Pseudo-Procrastination – The Hidden Energy Drain

If you’re feeling tired and low on energy, the problem may not be a lack of sleep or a poor diet. Surprisingly, the hidden culprit may be procrastination.

To quickly understand the effect procrastination has on your energy, close your eyes and recall the feeling of relief and lightness you felt the last time you finally did something you’ve put off for years. That unconscious burden is the price you pay for procrastinating; procrastination drags you down and steals your energy.

There are commonly 5 reasons why people procrastinate. In this article, we’ll examine what they are and learn how to handle the worst of all.

Reason #1: It seems too big

When a project or goal seems too big and you don’t know where to start, it’s easy to get distracted by whatever else catches your eye in the here and now. At other times, each step seems so small and insignificant compared to the sheer size of the project that you feel hopeless (eg, “What’s the point of doing these small steps? I’ll never finish this project”).

 

Reason #2: Fear of failure

Nobody wants to fail, and the only guaranteed way to avoid failure is to simply not try in the first place.

Reason #3: Dislike

Unpleasant feelings, such as dread, anxiety, or fear, arise for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the unpleasantness comes from the fear of failure; You’re nervous about the sales presentation you’re putting together, and the resulting fear adds even more resistance to working on the project. Other times, the unpleasantness is a side effect of the overwhelming size of a project; their stress from the myriad of tasks that are involved cause a tremendous emotional and physical reaction. However, other tasks are unpleasant on their own, like firing someone, cleaning out the cat box, cold calling a potential client, or talking to your parents about how they would like you to handle their estate after they have passed away. . Regardless of the source, it often seems like a good option to avoid upsets by procrastinating.

Reason #4: Paralysis of perfection 

This unique form of procrastination comes disguised as good intentions. It happens when you worry too much. You want to do your homework perfectly, so you wait a great deal of time to make sure you have enough time to get the job done right. But let’s be real. Large blocks of time are rarer than the proverbial chicken’s teeth. And even if you’re lucky enough to squeeze a chunk of time into your schedule, a crisis always seems to intrude.

Reason #5: Pseudo-procrastination

Pseudo-procrastination is when you think you are procrastinating; But you’re not. Because, in light of the time you have available and your other priorities, the project you’re putting off shouldn’t even be on your to-do list.

In my experience as a counselor, I have found that 50% of the things people put off fall into this category. For example, I hear about recipes in a drawer that will one day be catalogued; nuts, bolts and screws that will organize one day; stacks of magazines they have been meaning to read; construction projects that they hope to start planning one day. And it’s not just little things; many seemingly large projects will also fall into this category.

But once you look at where you really want to end up in life and compare it to the amount of spare time you have in a day, week, month, or year, you’ll discover that it might be wise to cancel those magazine subscriptions and throw out some of those projects from “rainy day” stuffed in drawers in favor of working toward your life goals.

Diagnose your procrastination

To recognize pseudo-procrastination, take a blank piece of paper and draw a line down the middle to create balance. On one side, write down all the reasons why you are procrastinating on a particular goal, and on the other side, write down all the benefits of moving forward. If you’re putting things off because you don’t know what to do, are afraid of failure, or are worried about discomfort, even though the benefits truly meet your values, you’re dealing with real problems. delay. But, if you’ve been accusing yourself of procrastinating when, in fact, you have more worthwhile things to do, like spending time with your kids, doing that extra work project to get a promotion, or taking time out for a date with your spouse? to maintain your romantic relationship, that’s a different story.

Take some time now to consider those tasks, jobs and goals that you never achieve. For each item, take stock and list your reasons for not doing that item on one side and your reasons for doing it on the other side. What items meet your deepest values? What elements are not so important and would take time away from what matters most in your life?

All forms of procrastination drain your energy. But pseudo-procrastination is the worst kind of procrastination to suffer, because it is completely unnecessary. Once you’ve lightened your load by letting go of pseudo-procrastination, you’re ready to learn how to overcome real procrastination. I think I’ll write about that later.