Procrastination – What to Do About It?
Are you constantly thinking if you were more disciplined, procrastination wouldn’t be a problem and you would be a productivity wizard and efficiently move through your to-do list?
I’ve had this thought multiple times…but the truth is, procrastination is part of being human.
However, if you find that you’re putting more energy into trying to get yourself out of procrastination mode, instead of getting stuff done. Then you’re probably ready to kick procrastination to the curb.
In this post, I’m going to share the reason behind procrastination. Once you understand this, it’s much easier to not give into procrastination.
Then I’m going to share with you some tips to start moving from procrastinator to productivity.
The Reason Behind Procrastination
The Primitive Brain
The good and bad news is that procrastination is totally normal. In fact, it’s simply a product of how your brain operates.
There’s a part of your brain that’s sole purpose is to survive. I call this the primitive part of your brain.
In order to keep you alive, the primitive brain is always working to avoid pain (emotional, mental and physical), seek fun, and save energy. Basically, it’s always looking for immediate gratification.
When you think about putting a load of laundry in the washer, or starting dinner, or even sitting down to plan your schedule for the week, your brain will likely default to avoiding the “pain” of having to do the task. This looks like your brain offering other things you could do that would be more fun.
This is completely normal. You can also think of this part of your brain like a toddler (constantly saying “No” and “I don’t want to…).
The Logical Brain
Thank goodness you also have a part of the brain that’s looking out for your best interest. I call this the logical part of your brain, more specifically, your pre-frontal cortex.
This part of the brain can identify consequences, use self-control, plan ahead, and problem solve. It uses facts and evidence to make decisions versus emotions.
This is the part of your brain you use when you’re planning your week ahead of time, or when you exercise because you know you’ll feel better after, or when you do that load of laundry because you want clean underwear.
How to Lessen Procrastination
In order to lessen procrastination, you need to practice strengthening your logical part of the brain more than the primitive part of the brain.
I like to visualize this like a muscle. The more you give into the logical part of the brain, the stronger it gets, and in turn, the primitive part of the brain gets weaker.
This looks like following your schedule when you don’t want to. Or sticking to boundaries around screen time. Ultimately, you’re increasing self-discipline.
The stronger the logical part of your brain, the easier it will be to do what you intend to do without procrastination.
However, the more you give into the primitive part of the brain, the stronger it gets. This means it becomes harder and harder to ignore.
This can look like sitting on the couch after the kids are in bed, intending to scroll for 10 minutes, but then two hours pass by. Your brains going to remember how enjoyable this was (even though you lost sleep), and push you to do the same thing the next night after the kids are in bed. This then becomes a habit that’s hard to break.
Having this understanding doesn’t mean you’ll never procrastinate, but if you’re procrastinating a lot, your primitive brain might be driving the train.
It’s important to note that there’s times when it feels much harder than normal to get yourself moving. Your primitive brain is on high alert when you’re tired, stressed, hungry, overwhelmed, etc. In times like this, it take a lot more effort to give into the logical part of your brain.
Tips to Help You Strengthen Your Logical Brain to Increase Discipline
Here’s some tips to help you exercise self-discipline and let your survival brain take a back seat:
- Set your timer for 5 minutes and get going with your task (when timer goes off, you can stop if you want, or continue).
- Do not beat yourself up if you procrastinate. This leads to more negative emotions that will keep you stuck in procrastination. Remember, your primitive brain wants to avoid emotional pain.
- Break down tasks into smaller steps (helps the brain relax).
- Do the hardest task at your peak time of day.
- Prepare for the tasks ahead of time. The less steps you have to take, in the moment, to start a task, the less your primitive brain will resist.
- Think about how happy the “future you” will be when you get the task done.
- Spend 5 minutes putting a list together, or just brain dumping everything onto paper.
- Celebrate every time you don’t give into your primitive brain and instead, strengthen your logical brain!
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Stop Procrastination and Get into Action
Remember, when you’re in procrastination mode, it’s simply your brain’s way of trying to get immediate gratification, and you don’t have to listen to it!
The more you get to work (even when you don’t want to), the more you build up that self-discipline muscle.
Soon enough, you’ll find yourself procrastinating less and getting more done!
**Before you leave, grab The “Type A” Moms Guide to Feel Organized + In Control of Your Time, for FREE. You’ll find it here.**
