"Short-term gain; long-term pain" is how Psychology Today magazine terms procrastination. Piers Steel at the University of Calgary reviewed 553 studies on procrastination. He concluded that procrastination stems from four variables: 1) The person's expectation of succeeding at the task 2) The value of the task 3) The person's need for immediate gratification 4) The person's impulsiveness.
Steele says the most powerful one of these variables is the person's impulsiveness. He thinks that we are dealing with modern life with hunter/gatherer brains. Our forebears needed food right now. Delayed gratification was not part of their lives. So, our brains are hard-wired toward immediate gratification. A third piece of chocolate cake trumps looking good in our swim suits next summer. Add to that all the modern distractions - email, facebook and the like - and you have a perfect environment for procrastination.
Now that we know more about what causes it, what are we going to do about it? For starters, we will need to learn to manage our emotions so that the anxiety we feel when confronting a task that is no fun and is hard, etc. doesn't derail our intention to do it because it will benefit us in the future. Using visual imagery of what we will gain at that future time from doing this task now will help bring the future into the present. Then, we will need to learn to ride out the difficult feelings we have about the task and not give in to feeling more like it tomorrow. Start anyway. Once we've started, we'll gain momentum. After that, be sure to isolate yourself from distractions plus get the information you need to do the task. Finally, research shows that willpower is like a muscle - the more you use it, the more powerful it becomes. Conversely, the more you give in to procrastination, the weaker your ability to regulate your behavior becomes. Mindful meditation helps too - learning to focus also strengthens your ability to regulate your behavior.
Overcoming procrastination - guess what?- brings you more and more quickly to the life of your dreams.
Empowerment enhances the ability of individuals or organizations to make choices and transform those choices into positive outcomes. Empowered people have recognized their own value and strength and their capacity to handle life's problems. In turn they are better able to influence the course of their lives. With information and support, most people can find within themselves the power to direct their lives and reach their dreams.
1 comment:
You and Wayne (Dyer) are both kicking my ass with this stuff, and I'm GRATEFUL for it!!! Thank you, Ma'am, may I have another?!?!? ;-) Starting on the paperwork TONIGHT. May need to miss a few meetings till I get it finished, but I think my sobriety will endure anyway ;-)
Love ya!
E :-)
Post a Comment