Brooke Guttenberg, M.S.
As I sat down to write this blog, I initially intended to discuss procrastination and the types of self-talk that can lead us to put off completing tasks. As I thought more about this topic, I decided I wanted to examine it from a different angle. Rather than discussing beliefs we may hold that lead us to procrastinate, I decided to explore the beliefs we may hold that create a situation that is more likely to trigger procrastination. Allow me to explain.
When we sit down to tackle a task, we may or may not establish goals or timelines for when we want it to be completed. Sometimes we may have deadlines that do not permit as much flexibility in these decisions (i.e., a last minute project assigned by a supervisor or assignment from a teacher) or we force tight deadlines upon ourselves (i.e., not studying for an exam until the night before). In those moments when we procrastinate until the absolute last minute, what have we done along the way that has led us to that point? Procrastination may not have been our initial intention. We may have sat down on multiple occasions with a plan in mind, thinking that we did not accomplish our goal in its entirety. But is it possible that we may just not have done everything we thought we should do at one time?
Many of us may not consider the importance of goal setting when developing a plan for tackling a project, assignment, or desired behavior. This is the trigger I was referencing earlier. For instance, let’s take the example of studying for an exam. One may decide that he will sit down and study for six hours each day because there is so much material to cover. If after two hours he needs a break, it may become more difficult to return to the task knowing that four more hours of studying awaits him. Because this individual did not accomplish all that he set out to do in the initial sitting, he may double the ante the next time – and eight hours of studying in a day certainly will not seem more appealing than six. Eventually the exam date arrives and the individual will need to face the books, giving himself as much time as is available to cram. This is what I meant earlier when I discussed triggers for procrastination. This individual had every intention of studying in advance, but because of his rigid goal setting, he ended up setting himself up for procrastination.
How do we create achievable and realistic goals? One technique is to break large tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. This requires some forward planning. Another important step to take is to eliminate any all or nothing thinking. If we did not accomplish everything all at once, it does not mean that we cannot still accomplish our goals. We may need to break the large task down or rethink how much time we actually need to devote to the task. There is no law that states I should finish everything all at one time. For example, let’s think about someone attempting to lose weight. If this individual sets out to lose five pounds in a week, and this goal is not met, it does not mean that this person will never reach her final weight loss goal. If this person holds on to the belief that I must lose five pounds in the first week or I will never reach my goal, it will certainly be more difficult to stay on track for the long-term.
Sometimes it is critical to take a step back and reevaluate the situation. Perhaps we were very ambitious in our initial goal setting, but that does not mean the long-term goal is unachievable. The more flexible we can be in evaluating any bumps in the road before we start a task, the less likely it will be that our initial productivity will trigger our procrastinating.
