Procrastination

Pro-cras-ti-na-tion - the action of delaying or postponing something.

We all do it. Scroll social media. Binge watching whatever catches your eye. Cleaning or obsessively organizing. On and on.

I’m curious about why? Why are we procrastinating?

Are we tired? Is our nervous system in need of a reset? Is the world a little much? Drained? Avoidant? Using it as a tool to feel bad about ourselves? Maybe neurodivergence is playing a role? Or depression? Or anxiety? Maybe the thing we are procrastinating feels really important and we don’t want to eff it up? Or maybe it doesn’t feel important enough, so it can wait. Or it’s boring! Or you don’t really get it and don’t really care to get it! Or, or, or…

Procrastination gets a bad rap but if we get curious about it, perhaps we can uncover something deeper about ourselves. If we approach procrastination with self-compassion, what can we learn?

First, acknowledge and accept that yes, you are procrastinating, and that is okay. Everyone procrastinates; it isn’t just you. You aren’t the first person to ever procrastinate and you won’t be the last. 

Next, get quiet and take a few deep breaths. You may want to express your gratitude toward procrastination for being present and bringing your attention and awareness to it. Then you can ask yourself, why am I procrastinating, and wait for an honest answer.

When an answer comes, ask, and why is that?

When that answer comes, ask, and why is that?

When that answer comes, ask, and why is that?

And keep asking until you get to the root of it.

Instead of beating yourself up and berating yourself, open yourself, and allow a deeper understanding of what is truly motivating you, then choose your next step. Who knows? You may choose procrastination as an intentional, conscious path.