Why Do We Procrastinate?
Watch this short video to learn what happens in your brain and body that can trigger procrastination.
Video Recap
1. Procrastination is often triggered by fear associated with a task.
The fear is not just about the task itself, but also about how we interpret the challenges associated with the task and how those interpretations impact how we evaluate ourselves. For example, we may worry about failing, making mistakes, or what the outcome says about our abilities.
2. This fear evokes our fight, flight, or freeze response.
Procrastination is essentially the flight response that we are all wired to have. Rather than confronting the source of fear, our brain encourages us to escape it, often by turning to something that feels easier or more rewarding in the moment.
3. The tricky part is that procrastination works, at least temporarily.
Avoiding the task reduces feelings of stress and anxiety, providing a brief sense of relief. Because our brain experiences that relief as a reward, it becomes more likely to choose avoidance the next time a similar task triggers fear.
4. Procrastination forms a cycle.
Even though we rationally know procrastination often creates more stress in the long run, our brain learns that avoidance brings immediate relief, making the habit difficult to break.
Which Fear Is Driving Your Procrastination?
Most often, the flight response kicks in automatically, and we begin procrastinating without realizing what underlying fear we're trying to avoid. The first step to breaking the procrastination cycle is to understand the fear that triggers your procrastination and map it out.
In this section, we'll talk about how we internalize messages about toxic productivity from our environment and the core beliefs we develop about ourselves that evoke those fears and trigger the flight response. At the end, we'll map out your procrastination cycle together!
Internalized Toxic Productivity
Many of us grow up surrounded by messages that tie our worth to our productivity and achievements. Listen to the audio below to learn how the cycle of toxic productivity may contribute to procrastination.
Schema (our core beliefs about ourselves and the world)
Click here to listen the section:
Schemas are our core beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world. They are often shaped by our past experiences and continue to influence how we think, feel, and respond to new situations.
Think of a schema as a pair of sunglasses. The lenses change how we see it, and in the same way, schemas act as mental filters that shape how we interpret ourselves, other people, and the world around us. The tricky part is that we often forget we're wearing the "sunglasses." Instead of recognizing that our schemas are influencing our perspective, we assume what we see is reality.
When a schema is activated, it can shape how we evaluate a challenge and whether our brain perceives it as threatening. Check out the list of common schemas and identify the schema that has contributed to the fear that fuels your procrastination (common triggers are highlighted).
Map out How Your Fear Triggers Your Procrastination
Now use this example to map out your fear chain reaction that leads to procrastination: Worksheet for the Procrastination Chain Reaction.
How to make changes
how to unlearn an unhelpful habit.
Cycle with intervention point - cognitive, emotional, behavioral
insert audio
include the pic of the procrastination cycle graph. and talk about whent to use the techniques and how to use the techniques.
Cognitive Techniques
Stop self-blaming
If you find yourself blaming yourself frequently, try this exercise:
insert an exercise (audio) - leaves on the stream
Do not be afraid to make mistakes
Emotional Technique
What is that feeling?
instead of avoiding feeling the stress, take a moment to identify the feeling. Our emotions need to be acknowledged, or it will keep trying to get our attention.
Insert a pic - fill out your feelings. (what is the feelings and where is it coming from - DBT ?)
Calm your nerve
Breathing exercises - audio/video
Behavioral Techniques
Setting reachable goals
insert pic for smallest possible goals
Social accountability
Self-discipline is overrated!
Pairing and smoothing
pairing