Do you tend to start projects at the last minute?
Do you delay dealing with sticky problems for as long as you can?
Would you rather “face the music” later than face an unpleasant task right now?
If your answers include at least one “yes,” you know what it means to procrastinate – to purposely put off dealing with a problem or a project. While I’m guessing that probably all of us sometimes procrastinate, what’s interesting is why we do it and how the “why” can vary with the circumstances.
See if one or more of these reasons explains why you sometimes procrastinate:
Feeling Overwhelmed
When we are overwhelmed by a seemingly impossible “must do” list, our natural fight-or-flight survival reaction may kick in. Unlike our prehistoric ancestors, we can’t defeat our task list in a fight or flee from it. But since our brains don’t know that missing a deadline won’t kill us, it goes into fight-or-flight mode to protect us. However, when we can neither fight nor flee, sometimes we just freeze somewhere in between fight and flight. This shows up as procrastination. The “freeze” period allows us to temporarily avoid the tasks that are overwhelming us.
TIP: Take a hard look at what is overwhelming you. Are there tasks you can delegate to someone else? Are you doing things for others that they should be doing for themselves? Are you saying “yes” to things you should say “no” to?
The Desire for Meaningful Work
When we don’t feel that our work matters, it can be hard to motivate ourselves to get that work done. Whether we work for a paycheck or on a volunteer basis, if what we’re doing is not meaningful to us or if we do not enjoy it, we may struggle to keep doing it. That inner struggle for meaning may show up as procrastination.
TIP: If your work isn’t meaningful, it may be time to consider options that better match your God-given personality, strengths, talents and desires – that is, what do you really want to do?
The Pursuit of Perfection
Are you driven by the belief that whatever you do must be done perfectly? This self-imposed pressure can be so psychologically overwhelming that it results in procrastination. If things pile up even higher while you are procrastinating, the task may become even more overwhelming, making you want to procrastinate even more. Thus, the desire to accomplish something perfectly can actually result, ironically, in accomplishing nothing!
TIP: Give serious thought to how much extra time and energy it takes to move something from “good enough” to the perfection you envision. Is attaining perfection worth the time and energy it will cost you and perhaps others? From a practical standpoint, “good enough” often really is good enough!
Indecision
Procrastination isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes we procrastinate because we’re just not sure about what decision to make. If we are on a personal journey of self-discovery, we may not yet be sure how the puzzle pieces fit together, or we may not yet have discovered our “why” – the motivating purpose that defines and drives our choices. When we’re making potentially life-altering decisions, a period of thoughtful hesitation is wise. It allows us time to gather information, discuss options with others, reflect and, if we’re looking for God’s direction, allow time to receive it. We shouldn’t even think of this kind of intentional pause as procrastination; we should reframe it as an expression of exactly what Proverbs 4:26 tells us to do: “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet.”
Purposeful Procrastination
Experts suggest that instead of scolding ourselves for wasting time by procrastinating, we should instead see our mental “freeze” or pause as an opportunity. According to sociologist Dr. Christine Carter, “Our brains really benefit when we ‘waste time’…when we let ourselves daydream or our minds wander, an area of our brain comes online that is responsible for creative insight, and our best work comes from those creative insights.” Psychologist Alice Boyes has seen how “wasting time” benefits her. She wrote, “When I go for a walk…I let my mind drift without directing it too much. Solutions to problems magically emerge, and what I should prioritize becomes clearer without effort.”
We can use this same technique to make procrastination work for us! The secret to creative, productive procrastination is to give ourselves permission to just let our thoughts freely roam. That seems counter-intuitive because, when we procrastinate, our tendency is to forcefeed our minds by scrolling social media posts, playing a video game or binge watching TV. But, when we distract our minds with entertainment, we miss out on the productivity potential of procrastination that naturally comes from letting our minds just drift.
So, when you find yourself procrastinating, why not make it purposeful? Instead of reaching for some way to entertain your brain, let your mind freely wander. “Waste some time” and see what happens!
