Procrastination
Are you procrastinating? You are probably not alone. A significant part of the population postpones its tasks indefinitely. This evasive behavior brings immediate relief, but then a harsher punishment in the form of stress and guilt. We indulge in both ourselves, our inner child and our inner parent. So how do we work with these two voices in our heads and correctly estimate our capacity if we place more and more responsibilities on our shoulders?
What is procrastination?
To procrastinate means to postpone the performance of tasks and responsibilities. Maybe you know it too, because it’s quite common. It turns out that up to half of the population has encountered it in their lives, and it’s nothing pleasant. Postponement is often accompanied by feelings of guilt, stress and anxiety.
What is the difference between laziness and procrastination?
Laziness is a state in which a person is essentially well. There is no will to change it, so it is not accompanied by anxiety that I am doing something different than I should. On the contrary, procrastination manifests itself in people who are normally productive, but are often also overwhelmed by a number of tasks. Procrastination is thus an unpleasant condition.
What are the causes of procrastination?
Procrastination is a phenomenon of our era, a time in which a huge amount of information is placed on one hand and huge demands on people’s performance are placed on the other. It increases the demand for human discipline and skills such as setting priorities or planning time. It is the absence of these skills that contributes to procrastination. In terms of personality requirements, we can talk, for example, about a reduced ability to handle a critical degree of frustration. Such a person prefers to avoid certain behavior if it is simply a little too much for them.
How to fight procrastination?
A proven way to combat procrastination is to focus on time management and setting the right priorities. What do I have to do now and what can wait until next week? It is also a good idea to divide large projects into smaller parts. Suddenly we are relieved of the fear that we do not know where to start. It will also help if we assign our deadlines to sub-goals. The schedule may not be strict, but it will propel us forward.
You don’t have to be alone in procrastination. You can join forces with a personal coach or therapist, who will solve your regime with you online.
Is procrastination a disease?
Procrastination is not classified as a disease. In a milder form, with a little good will, you can mature on your own. But if it lasts a long time, the stress level also increases with it. As a result, anxiety or other somatic problems may occur. One may face also consequences suchas penalties for late payment of fines or other sanctions.
If a vicious circle of procrastination and fear of the consequences is already unfolding in your life, do not face it alone. In addition, if you are worried about confiding in a loved one, a psychotherapist may be the ideal partner for you in such a situation. For these cases, a short-term therapy, or even a single session will be enough to help you in the acute phase.
How will psychotherapy help me with procrastination?
The psychotherapist will help you reach out to your “inner child” who likes to avoid duty. Through psychotherapy, you will find out what it needs so that it does not squirm before the tasks and, if so, so that you know why. If you prefer structure to researching and finding the causes, psychotherapy offers tools for effective time planning. It will also help you activate your skills, which you will use to cope with all the other responsibilities you will encounter in life.
One last note: getting rid of procrastination does not mean increasing your workload and being even more productive. On the contrary, it is a matter of establishing a balance that has probably disappeared from our lives.
The real story of the client and how the therapy helped them:
“My first psychotherapy was arranged by my mother. She says she can’t watch me just sitting at home all the time, not going anywhere, or not sleeping all night catching up on school and work, all at the last minute. I always managed everything, I didn’t enjoy school very much, but I managed it, and they were even very excited about me at work. But more and more I felt like life was running through my fingers. I envied my friends for their hobbies, traveling and new girlfriends. I arrived for an appointment with a psychotherapist, I had nothing to lose, I just had to fall on the couch and join a call. Even then, after the first hour, I felt indescribable relief. Being able to entrust oneself to another person, to be understood and not to be judged is a therapy in itself. The therapist and I focused on how I organize my time and how I know that something takes my energy and something recharges me. To my surprise, it helped me the most to learn how to plan my free time. Like a wave of a magic wand, the desire to put it off left me. On the contrary, I was looking forward to what awaited me.”Thinking about therapy?
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My First Therapy: How to Prepare and What to Expect
What is psychotherapy? And who is it for?
Does online therapy really work? Isn't face-to-face better?
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