Do you want to stop procrastinating?
Procrastination Awareness
You may have heard that awareness is the first step to change. However, knowing this is often not enough to stop us from procrastinating or changing our behaviour. Don’t lose heart! It is changeable. Think of it this way – procrastination is a signal you can listen to or look at, but it’s not the root of the problem.
Getting to the source of procrastination
If I had a splinter in my foot, but I couldn’t see it, I would feel it because my body would signal there is something wrong through the message of pain and inflammation may occur. I could use an anti-inflammatory cream or take pills to help reduce inflammation, or I may avoid putting pressure on that foot. Addressing the inflammation alone or compensating with a limp will not fix it because we need to address the issue to resolve the problem. Emotions and behaviours can be an indicator of a problem in a similar way.
Look for procrastination clues
Procrastination can be a build-up of unresolved issues. Trying to address the behaviour may seem like you are solving the problem, but procrastination is a symptom of something more than dealing with the task at hand. When the underlying issue is triggered, it will repeat a signal that your world is not quite right. It may present differently at times, such as an ailment in your body or another type of behaviour (depression, eating disorder, relationship issues, job problems etc.), but the source or underlying issue is still there.
What if pain could help?
If you feel overwhelmed, let’s take a deeper look and find the unconscious reason you are reacting the way you are. Just as pain or inflammation can be a signal to help us locate a splinter, our behaviour and emotions are a signal for us too. It is not always easy to overcome or transform this alone. I know for myself and for my clients, it can be hard to see past your own individual actions or stop being distracted with consciously justifying or regretting the procrastination . The aim is to find the root cause: the unconscious part which is steering your behaviour.
Get to know your unconscious procrastination
Our consciousness is not designed to be aware of every single action we do . Which is good, because that would be totally overwhelming, because overthinking happens too readily. Therefore our unconscious mind takes care of many simple tasks to free up our energy to create new ideas or thoughts in our conscious mind. However, when we engage in what is best described as self-sabotaging behaviour, we can look to shift this by hearing it as an invitation to look below the surface. Then we can start to do things differently and change the automatic response being steered by the unconscious.
Einstein’s most memorable quote is , “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Being annoyed with yourself for procrastinating just stops you from recognising it is an attempt for your subconscious to help keep you safe (even if it is misguided).
So, if you have been stuck in a pattern of procrastination, I invite you to reach out and be supported to access your unconscious to change your procrastination behaviour.