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Why do you always leave for tomorrow what you can do today
Psychology
Dilating a task in time is a self-limiting behavior that leads not only to wasted time, but also to increased stress.
“Down the street afterwards you reach the Plaza del Never”, says Luis Coloma, and it is not surprising that this is one of the favorite phrases of Irene López Assor, psychologist and author of ” 10 obstacles that prevent you from being happy». Oh, how good it feels, from time to time, to leave for another day what we could perfectly do today. But when this is taken out of habit, laziness becomes a serious problem.
«That neglect takes emotional toll as it creates a conflict that we call procrastination, or what we more popularly know as ‘leave for tomorrow what you can do today’ “, warns the expert. Phrases like “Ugh, I’ll do it tomorrow because I’m very tired today”, “Oh, I’m lazy, I’ll do it later” are what make everything that we are leaving for “later”, end up being “never ».
Causes
Dilating a task in time is a self-limiting behavior which leads not only to the waste of time but also, as Irene López Assor announces, the increase in stress and poor academic and professional performance: «The stress that is being generated achieves a behavioral paralysis and low efficiency In us. Actually there is something that paralyzes us and that is making us be irresponsible with ourselves », explains why we must identify why we postpone a task since there is always an intention that prevents you from finishing it.
Arguably, procrastination is a trait of lack of responsibility, both of our time and with those goals that we set in life, committing ourselves to them, to have an internal coherence. This concept of internal coherence, says the psychologist, which is the one that usually fails, reflects the meaning that we really want to give to our life.
It should also be noted that many times the procrastination is given by we propose goals that are what others want from us, and not what we really want: “Being incoherent we postpone it, we put it aside, and we don’t do it,” he clarifies, since coherence is what it will actually make someone fight for their goals.
On the other hand, Irene López Assor wants to point out that it is not always necessary to have a motivation to do things: it is not necessary to be motivated to make food; it has to be done out of responsibility and motivation or the absence of it is the perfect excuse for not doing things ». Leaving out basic occupations will only cause a internal conflict of discomfort and anguish.
Types of procrastination
But we don’t all procrastinate for the same reason. There are many differences that will be the cause of procrastination and, as Irene López Assor says, there are different types of procrastinators:
– The perfectionist. The psychologist defines it as a person who considers that the task he is postponing does not meet his personal expectations. That is, since things don’t go the way you want them, you postpone them.
– The dreamer. “When we ramble, we remain in reverie and we are unrealistic. It is very typical since instead of making an effort, these people prefer to daydream and not get down to work, “he says.
– The worried. The profile that thinks things are going to go wrong and what we are going to strive for.
– The crisis generator. They would be the people who enjoy some kind of social interaction linked to the postponement. “For example, if some friends want to meet up and I’m giving them off, that creates tension in the group and the crisis-generating procrastinator unconsciously enjoys this postponement because he is feeding his ego: ‘Without me they can’t stay'”, he says .
– The challenging. This profile, according to Irene López Assor, we see a lot in children: «If the child does not make the bed and the parents tell him all day that he has to make it, he answers in bad ways because he feels that the adult is controlling him and he will never arrive to make the bed so as not to give power to authority figures.
– The busy. We usually see it a lot in our daily lives. They are the ones who put a lot of homework in their day to day but never finish. They use phrases like, “I have a lot to do,” but they are really in chaos and not in structure.
bout it
The psychologist indicates that to begin tackle a problemThe first thing is to be honest with yourself: “If you don’t stop to think what you really want and what your fears are, you will never move forward.” These are some of his tips for stop procrastinating:
His first trick is to plan at night what to do the next day. Something as simple as planning, and although you don’t have to be very strict, you do need to know what basic tasks you have to do yes or yes. It is an obligation and, therefore, does not depend on the emotional state: «Divide the day into times for different things including wandering, because just as important is dedicating time to nothing. It is necessary to try that this structure is realistic and the objectives small so as not to fall into frustration ».
On the other hand is trying to tasks do not take more than 50 minutes, between 20 and 50 minutes maximum. «When this time passes, get up, take a walk around the house or office or go to the bathroom and disconnect between 5 and 10 minutes before continuing. Once the break is done, come back another 50 minutes. The brain needs a little oxygen and rest; if information and demands are overloaded, we will have the opposite effect and we will procrastinate, ”he says.
Try to avoid Distractions is another advice from the psychologist, and given that there are many people given to being confused, it is essential to try to do a task with the mobile very far away: «Today’s temptations with social networks are the main problem with procrastination. It is very sweet to know what others are doing, and, above all, to compare ourselves in a negative way. The networks are a false showcase ”, he recalls. It would be great to keep a schedule to use or set goals such as “when I’m done doing x things, I’ll look at Instagram.”
«Positive reinforcement is one of the best advice I can give you, and I always apply it in consultation, rewarding ourselves for having reached the goal, simple and simple things that positively reinforce that you have achieved it. Make a list of things that we like, small, like having a piece of chocolate or big like going to the movies. The reinforcement has to be immediate, we can’t let a week go by. The moment you do your homework, reward yourself », advises Irene López Assor.