Procrastination, What, Why and How
Note: This article is a speech script for Toastmasters project, Research and Present.
The deadline is approaching, but I just don’t want to start to work on the project. I have signed up for a speech this week, but I don’t know what topic to talk about yet. I know I am supposed to switch from Toastmaster Tradition Program to Pathways, but I am just not ready.
By a show of hands, who think you procrastinate? Who feels that procrastination bothers you and you want to change?
The good news is, you are not alone. According to Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, 20 percent of people are chronic procrastinators.
The website Procrastination and Science lists a lot of famous people who are also severe procrastinators, like The Dalai Lama, Victor Hugo, Saint Augustine, Bill Clinton, Leonardo da Vinci, and so on.
What exactly is procrastination? In the book Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About it Now, Jane B Burka & Lenora M. Yuen define it this way. If you simply want to take your time to finish tasks, don’t want to rush, it might not be the most efficient or best way, but it is your way, it works for you, and you don’t mind, then it’s not procrastination. The real procrastination is that you always keep delaying or postponing things you are supposed to finish for no reason, you want to change it but you just cannot. You struggle, and even hate yourself for it. That’s procrastination.
Why do people procrastinate? Evolutionary Psychology has an excellent explanation. The environment our ancient ancestors lived in was very dangerous. Wild animals, poisonous plants, diseases. They could easily get killed. So the best strategy for them was to eat as much as possible, sleep as long as possible, and don’t take any risk. But some individuals were different, they didn’t procrastinate, they planned and stuck to the plan, and they took risks. Guess what happened to them? Yes, they all died, and their genes weren’t able to pass down. As a result, procrastination is in our gene. It is human nature.
Now, what should I do about procrastination?
First and foremost, accept it. After knowing that procrastination is human nature, it should be easier for us to accept it. Then ask yourself, does it really impact your career or personal growth? If not, then just relax, and don’t worry about it. Even if it really bothers you, accepting it is still the first step. Actually, this applied to all issues we are trying to deal with in life. We cannot change it until we have accepted it.
In the book End Procrastination Now! Get it Done with a Proven Psychological Approach,
William Knaus, a licensed psychologist with more than 40 years of clinical experience in working with people suffering from anxiety and depression, provides us with a powerful tool, called the 5-minute rule. The hardest part of procrastination is getting started, and this tool is just for that. Instead of making a plan of finishing a project, change the plan to working on the project for just 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, often you will find yourself just don’t want to stop. Instead of planning to do one-hour yoga, simply plan to take out your yoga mat. Instead of totally switching from Toastmaster Traditional Program to Pathways, how about just get registered and see what it looks like. The other week I mentioned I had a great strategy to achieve goals. This is it. One of my goals this year is to continue what I started last year, writing. My plan is simply to write something every day, it could be as little as one sentence. By doing so, I have finished writing my understanding of Economics, 13 articles, 20,000 words.
Psychologists Jane B Burka & Lenora M. Yuen provides us another useful tool to conquer procrastination: Getting rid of the distraction. In our high-speed society, there are too many distractions: cell phone calls and texts, emails, Facebook posts, breaking news, all kinds of smartphone App notifications... Some people find that they are most productive when they are on an airplane, because there is very little distraction out there, the cell phone is offline, that’s the biggest part, no access to your favorite snacks, no one to talk to, you cannot walk around... So why not open my laptop and finish the report haven’t finished.
To summarize, we have explained what is procrastination. Simply taking your time, and not rushing is not procrastination. Procrastination is keeping delaying and postponing until you stress out or miss the deadlines. We also answered the question of why do people procrastinate. It is in our gene, it is human nature. Then we gave three tools to cope with procrastination, accept it, use the 5-minute rule to get started and get rid of distractions.
I have listed all the sources I have cited here. I have several copies. If anyone is interested to know more, please come to me and get one.
Sources:
Links:
Psychology of Procrastination: Why People Put Off Important Tasks Until the Last Minute, by Joseph Ferrari
Procrastination and Science
Evolutionary Psychology:
Books:
Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About it Now, by Jane B Burka & Lenora M. Yuen
End Procrastination Now! Get it Done with a Proven Psychological Approach, by William Knaus
By a show of hands, who think you procrastinate? Who feels that procrastination bothers you and you want to change?
The good news is, you are not alone. According to Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, 20 percent of people are chronic procrastinators.
The website Procrastination and Science lists a lot of famous people who are also severe procrastinators, like The Dalai Lama, Victor Hugo, Saint Augustine, Bill Clinton, Leonardo da Vinci, and so on.
What exactly is procrastination? In the book Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About it Now, Jane B Burka & Lenora M. Yuen define it this way. If you simply want to take your time to finish tasks, don’t want to rush, it might not be the most efficient or best way, but it is your way, it works for you, and you don’t mind, then it’s not procrastination. The real procrastination is that you always keep delaying or postponing things you are supposed to finish for no reason, you want to change it but you just cannot. You struggle, and even hate yourself for it. That’s procrastination.
Why do people procrastinate? Evolutionary Psychology has an excellent explanation. The environment our ancient ancestors lived in was very dangerous. Wild animals, poisonous plants, diseases. They could easily get killed. So the best strategy for them was to eat as much as possible, sleep as long as possible, and don’t take any risk. But some individuals were different, they didn’t procrastinate, they planned and stuck to the plan, and they took risks. Guess what happened to them? Yes, they all died, and their genes weren’t able to pass down. As a result, procrastination is in our gene. It is human nature.
Now, what should I do about procrastination?
First and foremost, accept it. After knowing that procrastination is human nature, it should be easier for us to accept it. Then ask yourself, does it really impact your career or personal growth? If not, then just relax, and don’t worry about it. Even if it really bothers you, accepting it is still the first step. Actually, this applied to all issues we are trying to deal with in life. We cannot change it until we have accepted it.
In the book End Procrastination Now! Get it Done with a Proven Psychological Approach,
William Knaus, a licensed psychologist with more than 40 years of clinical experience in working with people suffering from anxiety and depression, provides us with a powerful tool, called the 5-minute rule. The hardest part of procrastination is getting started, and this tool is just for that. Instead of making a plan of finishing a project, change the plan to working on the project for just 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, often you will find yourself just don’t want to stop. Instead of planning to do one-hour yoga, simply plan to take out your yoga mat. Instead of totally switching from Toastmaster Traditional Program to Pathways, how about just get registered and see what it looks like. The other week I mentioned I had a great strategy to achieve goals. This is it. One of my goals this year is to continue what I started last year, writing. My plan is simply to write something every day, it could be as little as one sentence. By doing so, I have finished writing my understanding of Economics, 13 articles, 20,000 words.
Psychologists Jane B Burka & Lenora M. Yuen provides us another useful tool to conquer procrastination: Getting rid of the distraction. In our high-speed society, there are too many distractions: cell phone calls and texts, emails, Facebook posts, breaking news, all kinds of smartphone App notifications... Some people find that they are most productive when they are on an airplane, because there is very little distraction out there, the cell phone is offline, that’s the biggest part, no access to your favorite snacks, no one to talk to, you cannot walk around... So why not open my laptop and finish the report haven’t finished.
To summarize, we have explained what is procrastination. Simply taking your time, and not rushing is not procrastination. Procrastination is keeping delaying and postponing until you stress out or miss the deadlines. We also answered the question of why do people procrastinate. It is in our gene, it is human nature. Then we gave three tools to cope with procrastination, accept it, use the 5-minute rule to get started and get rid of distractions.
I have listed all the sources I have cited here. I have several copies. If anyone is interested to know more, please come to me and get one.
Sources:
Links:
Psychology of Procrastination: Why People Put Off Important Tasks Until the Last Minute, by Joseph Ferrari
Procrastination and Science
Evolutionary Psychology:
Books:
Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About it Now, by Jane B Burka & Lenora M. Yuen
End Procrastination Now! Get it Done with a Proven Psychological Approach, by William Knaus
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