Emotion and procrastination are related because if procrastination was just a time management problem, I would have no difficulty getting things done. I’m an organizer and productivity expert. I can coordinate office and household moves on time, every time. I can deal with changes in team member schedules, client schedules, and my own schedule with no problem at all. Yet, sometimes I have trouble finding the time to write articles. What gives?

Many productivity experts (including myself) suggest using time blocking techniques, working and resting in pre-set intervals, and learning how to be a Jedi Master of Time Management. Trust me – those are all great skills, but they don’t always help with procrastination.

Link Between Emotion and Procrastination

More and more, psychologists are finding a stronger link between emotion and procrastination. For example, if doing, or even thinking about doing, a task generates negative emotions such as stress or anxiety, then we procrastinate. Instead, of doing our work, we do unimportant tasks (funny dog videos anyone?) that make us feel good. Procrastinating gives us a short-term pleasure boost at the cost of long-term goals.

The problem is, we inherently know that we should not procrastinate. When we do, we feel guilty (negative feeling) then, to make us feel better, we procrastinate a little more, then we feel even worse, then we procrastinate even more and berate ourselves. It is a vicious cycle! One study has even identified that chronic procrastinators are at higher risk for health problems because of the stress created by procrastination.

Look in Your Heart

In regard to the emotional aspect of procrastination, research suggests that acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) may be very helpful. In this type of therapy, people learn to come to terms with negative feelings and accept them as part of their lives. In other words, people learn to have more self-compassion and thus they can break the procrastination cycle.

Just Start

In fact, simply acknowledging that procrastination is due to emotional regulation issues is helpful. Once people do that, they can then focus on the first step – even just a tiny one – toward their goal. When we take action, it shifts the focus away from our negative feelings. Our mind gets busy with the action instead of ruminating on how bad we feel.

This is where time management and project management skills come into play. Looking at a project in its entirety is overwhelming. You can reduce stress and anxiety levels by breaking the project down into smaller, easier to accomplish sections. Just finishing one small section will give you a “win.” The “win” will give you that mood-boosting endorphin rush and as a result, you’ll be encouraged to keep going.

If you’re having a challenge with a project – whether it be a workplace venture, or decluttering your home, your first small step might be to contact the Out of Chaos team. We can help you organize your projects into manageable pieces that will give you those happy endorphin-generating wins.

Image by Olivia Ew on Flickr

References

Horton, Anisa Purbasari. “Procrastination Is an Emotional Problem.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 30 May 2019.

Jarrett, Christian. “Why Procrastination Is about Managing Emotions, Not Time.” BBC Worklife, BBC, 23 Jan. 2020.