by Noel Bell

Created on: February 07, 2009   Last Updated: March 11, 2009

Procrastination can lead to poor work performance and unmet goals. We can overcome this behavior by learning to fight the basic elements of procrastination such as self-criticism, negative visualization, and passive responses.

Self-Criticism

Sometimes we put things off because we are too critical of ourselves. Human beings are funny this way. We want to achieve lofty goals but we criticize ourselves into crippling stagnation. We talk a good talk, but when it comes down to engaging in the process, we stop our forward motion with self-criticism. We think that we will fail in the end anyway, so we give up to avoid that future disappointment.

Writers face this shadow at every phase of the writing process, especially when the page is blank. The goal is not perfection. The goal is to get moving and sustain it. We have to ignore the self-critic and plow through.

Negative Visualization or Negative Metaphors

Speaking of plowing through, the same metaphor illustrates another reason why people procrastinate. Work is work, and if there is a lot of it, we often feel like we need a snow plow to push through. This label amplifies the problem and makes it seem bigger than it really is.

Our attitude toward work can deeply affect our our do-it-now or do-it-later dichotomy. We have to accept the fact that work is not always fun. Drudgery is often part of it. Completed work is better than work that still needs to be plowed.

Passive Response or Reaction

Because most humans thrive on meaning and the lived experience, they sometimes sit around waiting for inspiration. This reaction can be in response to team demands or in response to authority.

People often stall because of confusion about their role in the work. They stop to look for meaning. They contemplate their place in life and mull it over ad naseum. We can also dig a deeper hole when we start evaluating our worth against the quality of the assignment.

If we get some left-over assignments instead of the main course all the time, we must do our best work anyway. On the other hand, if the boss throws us a curve, we shouldn't take too much time evaluating our abilities to overcome a challenging assignment. Be proactive. Seek out resources and information and move forward.

Recipe for Success

Guilt can cause a person to spiral into procrastination. The key is to take the first step and get moving. The recipe for success is to take the advice and act on it. Many of us push away advice because we believe it won't really work. Square one is that stage where we decide not to let time slip by without addressing the needs of the day. We must remember that our responsibilities are connected to other people, too.

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