Why procrastination sucks

Besides the obvious reason of not getting your ish done, procrastination sucks balls because it causes negative, incessant internal dialogue that gets us nowhere: “I should probably get up and do this but I don’t want to. UGH. This sucks. Why am I so lazy? Just a few more minutes of this TV show. I promise I’ll do it later.” Negotiation, bribing, lack of self-discipline, and self-depreciation all make us feel crappier in the end because we beat ourselves up for not following through. You can also get into trouble like: miss a deadline for work or school, cause additional stress in your life from a messy house, hurt people’s feelings if you are late to their event, feel crappier because you ended up not exercising, etc. You get the gist!

If you are the ultimate procrastinator, follow this easy strategy and start being super-productive! Woohoo!

1) Figure out the Resistance

There is usually a very good reason why you are procrastinating, and it isn’t because you’re lazy. You are resisting the task  for a reason. This term Resistance was coined by Stephen Pressfield in the book: The War of Art.  Figure out the resistance or the reason you’re procrastinating. Is it because you fear how others will judge you, how you’ll judge yourself, or of the end result not meeting your expectations? Are you resisting because you said yes to something or someone even though you wanted to say NO and you didn’t set or follow your boundaries? OR, more importantly, are you resisting the task because deep down it doesn’t align with your values and who you are (read bullet point #4)?  Usually there is a legitimate reason why people don’t do something. Once you can identify the reason behind your resistance, it’s much easier to get over it and do what you have to.

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