Chronic procrastination: what is it, what is it dangerous and how to fight it?

The term “procrastination” appeared in 1977, it denotes the tendency of the subject to postpone the fulfillment of an important task, switching his attention to the affairs of the secondary. This state acquires a chronic form when the habit of postponing develops into a lifestyle, which ultimately leads to psychological problems.

Content

A person can get rid of chronic procrastination only if he honestly admits to himself that the problem exists. Moreover, the problem is complex. Therefore, it is necessary to fight her, given this circumstance.

What is chronic procrastination?

Some people believe that procrastination is ordinary laziness. However, this is an erroneous judgment.

Laziness is a condition in which a person does not want to do something and does not feel any concern about this.
A procrastination -This is a state in which he is fully aware of the importance and the need to perform some actions, but does not carry out them, switching to entertainment or to household trifles. However, he always finds excuses and explanations for such behavior.
Procrastination - This is an illusion of action. The subject replaces the implementation of important cases with something else. He does not just tolerate unpleasant work for another period. A person begins to do something else, convincing himself that he will certainly do what is needed, but only later, when some favorable conditions come.

Besides, procrastination It differs from laziness as follows. Lencing, a person rests and during this period makes up for energy reserves. But in a state of procrastination, he loses his energy. After all, at first he spends it on secondary little things, and then on the fight against growing anxiety about the need to fulfill important matters.
I must say that this condition is familiar to almost every individual. All people experienced it to a greater or lesser extent. And to a certain level, this phenomenon can be considered normal. The problem appears when procrastination becomes the usual, “natural” state of the subject, acquiring a chronic form. This is the most dangerous type of procrastination. In this state, a person does not even pretend that he will do something. And the vital energy gradually leaves it.

The famous specialist in the field of procrastination, Professor Joseph Ferrari, divides the procrastinators into three main types:

Acute lovers - Persons who prefer to pull with the implementation of cases to the deadline to feel the surge of adrenaline from the current tense situation, when it is likely not to have time to solve the tasks.
Gray mice -Avoid work because of fear that they will not be able to cope with her. Such people are very dependent on someone else's opinion and painfully perceive criticism. For “mice” it is preferable to remain in the shade than to break forward and make any mistakes.
Irresponsible - Such people do not want to answer for anything. They do nothing, as they avoid responsibility for the results obtained as a result.

Causes of chronic procrastination

Physiologists explain the reasons for procrastination by conflict of two areas of the human brain:

Prefrontal cortex responsible for concentration.
The limbic system responsible for pleasure.

When the upcoming task seems to us difficult to fulfill Or very boring, then part of the brain is activated with pleasure. She begins to demand positive emotions. As a result, we begin to look for ways to somehow entertain ourselves, and put off unpleasant work.

Most of us are able to show willpower And do not be distracted from the necessary business. However, some people can not cope with this task.
There are several theories about the causes that cause chronic procrastination in humans. However, none of them is scientific and universally recognized.

The most common experts are the following causes of chronic procrastination:

Uncertainty. A person is not confident in his abilities or that the matter that he intended will be accepted by society. Due to low self-esteem, he does not believe that he is able to cope with the task and cannot decide whether to spend his strength and energy on it. Therefore, postpones the performance of work for an indefinite period.
Fear. It may appear as a result of unsuccessful experience in the past. Therefore, a person does not want to experience negative sensations again. Putting things can also be associated with fear of success. In this case, the procrastinator deliberately limits himself, fearing possible achievements and universal recognition. Such a person from childhood is afraid to seem better than others. The reasons can be different: fear of responsibility, possible criticism from the outside or high requirements that may be presented to him in the future.
A sense of contradiction and rebellion. The state of chronic procrastination can be caused by the individual’s desire to demonstrate to others that he has his own outlook on life and does not want to follow generally accepted standards and rules. Such people are annoyed by the roles imposed from outside. By depositing and sabotting work, the rebels are trying to prove their independence and the right to their own choice.
Perfectionism. People who are characterized by this feature always strive for perfection and are too concentrated on unimportant details. Perfectionists tormented by fear that the results of the work they perform will not be perfect. Such people live on the principle of "all or nothing."
If they are not sure that everything will turn out perfectly, then they will not even start. In addition, such personalities can consciously or subconsciously create “emergency” situations when the deadlines are burning or other circumstances are pressed. The fact is that perfectionists often believe that a good result can be achieved only in case of severe tension and pressure.
Creative search. Often chronic procrastination overcomes creative people. When a person creates something, he does not know for sure what will happen in the end. He cannot guess what the final drawing, poem or musical composition will become. The unknown of the final results gives rise to internal anxiety, which can develop into real fear. Perfectionism is also connected to this fear when the Creator wants the result of his work to be perfect. As a result, the performance of the drawing, article or song is postponed. This circumstance can lead to the fact that a person who, in principle, is engaged in his favorite business, will just begin to hate his work.

Temporary motivation. The individual considers any action useful when he is completely confident in his successful completion and a certain reward at the end. It is less useful that the case is considered to be the completion of which still a lot of time remains. That is, the farther the goal is from a person, the less he has the desire to achieve it. Especially if delays in work are transferred to such a person very painful. And vice versa, the closer the goal, the more diligent it works.

What is the danger of chronic procrastination?

Some people believe that procrastination - The problem is far -fetched, and there is nothing wrong with this condition. However, for those who are subject to its chronic form, life becomes simply painful.

We list the dangerous chronic procrastination:

Expressor He puts off all matters for an indefinite time, “for later”, and then either refuses the planned one, or tries to implement everything in one swing in a very short time. As a result, important things are done to them poorly or not fulfilled at all. This inevitably entails trouble in the service due to impaired terms. Thus, career growth and personal development are inhibited.
Unfulfilled obligations They become the cause of conflicts with others. Relations with loved ones and relatives are gradually weakening, which can lead to the loneliness of the procrastinator.
In chronic procrastination, self -esteem decreases. This condition does not allow a person to reveal his potential, because he does not devote enough time to the main tasks, but all the time is distracted by trifles. As a result, he experiences a feeling of guilt, dissatisfaction with himself and is in a state of constant stress.

Existence in a long stressful situation Negatively affects the well -being of the procrastinators. Their immunity is reduced, digestive problems, nervousness or sleep disturbance may begin. From constant delaying affairs, energy from a person gradually leaves, and his body gradually fades away. That is why chronic procrastinators in the morning feel broken and tired. They are sluggish, they are constantly driving them.
With chronic procrastination in humans the placement of priorities is distorted. He makes a choice in favor of momentary pleasure, not prospects in the future.
If we do not fulfill what planned or planned Our energy is wasted. The feeling of guilt that we experience at the same time eats us from the inside. In eastern culture, such incomplete deeds are considered to be an excessive burden that a person carries. And the more incomplete things he has, the less strength to implement them.
It is proved that chronic expressers are prone to abuse of alcohol. The reason is that they cannot not only start doing something in time, but also stop in time.

Procrastination - This, a kind, dependence on delaying affairs. And you need to get rid of addiction. There is no joy to live a “delayed” life, and cannot be. Fantasies cannot make life bright and interesting.

How to deal with chronic procrastination?

First of all, take the procrastination as a signal of your body that you are in the wrong direction. And your body simply refuses to do what he does not want. Try to find the true reason for delaying your affairs.
Unfortunately, the universal method of getting rid of chronic procrastination does not exist. This is due to the fact that the causes that generate it are individual in each person. For each reason, there are separate methods of struggle.

Psychologists offer a number of techniques to significantly reduce this negative state:

Due to procrastination is directly related to motivation, then in some cases the solution to the problem may be a change in work or study. However, such a measure is quite radical, which can not be suitable for everyone. Moreover, if the cause of chronic procrastination is personal characteristics (increased anxiety, perfectionism, low self -esteem). Such a person will be in a state of procrastination and at a new job.

Try to find in every action pleasant or useful consequences. Learn to enjoy what you have completed some kind of work not very pleasant for you. Starting a new business, remember your victories in the past. This will become an incentive to your further actions and will help maintain a positive mood in work. Award yourself for success, praise yourself for what you have already done.
You are with your thoughts and the body "here and now." Performing any work, plunge into it completely. Avoid assessing the amount of how much it remains to be done. Know that enthusiasm and energy appear only after you begin to do the work.
Motivation It consists not in thinking about action, but in the action itself. It is in the process of immersion in the work that joyful excitement and anticipation of results appear. You just need to start. The same applies to the creative process. Pour out of your head all the ideas that you have. Starting, you cannot stop the inner flow of artistic images. And among many ideas, at least one will definitely be standing.
If yours chronic procrastination It is connected with the spirit of the contradiction, then replace the installation “I must” with “I decided” or “I chose”. In this case, the obligation to do something is transformed into a free choice. And the implementation of the tasks that you have determined for yourself will become a strong internal motivation for action.
Plan your upcoming day, month, year. Make a schedule as it is convenient for you. First, you can record all important and urgent matters, then secondary. Or list everything that needs to be done is alphabetically. A visual list always disciplines a person. In addition, psychologists argue that the cause of stress is often the need to remember all the upcoming affairs and the inevitability of choosing what needs to be done first. So unload your brain and write down on paper everything that is planned. Indicate the deadlines if it matters. Follow your list by doing things in the priority that is most convenient for you. You can make two lists - common tasks and daily tasks.
If you you put off some too global business (for example, learn a foreign language or make a large -scale project), then break your target into small stages that you will pass daily.
Get out with your fears. Try to understand why you are postponing some specific work. What is so unpleasant in her, forcing you to put it off? It is more productive to analyze the roots of fear in writing. Realizing the true reasons, you can overcome difficulties. Think, maybe this is an unpleasant business for you can be laid on another person or arranged everything in such a way that it does not need to be done at all. Try to find at least a temporary solution that will satisfy you.

If the state of chronic procrastination is associated with your perfectionismStart doing, "how to work." Understand that it is better to do something imperfectly than not to do at all. You need to achieve, first of all, productivity, and only then perfection. The pursuit of him leads to the fact that a person simply overestimates the complexity of the upcoming task. When you learn to be productive, the results of your work will become better and better. Do not compare yourself with others and stop grinding insignificant little things. This leads only to a waste of time and time.
Balance the working and rest time. Distribute your strength competently. Before you start any business, soberly evaluate your own capabilities. Do not take everything at once. It is not necessary to constantly work. Plan for yourself for idleness. The planned nothing contributes to the restoration of energy and strength.
Replace the concept of “problem” with the concept of “task”. You will feel the difference right away. The brain rejects the problem, perceiving it as an unpleasant phenomenon. Whereas the task, on the contrary, motivates the brain to search for its solution.
Enjoy yourself to do those little things right away, It will take no more than two minutes to perform: put the folder in place, wipe the shoes, make a call, copy the file, etc. The principle here - I saw, did, forgot. Perhaps you will not succeed. However, over time, this will become a habit.
In the case when chronic procrastination is caused by you the need to experience acute sensations, then find another method of emission of adrenaline. Take care of extreme sports (parachute jumping, hunting, automobile races).
Tell the world about your plans. Publish a post on social networks, where you undertake to make this and that. Tell about this as many people as possible. Then you will be just ashamed not to fulfill the promised.
Imagine that you have already completed the work. This is an interesting approach in overcoming chronic procrastination. According to this theory, a sense of satisfaction from imaginary successful results gives a person an incentive to begin real actions.

An interesting methodology for the fight against chronic procrastination is offered by a philosophy professor John Perry. He believes that she needs Do not suppress, but transform to help. Most of the procrastinators, delaying a certain job, still do something, is simply not so urgent or important. Therefore, you just need to direct this energy in the right direction. John Perry also offers to make a list of things. First, important goals should go, and then secondary.
Usually, the procrastinator will begin to solve secondary problems. However, then he will taste, as it were, “sway”. And this will allow him to reach the beginning of the list. Perhaps important things will still be done not all. But still, a person will develop the habit of acting. Of course, this theory cannot be called a solution to the problem, but in some cases the substitution of some lessons by others can be effective.

Each person decides individually what option to struggle with chronic procrastination to choose. The main thing is that do not look for excuses like “These methods are not suitable for me” or “I have a different situation”. Try!

If one method has not helped you, try the next one. And first, learn to imagine why this or that action is needed, and what influence in the future it can have on a subsequent life.

With perseverance and true desire to change the situation, you will leave the winner from the battle with chronic procrastination. Starting to work on yourself, you will probably find positive shifts.

How will life improve after getting rid of chronic procrastination?

The efforts that you put on the fight against chronic procrastination will pay off the improvement of the quality of life:

You will get rid of stress.
Increase your self -esteem, which will allow you to gain self -confidence.
You will begin to work faster and more fruitful and significantly increase labor productivity.
You will receive satisfaction from the work performed.
Your life will become significantly more interesting and brighter.