hey everyone welcome here this is becoming an expert at self-leadership i'm micah a psychologist and today i want to talk about the cycle of procrastination when we procrastinate we usually go through a common pattern of steps and if you know about these you can recognize them more easily and with that increased awareness you enable yourself to make better choices [Music] the cycle of procrastination can span out over a couple of months weeks days or hours it starts with a new project or deadline that you've committed to and when contemplating this new project you go into
it with the best of intentions i'll start early this time i know what it's like to procrastinate i've suffered through it too many times already this time is going to be different this time i'm not even only going to start early i'm going to finish early then as time progresses you think i've got to start soon you are hopeful that this time will be different at the same time you're getting an inkling that you haven't started yet and you're sensing that perhaps you are procrastinating again you hope that the events will unfold differently this time
but the procrastinator doesn't create a plan or take action to initiate this the procrastinator stops at hoping in the next phase the procrastinator starts getting more and more apprehensive and guilty about not having started yet and soothes themselves by thinking and saying things like there's still time it's definitely no longer a question of the ideal beginning but the procrastinator thinks it's not too late there's still time how hard can it be how long can it take i'll manage with the time that i've got also throughout these phases there is a build up of distraction the
more you feel pressure building from an approaching deadline and a project that needs to get done the more urgent and important literally anything else seems so we start reorganizing desks and cleaning windows in the next phase the procrastinator starts getting more and more desperate and starts imagining horror scenarios what if i don't start at all what if i don't do this at all how's that going to ruin my life the procrastinator feels this ache of regret about not having started and starts chastising themselves for having gotten into this cycle again at this point you're having
a hard time enjoying yourself at any other activity because the project and the guilt connected to it are following you like a shadow you hide that you haven't started yet from anyone who might notice you avoid certain phone calls and people you create the illusion of progress although you haven't gotten anything done you try to seem as busy as possible and that makes you feel even more guilty and perhaps even ashamed as the procrastinator's desperation grows the procrastinator starts doubting themselves and comes to the conclusion that there's something wrong with me the procrastinator thinks i
must be fundamentally flawed because i keep procrastinating over and over others have more willpower and self-control they can get started on time why is it so hard for me and by the way it's not that procrastinators are not fundamentally flawed the next stage is the stage where the deadline is just around the corner and the pressure is on there is a final choice to be made to do or not to do it can go two ways now either the procrastinator decides that it's way too late and never going to work and drops the project or
the procrastinator buckles down works on it full speed ahead and finishes it somehow and usually this is when procrastinators notice that it wasn't half as bad as they thought it would be it was much easier and funner to work on this project than they had thought all along when that stressful experience of having to work so intensely for so long is over the procrastinator needs a long stretch of time to recover with the fresh memory of how excruciating this cycle of procrastination is procrastinator now vows i will never procrastinate again but despite their best intentions
procrastinators often stay stuck in this cycle and start over in phase one when the next project comes what are some key points to reflect on and change if you want to get out of this cycle number one getting out of this cycle does not happen on its own the only way to get out of this cycle is by working on it step by step there is no point in waiting to be more organized number two procrastination is not just a time management issue it has deep roots in our psyche that need to be identified understood
and redirected procrastination comes from the protector part of our self that has falsely learned that procrastination is necessary to stay safe and avoid experiencing fear and anxiety number three procrastinators are not fundamentally flawed procrastination is a habit a pattern of behavior that has ingrained itself into the brain of the procrastinator and that can be changed just like any other habit it's not that you're either born as a procrastinator or not your life experiences have taught you to procrastinate as a coping mechanism and it's not all that helpful and now you can learn to cope in
better ways number four there is hope i've personally seen lots of procrastinators turn over a new leaf it's totally possible it just takes some effort and patience but it'll save you so much more nerves and energy in the future that it's definitely worth it and something that you will thank yourself for having worked on later thanks for watching this video i hope you got some insights and motivation from it if you want to dive deeper into understanding procrastination where it comes from and how to overcome it and get better at organization and time management check
out my online course called self-empowered o'clock how to spend time the way you truly want to you'll find the link at the top of the description box until next time take care and remember you are not fundamentally flawed [Music] you
