:

• Do some serious self-evaluation to see if it's time to quit.

• If a negative work environment is the main problem, see what you can do to change it. Talk to other staff to see if they feel the same way, then present your case to management with a list of specific complaints and suggested solutions to each problem.

• If you're angry with a particular person, discuss the situation calmly with him or her and attempt to resolve your feelings.

• Even if you're saddled with a project you don't enjoy and didn't choose, try to find a personal reason for completing it. Perhaps your work ethic says that you should give your best in everything you do, or your boss may appreciate and reward your efforts. Having a sense of control and purpose will make it much easier to tackle an unpleasant task.

Indecision

Symptoms: Making a major decision, such as which specialty to pursue, can be an extremely stressful experience. You might become paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong choice, and feel unable to take any action at all.

Treatment:

• Ask people for advice.

• Draw up a list of criteria on which to base your decision, and weigh the pros and cons of each scenario.

• Going with your gut instinct is often a good idea, since research has shown that we process a lot of information subconsciously when trying to come to a decision.

• Sometimes inaction can cause more problems than making the "wrong" decision. Remember that there are advantages and drawbacks to any decision, and that you will make the best of whichever path you choose.

• Tell someone else what your deadline for making a decision is, and report to that person on the scheduled day.

You Are a Slacker

Symptoms: You expend the minimum amount of effort possible while on the job. You dislike hard or tedious work, you're easily distracted, and it's difficult for you to focus for long periods of time. You may fantasize about grand accomplishments, such as becoming the head of the department, but don't take concrete steps to realize those ambitions. Your boss may have expressed dissatisfaction with your work (or lack thereof), and your coworkers may complain about you being unreliable or not pulling your own weight.

Treatment:

• Start working this instant! Rather than thinking, "I'll get to it in five minutes," start the job immediately and promise yourself that you can take a break later. Once you begin the work, the momentum will make it much easier to keep going.

• Set up a work schedule that outlines what you'll be doing on an hour by hour basis. You can also schedule in short breaks, but make sure that you don't exceed the allotted time when you're taking them!

• Reward yourself for accomplishing tasks, and give yourself a bigger reward if they're completed ahead of time or done exceptionally well.

• Common timewasters at work include surfing the internet, chatting with coworkers, and taking care of personal business. You can remove temptations by shutting down your internet browser, closing your door, and letting your answering machine pick up incoming calls. Ask your family and friends to not call you at work, and limit the amount of time you spend checking and answering emails. Alternatively, try working in full view of other people, so that the fear of being caught will prevent you from procrastinating.

• Set realistic expectations for yourself and your work. In the past, have you overestimated your abilities or underestimated the amount of time a project requires? Did you convince yourself that nobody will notice if you do a poor job? Replace those thoughts with practical goals, and a step-by-step plan of how you will meet them.

• Get help from others. Tell your partner, friend, or trusted colleague about your difficulties at work. They can help you by holding you accountable to your deadlines, and offering support and encouragement.

• Your boss and colleagues may have already noticed that you're under-performing at work. If they bring up the topic, listen and don't try to cover up your poor behavior by lying or making excuses. Accept responsibility for your actions, tell them what steps you're taking to fix the problem, and ask them for additional advice.

• Consider some career counseling. Maybe you should change jobs or even change careers, and work in a role or field that is more fitting with your temperament.

• Think finishing your work well and on time hard? Just imagine how much harder it will be to lose your job, or be permanently stuck in low-level positions due to your lackluster job performance. Your first instinct is to choose immediate gratification (slacking off) over hard work, but thinking through the long-term consequences should change your mind.

Next week, see Overcoming Procrastination, Part Two for more detailed advice on how to combat this problem.

Also see our earlier articles: I'll Do it Later! and Dear Cindy – Procrastination Problem.

Overcoming Procrastination, Part One

Fear and Anxiety

Feeling Overwhelmed

Perfectionism

Fueled by Deadlines

The Busy Procrastinator

Feeling Lost

Avoiding Unpleasant Tasks

You Hate Your Job

Indecision

You Are a Slacker

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Sheng Wang

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