I am guilty of wasting too much time. Of course, the determination of what is wasting time and what is not is subjective. Let us suffice to say that there are a number of things that I know I would benefit from doing and that would move me forward in a number of my key goals which I am putting off far too readily, for far too long…
In short, I am procrastinating…
The definition of procrastination is simply the delaying or postponing of an action and with this definition it clearly applies to all of us at some point or another. But for many of us procrastination is a real problem, and it dominates way too much of our lives. More practically speaking procrastination is the putting off, or inability to face actions or activities that we know would benefit us if we did them, like studying for an assignment, looking for a more meaningful job, or filing our tax return. It is entirely plausible that procrastination will be the ruination of many of our recent resolutions. Procrastination can lure us into undertaking alternative activities in which we also have a sense of benefit but can be completed more immediately, such as cleaning the house instead of studying for an exam. We could also find ourselves compelled by the never-ending search for the absolute funniest cat meme to share with our friends on social media. This is not an absolute list and our particular tool for procrastination will be attuned to our particular needs and preferences.
What causes it?
Like all areas of human psychology, the research is ongoing but current thinking suggests that it is rooted in the goal setting and effort vs. reward aspects of our psyche. As I alluded to above, there is a key task that we know we should be doing (in the sense that we accept that we would likely benefit from doing it) but that we are unable to take any meaningful step towards completing it and we are distracted by other activities which we prioritise instead. This substitution is even more powerful if we think that the alternative is also something that will bring us some sense of satisfaction (such as finally sorting our wardrobe). This can be seen as a dopamine hijack. Dopamine is a goal orientated hormone that is released when we are taking actions towards a perceived reward. It is not the achievement of a goal, but the moving towards it which generates the hormonal “high” which we enjoy so much. Video games are so compelling because they challenge us sufficiently to progress but not too much that we become frustrated and give up. They hook us with deliberately easy challenges at the start and making them progressively harder, they give us a score of some type that we can see as a marker of our progress and success. These are sophisticatedly structured and play very skilfully on our psychology to maximise our play time and the likelihood that we will come back for more. Just like our tax returns and that book we really want to write…?
If we have ADHD (attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder) then procrastination is even more challenging. The science on ADHD is also in its relative infancy but the attention deficit side of the condition (and many people with ADHD only have one dominant side to the condition, so they might be attention deficit or hyperactive and not both) appears to not be attention deficit at all, but rather an issue with attention prioritisation. Those with ADHD find it harder than those without ADHD to focus attention on something that doesn’t interest them (schoolwork, taxes, etc) but incredibly easy to focus completely on things that genuinely interest them. This is the reason that for some, ADHD is their “superpower”, because if they become fixated on something which works for them and provides them with financial security then they find this incredibly easy to stay committed to it. The challenge is that most of us are captivated by Instagram memes and the latest Tik Tok dance craze which is less likely to deliver financial stability and long term sustainability. Life really isn’t fair sometimes.
What can we do about it?
If there is something we want to do and keep putting off firstly consider whether it really is something that we want to do or feel that we should do, because this is not the same thing. We can fool ourselves into thinking that others peoples goals and ambitions are our own, perhaps we had a parent who always wanted us to be a doctor and we have heard for so long that we should be a doctor we find ourselves on a path which doesn’t inspire us at all. We might also be succumbing to societal expectations or trends which simply don’t appeal to us no matter how ‘right’ they seem to be. If we are trying to pursue a goal which isn’t truly meaningful to us then it will be far less likely that we will avoid temptation to complete other activities instead which will in some manner feed our need for stimulation.
We can also try to “game” our system in the same manner that video game developers do so well. Start with simple actions that lead on to progressively more complex ones, and provide some sort of scoring structure for ourselves to rate our progress. Think of giving children stars or ‘house points’ for succeeding in proscribed activities. We are not so different and we can condition ourselves with the same mechanisms that we use in parenting and early schooling.
Another method is one promoted by author James Clear in his book, Atomic Habits, in that we focus on the next step rather than the end goal. The goal of writing a book for example is massively daunting but starting with a simpler goal of getting the tools we need to start in place, followed by writing one line a day without worrying about its position in the final work, is more evidently achievable. When we actually start writing we are likely to find that more writing will flow, and we will write more than one line a day without requiring any additional perceived effort. If we accept that we are skills based creature who get better at the skills we practice then once we start writing, even if it is only with the goal of one line a day, we will get progressively better at it.
Has the above triggered any thoughts for you and what would you recommend to tackle the problem of procrastination?
This is the basis for our discussion at the next Mind Fit community at 6pm on Thursday 16th January at Retrocave on Ashley Road, Poole. Let me know if you would like to join us in this exploration.
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