Thoughts on Procrastination | Why we Do it.

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Hello HIVERS!

Well of late I have been finding myself struggling more and more with putting things off until the last minute or what we all are aware of as Procrastination.

It is very frustrating at times because in my head I have this long list of things that I want to actually get done, books to read, a comedy tv show to check out, art to try out, personal programming project I have to get started on but I can't seem to reign control on waiting for the last minute.

And so in this update, let's look at what procrastination really is and also some thoughts on why we really do it, we have to get insights on how to overcome it, otherwise, life will turn out into a sour experience.

Napoleon Hill though of procrastination as:

Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday
Napoleon Hill

In his book Solving the Procrastination Puzzle, Timothy Pychyl defined procrastination as:

the voluntary delay of an intended action despite the knowledge that this delay may harm the individual in terms of the task performance or even just how the individual feels about the task or him- or herself.
Timothy Pychyl

As I have come to realize, for many of us procrastination becomes a habit, it becomes a self-reinforcing behavior, where the more we procrastinate the more likely we will do it in the future.

This instigates a vicious loop of very unproductive behavior. I can attest to how it decreases one's ability to accomplish their goals, while at the same time negatively impacting one's feelings of self-efficacy. In general, it leads to a more stressful life.

Why do we do it?

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Many people have the belief that one's inability to get things done is a direct result of their procrastination. However, I think it is important to note that procrastination isn't, in fact, the root cause of one's unproductive behavior, but rather it is a habit that we form in an attempt to avoid and stress elicited by certain activities.

Neil Fiore shares more insight on this in his book, titled The Now Habit writing:

In my work with thousands of procrastinators I have discovered that there is one main reason why we procrastinate: It rewards us with temporary relief from stress … The main reason we learn any habit … is that even a seemingly counterproductive habit like procrastination is immediately followed by some reward. Procrastination reduces tension by taking us away from something we view as painful or threatening … In a sense, we become addicted to using procrastination as a way to temporarily reduce the anxiety associated with certain tasks.
Neil Fiore

On introspection of why one is really holding back on taking action, Neil Fiore's insights become quite apparent.

For me doing something that I am not really sure about my mastery definitely spikes my anxiety levels, which has been happening quite a lot lately, as an escape I choose to postpone getting on the task at hand until the last minute.

A habit I must learn to overcome, otherwise, in the longterm, the effects will be detrimental, and I will have to endure more pain which I can avoid all-together by taking action right now.

Well, there are some few insights on this problem we all seem to face, more often than we would really like.

I myself don't like the stress created in the long-run, it means I will always have to battle anxiety on a regular basis, something I don't think is that much fun.

Anyway, see y'all in my next update, where I will be sharing insights on how to overcome procrastination.

Cheers!

@peeterx