Procrastination

Procrastination

Procrastination is opportunity's assassin.  ~Victor Kiam

We all put things off from time to time. We procrastinate.

However, chronic procrastination is akin to a mental illness.

In fact it is a sort of mental illness, and like many others, is largely driven by low self-esteem.

Here‘s how it seems to operate: imagine that you feel that whatever task you have to complete is a difficult one. You have to focus on it for a considerable period.

Now imagine you are terrified that you will not do a good enough job of that task. Add to that a dreadful fear of failure (“What if it’s not good enough?” ; “What if I am not good enough?”).

Further, top up the emotions with a strong desire to make the outcome perfect, and you have a very frightening combination of feelings that force you to pause before you start the project.

And you pause for a long time. You put off dealing with the issue by busying yourself with minor tasks.

We All Procrastinate

Surveys have shown that over 90% of us procrastinate from time to time. However, there are about 20% of us who chronically or habitually procrastinate because we are terrified of failure, or cannot believe we will make a perfect job of the task. Many procrastinators are perfectionists.

Debilitation

Oddly, in society we accept procrastination as just a minor issue, but it is, in fact, a very serious issue for those who chronically procrastinate. It is a fear, and like any other major fear, it can be debilitating and very destructive for the people who suffer from this illness.

Some people are actually unable to function at all because they are so fearful of failure.

Commencing A Project or Task Can Be Daunting

Fear of failure is almost as powerful as fear of success within these people – “I am not worthy of success” and “I will always fail” are the catch-cries of procrastinators.

These are deeply seated psychological drivers of their procrastinating behaviour. The fear can be almost palpable for these people. They are terrified to begin a project or task, and will do almost anything to put it off.

It has often been thought that people who procrastinate are just lazy. But this is not the case. They are fearful of starting something they might not complete perfectly.

Much has been written about procrastination and its links with ADHD, and almost certainly there are associations there, however, procrastination is not the exclusive domain of attention deficit sufferers.

Characteristics of procrastinators are outbursts of anger; shouting and feelings of being dejected are frequent. Feelings of worthlessness, potential failure, rejection and internalised grief at loss of jobs, future potential and “what could have been” prevail.

Causes of Low Self Esteem

It’s all well and good to pass off problems of procrastination as “low self-esteem”, but the root causes of low self-esteem must be examined here.

In short, low self-esteem is a very dysfunctional state for the people who suffer from it. It appears that this state is developed from childhood, and persists throughout adulthood.

People with low self-esteem generally approach life from a negative point of view. In fact, people unable to cope with this often commit suicide as a result. Quite often these people will become aggressive, commit crimes, verbally (and sometimes physically) attack other people. 

In teenagers, delinquency and low self-esteem are closely related. Bullies at school are generally found to suffer from low self-esteem.

Most people with low self-esteem have had an early childhood without much affection from parents, and have been told frequently that they are no good, failures headed for an unsuccessful future.

Child abuse, parental unemployment and/or alcoholism are also causal factors. In fact, anything to do with the creation of negative outlooks will often lead to low self-esteem in a child.

Some Ways Of Dealing With Procrastination

Start the project! No matter how bad you start it, at the very least try to put pen to paper, or begin the task even if it’s not perfect. You can always go over it many times to make changes.

Try not to vacuum the floor instead, before you start. Just do anything at all towards the project, and you can say you have started. Try not to worry about the outcome at this early stage. A start is good.

 Always try to be around positive people, avoid negative people, and never try to overcome the feelings without seeking help from a friend or professional.

Stop seeing negative people as often, remember it’s your life we are talking about here.

Always seek positive environments, and avoid negative ones. Walk away from negative situations wherever possible.

Keep a diary or journal of feelings; try to identify what makes you feel negative and situations/ people that help you feel positive.

Reward yourself for every hour you put into a project: go for a walk; buy an ice=cream; go to the movies etc.

Try to obtain a copy of a remarkable book that will help you if you are a chronic procrastinator: “Worrier’s Guide To Overcoming Procrastination: Breaking Free From Anxiety That Holds You Back” written by Pamela Wiegartz & Kevin Gyoerkoe, New Harbinger Publications 2011 Price $24.26.