BEAT PROCRASTINATION
Don’t Let It Ruin Your Life

HEY WRITER, did you know that people tend to think of procrastination as something personal? Yep, it’s true.

They also tend to believe that avoiding and/or putting off tasks is a solitary decision that doesn’t have much of an impact besides creating something of a time crunch.

But guess what? They’re dead wrong.

Don’t put off for tomorrow

what you can do today

because if you enjoy it today,

you can do it again tomorrow.

― James A. Michener

Procrastination doesn’t just affect us—it affects everybody around us as well. So much so, actually, that it has the potential to ruin lives.

Furthermore, procrastination can run much deeper than just having a tendency to put things off for later. It may be the signpost that tries to tell you about a more profound issue. It’s not uncommon for people to get some kind of counselling for things like marital or relationship issues, anxiety, depression, work related stress, substance abuse and/or certain disorders like ADHD, only to learn that the underlying problem is procrastination.

It sounds weird, I know, but here’s the problem. When we procrastinate, we put things aside but we can’t put them out of our mind. On some level, that thing lingers at the back of our head, which means that we’re thinking about it more or less non-stop.

Whether we’re conscious about it or not, the niggle is there like a background process stealing power from your CPU. These constant background processes can lead to stress, anxiety, and more.

Likewise, the tasks you’ve saved for later can become stressor for the people you have around you. This can make them feel bogged down too, and lead to problems like mistrust and loss of respect. Or something worse.

Is It Affecting Your Relationship?

Procrastination can definitely affect your interpersonal relationships. If you have a tendency to avoid tasks, or put them off, it can cause problems for other people. At work, your team may face delays because you’re failing to meet deadlines. At home, your family may feel let down when you fail to meet your commitments. Even if you don’t think your procrastination is affecting anyone else, it very often does.

Many of the reasons we procrastinate are tied to deep-seated (limiting) beliefs and thoughts that hold us back. Some of the typical traits procrastinators share include:

– Low self-esteem
– Fear of rejection or abandonment
– Harsh inner dialogue
– Difficulty with change
– Easily frustrated
– Rebellious against authority
– Poor concentration skills
– Prefer instant gratification

These thoughts and feelings often drive procrastination and lead to distress at work and at home.

Is It Affecting Your Wallet?

Unless you work for yourself, procrastination can threaten your employment status. Especially if it begins to  affect your co-worker’s productivity and increases their workload.

If you are your own boss, procrastination can affect your ability to make important decisions as well as lead to a drop in sales and customers. It may be harder to prevent yourself from if you don’t have anyone who can tell you stop putting things off.

As a writer, it’s important to work out what makes you procrastinate and how that effects other areas of your life and you income. Being proactive can help you build and manage your wealth, and lead to healthier relationships with your family, friends and readers.

Questions of the Day:

– What relationship impacts have you seen procrastination lead to? (In self or others.)

– What financial impacts have you seen procrastination? (In self or others.)

Let’s talk in the comments below, or send me your response via socials/email.

If you want to take on the 30 Days to Beat Procrastination challenge, follow the links to the other articles below.

Thank you for being here today! I hope you had a good time and I look forward to seeing you again.

Hejsan svejsan,

//Evalena

© Evalena Styf, 2020

30 Days to Beat Procrastination

DAY 1: The 30-day challenge

DAY 2: No, You’re Not Lazy

DAY 3: You’re Not Alone