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Procrastination:
The Procrastination Cycle
The Procrastination Cycle
Procrastination arises from our unhelpful rules and assumptions about what we expect of ourselves and the world. When these are activated, they lead us to feel (or detect) some sort of discomfort about doing a task or goal we are faced with. If we can’t tolerate this discomfort (that is, we detest the feeling), we will be likely to use procrastination as our way of avoiding or dodging the discomfort. In addition, if we can come up with convincing excuses and justifications for our procrastination, we will be all the more likely to travel the path of procrastination. As such we will engage in procrastination activities, such as doing pleasurable or distracting things, as a substitute for the tasks and goals we need to be doing. In turn, the consequences that arise from our procrastination, whether they be positive or negative, make us more likely to turn to procrastination next time we are faced with a similar task or goal. This happens because we got both a pay-off for our procrastination, as well as made the task even more aversive by putting it off.
The Doing Cycle
The Doing Cycle
The Procrastination Cycle shows us that procrastination is like a vicious negative spiral that we get stuck in. The good thing about a cycle, is that usually we can reverse it from a negative cycle to a more positive cycle. The more positive Doing Cycle shows us that when faced with a task or goal you would usually procrastinate over, you need to:
Adjust your unhelpful rules and assumptions
Tolerate your discomfort
Dismiss your procrastination excuses
Be motivational towards yourself rather than critical
Put into action practical strategies to stop procrastinating.
It is important to realise that procrastination is a habit, and like any habit it will take time, practice, persistence and patience to change from ‘procrastinator’ to ‘doer’.
Worksheet
Worksheet
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