Procrastination Symptoms Checker

To overcome procrastination we need a positive attitude about the human spirit. Procrastination is not the cause of our problems with accomplishing tasks, it is an attempt to resolve a variety of underlying issues

• • Does life feel like a series of obligations that cannot be met ?

Symptoms to look for

1. 1. 1. 1. Do you keep impossibly long To-Do lists?
         2. Do you talk to yourself in “Have to” and “Shoulds”

• • Are you unrealistic about time?

Symptoms to look for

1. 1. 1. 1. Do you talk about starting projects in vague terms like – in the summer or sometime next month?
         2. Do you lose track of how you spend time everyday?

• • Are you vague about your goals?

Symptoms to look for

1. 1. 1. 1. Do you difficulty knowing what you really want, but are clear about what you should want?
         2. Do you get easily distracted from a goal by another plan that seems to be free of problems?

• • Do you feel unfulfilled and frustrated?

Symptoms to look for

1. 1. 1. 1. Do you have life goals you have not completed or attempted?
         2. Do you find that you are never satisfied with what you have accomplished?
         3. Are you continually wondering why did I do that? What is wrong with me?

• • Are you indecisive and afraid of being criticized for making a mistake?

Symptoms to look for

1. 1. 1. 1. You delay completing projects because you try to make them perfect
         2. You worry endlessly about what if something goes wrong

In life there are leisure activities and forms of work that we choose to do without hesitation, because we are more than procrastinators. When we turn our attention to what we love to do- things that encourage our spontaneity and curiosity, we are not lazy ! Dr Neil Fiore ( Author of the Now Habit) does not accept that laziness, disorganization or any other character defect is the reason one procrastinates, nor does he think people are innately lazy.

Procrastination is actually rewarding – the main reason we learn any habit is because it is immediately followed by some reward. Procrastination reduces tension by taking us away from something we view as painful or threatening. The more painful the task is for us- the more we will seek relief through avoidance or through involvement in pleasurable activities. Every insecurity bubbles up to our consciousness, as we think about working on a project- we feel we are no good at. Resentment hurt and fear of failure have become associated with certain kinds of tasks- it is as if we are driving with the brakes on- we have lost our motivation and we doubt our inner drive to get things done. At this point self-criticism seems justified.

So you ask what is the solution how do I break free from procrastination ?

Procrastination Log

You need to start by maintaining your own record of a procrastination log for a few days. A log is required because we need a structure to keep us aware of the passage of time and how we spend it.

Observe yourself objectively – do not judge yourself or analyze your behaviour. Keep this inventory for three days of every waking activity. Notice the total time spent on each activity, divide the total time by 3, you will arrive at an estimate of the average daily amount of time spent on each task or activity. Simply look for areas of improvement by greater control over interruptions and lost time.

Start by identifying events that precede procrastination or low priority work. Knowing which events trigger negative habits will help you to switch to more productive activities. Next link the avoided activity to a specific thought, justification, attempted solution and resultant thought. You will be able to observe the absurd lengths taken to procrastinate, indicate how much pain you have trained yourself to associate with that task. Note any underlying negative attitudes, beliefs that lead to feelings of victimhood, depravation, pressure to be perfect or fear of failure.

Remember, the first major step out of procrastination is to become aware of “How” fear leads to your old patterns. Next we need to create safety so that leads to productivity. How do we do that ? The answer to this question is what we shall explore in the next blog in this procrastination series.