Procrastination: 3 ways to avoid it

By now, you may have heard the term procrastination. It is a term that has become popular in recent years, referring to what has always been called procrastination or ” putting off”.

Procrastination is a behaviour we employ as a coping style and apply in different areas of our lives. Basically, it consists of putting off tasks or activities that – for some reason – we find uncomfortable, difficult or simply boring.

In the work environment, procrastination has been conceptualised as “postponing work-related actions by performing non-work-related actions during working hours”. In this sense, studies have shown that at the organisational level, procrastination has a negative impact on employee productivity and performance.

This is because, while we all have the right to schedule our work in the way that suits us best, when we are part of a team, we need to evaluate how functional our strategy is to get projects done on time. If our way of working affects the well-being of others who depend on our work rhythm or if our work performance is affected, it may be time to reflect.

boost talent strategy

procrastination

Urgency before importance

The best way to organise your workload is to prioritise tasks according to their level of importance or urgency. For example, some things are important but can wait, and others that are urgent and need to be resolved as soon as possible. Some matters may not be important, but should be resolved and others that we feel more or less like doing… The main thing is to manage these tasks in a reasonably efficient way.

However, what happens when the procrastination mechanism is installed in our repertoire of coping and becomes strong there? We end up systematically paralysed, leaving everything for later.

And, of course, leaving everything to the last minute in the work environment can translate into an accumulation of tasks, a decrease in the quality of projects, and the presence of stress or anxiety for not having managed time properly. At work, we have responsibilities to fulfill and deadlines to meet; that is why we must adapt our work rhythm to the responsibilities assigned to us so that the part of the work chain we are responsible for is not jeopardised.

Why do we procrastinate?

Procrastination can be understood more as a way of dealing with unpleasant emotions than with time management per se. That is, we procrastinate because we have an immediate urge to manage our unpleasant moods generated by certain tasks (boredom, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, etc.), rather than focusing on the task at hand.

In this way, the particular nature of our aversion depends on the task assigned or the situation. Therefore, procrastination can have a variety of underlying causes and factors, which may vary from person to person and situation to situation. Some of the common reasons why we procrastinate include:

1. Avoid unpleasant emotions: As mentioned above, we often procrastinate to avoid feelings of anxiety, fear of failure, boredom, or any other emotion associated with the task at hand.

2. Lack of motivation: When we are not interested or motivated by a task, we are more likely to procrastinate in favour of more rewarding or entertaining activities.

3. Perfectionism: The desire to do things perfectly can lead to procrastination, as the person may be overwhelmed by the fear of not meeting self-imposed standards.

4. Lack of time management skills: The inability to manage time effectively can postpone important tasks in favour of less relevant but more immediate activities.

procrastination

5. Lack of attention or distractions: We are easily distracted, anything catches our attention and entertains us, taking us away from the focus where we need to have our five senses: what we need to do right now and that should not wait much longer. The presence of distractions such as social networks, television, mobile phones, among others, can tempt us to procrastinate instead of concentrating on our work.

6. Lack of energy due to work overload: our work performance requires energy, tone, and activation. However, when faced with a heavy workload, some people may feel overwhelmed and procrastinate to cope with the pressure.

7. Lack of commitment to the task or lack of clarity in the objectives: Nothing delays the execution of a task more than disinterest in it, misunderstanding, disagreement or lack of ownership: not making sense of it. Therefore, we must not forget that one of the tools to overcome procrastination is to find meaning in tasks, to know what we hope to achieve from them, or to carry out, within our possibilities, tasks that make sense and to which we can commit ourselves.

8. Poorly designed strategy: Sometimes the tasks ahead of us are unappealing in themselves and it is hard to resist procrastinating, as any activity seems more attractive than tackling them. However, we should not forget that the laws of behaviour can make life easier. If there is no immediate reward (positive reinforcement) or negative consequence (negative reinforcement) for not completing a task in a timely manner, it is easier to procrastinate, as nothing is motivating my behaviour. Therefore, it is necessary that we design our work strategy accordingly to obtain good results.

procrastination

Join the global leading solution in mental well-being


World Procrastination Day

Every 25th March since 2010, the “World Procrastination Day” is held. This initiative started in France with the aim of giving a touch of humour to this behaviour.

However, this day is an excellent opportunity to increase the conversation about this behaviour we have all carried out at some point, understand its causes, and implement actions and strategies to help us avoid it.

How to overcome the temptation to procrastinate

1. Get organised

Prioritise according to your resources of attention, energy, time, inspiration, etc. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to start with the least desirable task and get it out of the way so that you can flow better with the rest of your obligations. Other times, it is better to leave the worst for last and warm up with more manageable tasks. Decide what works best for the moment and get on with it.

2. Delegate, ask for help, divide and conquer

Of course, this cannot always be done because there are things that are our sole responsibility. Other times, with the company or collaboration of someone else, we find a way to overcome the wall of procrastination that paralyses us and prevents the work from progressing.

3. Get going at all costs, don’t think about it.

Even if your rhythm, your lucidity and your motivation towards a particular task are not (yet) at their peak, get on with it. This guideline may not work for every circumstance, but it can certainly be a tool that unlocks certain mental blocks that lead us to procrastinate indefinitely on what we don’t want to take care of.

procrastination

Company support

To help reduce procrastination in the workplace, companies can implement various strategies and measures within teams:

  1. Corporate culture: Fostering a culture that values productivity, commitment and accountability can help reduce procrastination. This can be achieved by effectively communicating company goals and recognising a job well done.
  1. Setting clear and realistic goals: Providing employees with clear and achievable goals can help keep them focused and motivated. Specific and measurable goals help reduce procrastination by providing a sense of direction and achievement.
  1. Support and training: Providing employees with the tools and resources they need to do their work efficiently can help employees avoid feeling the need to procrastinate. This can include training in time management, organisational skills, and stress management.
  1. Work flexibility: Allowing some flexibility in work schedules or the ability to work from home can help some employees avoid distractions and increase their productivity while choosing to work in the best circumstances for them to increase their concentration.
  1. Eliminating distractions: Identifying and eliminating workplace distractions, such as unnecessary meetings, constant email notifications, or noisy environments, can help employees focus on their tasks.
  1. Recognition and rewards: Recognising and rewarding employees’ efforts and achievements can help keep them motivated and reduce procrastination.
  1. Evaluation and monitoring: Tracking employees’ progress and providing regular feedback can help keep them accountable for their tasks and reduce procrastination.

Helping you to stop procrastinating

Ifeel offers a mental well-being solution for companies, designed by its team of expert psychologists, with the aim of helping its partners’ employees to find the best way to work, prioritise their objectives and use their resources to minimise the amount of stress. Ultimately, the aim is to contribute to putting the care of employees’ psychological well-being at the heart of the companies’ corporate culture, as a key tool to boost productivity in a sustainable way. 

To support companies in this process, our team of expert workplace well-being psychologists has created a mental well-being solution for businesses that improves talent retention, reduces presenteeism, and combats employee stress. 

With our mental well-being solution, your company’s HR managers can receive personalised, data-driven advice on improving mental health at work. In addition, this solution offers employees a 360° mental well-being service structured at different levels according to their needs. Try our solution now to see how it could help you.

We hope you found this article about procrastination interesting. If you would like more information about our mental well-being solution for companies, simply request it, and we will contact your team as soon as possible.

New call-to-action

  • Nueva llamada a la acción
  • Nueva llamada a la acción

  • We think this articles may interest you