8 Tips for beating Procrastination

What is it that you would most like to change in your life?

Have you got a plan to make that change?

What's holding you back?

Fear is often the driver of Procrastination:

• Fear of failure
• Fear of not being perfect
• Fear of not living up to the expectations of others
• Fear of not being able to cope
• Fear of change
• Fear of fear

These fears often  keep us stuck where we don't want to be.

How does Fear Feed Procrastination?

As I've discussed with many of my clients, understanding the process of fear is one of the first and most important steps in overcoming this. Fear is a response triggered in the Amygdala of the Brain, which then signals the body to prepare for fight or flight;  often this process is set off by a very fleeting thought such as "I'll never be able to do this" , this thought happens so fast we are hardly aware that we've even had it.  This thought then sets off the alarm in the Amygdala, and the Amygdala immediately notifies the body to get ready by flooding the body with Adrenaline.  This may result in a racing heart, heaviness in the chest, tightening throat, perspiration, or just a general feeling of uneasiness and restlessness.  

The thinking part of the brain (Cerebral Cortex) then picks up on these physical symptoms, quickly notes that there is no imminent physical danger and so tries to explain why the body feels this way - this is why we suddenly have very compelling thoughts like "I need a break", "I think I'm hungry" , "I need to check YouTube".  The thought combined with the feeling is so compelling that we act on them as if they're an unstoppable force.

Sometimes procrastination can be chronic resulting in constant lateness, and last minute cramming and sometimes major life events, choices or tasks  e.g. VCE, University exams or assignments and important job applications or significant Stressors e.g. illness or loss can trigger procrastination even in people who are normally highly self-motivated.

How to eliminate procrastination:

1. So the first thing to do is to engage your meta cognition - that is to think about what you're thinking and what your brain is doing.  Think to yourself "there goes my brain doing that thing".  Breath slowly and deeply for a few moments, and examine the evidence of the thoughts you're having e.g.  "Do I really need a break, I only sat down to work about 5 minutes ago?"  "Am I really hungry in my stomach, or is it head hunger or even thirst?".
2. Having clearly defined goals and a scheduled plan will assist in helping keep you on track.  
3. Break tasks down into smaller chunks that are less overwhelming.  Use your plan to set lists and targets so that when you achieve one of the "chunked down" parts of the task you have the satisfaction of ticking it off and feeling a sense of achievement.
4. Prioritise when planning.  Ensure that you do the most important time sensitive items first rather than the easy or favourite items.
5. Be realistic with your plans, don't overstretch yourself, factor in realistic break and recreation times so that you don't feel a sense of burn out.
6. Visualise yourself successfully completing what you intend to do, this is a very effective way of getting your brain on board with the process, and making it feel less daunting and more achievable.  
7. Understand that failure is a part of life and things often don't go according to plan the first time, these are learning experiences.  The most successful people in the world have the longest lists of failures to their credit because they just keep giving it a go and building on what each failure teaches them about how to do things differently next time.
8. The hardest part is beginning, think beyond that to the satisfaction of completing the task and jump in.  The uncomfortable feelings will subside and you're resilience and endurance will increase with every task done.

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If procrastination is a very well established habit for you I can help you fast-track the changes you need in your behaviour and help you to get yourself moving forward again.  

Call Georgina on 0435 923 817, or use the contact form at this Link

Hypfocus Therapies, Mentone, South East Melbourne
Hypnotherapy Melbourne
Clinical Hypnotherapy and Professional Counselling

Help with #Focus #Concentration #Motivation #ExamSuccess #VCE