Over the past few years I’ve changed my relationship with procrastination.
I used to fight procrastination with just a force of will. I’d sit down and force myself to produce. And this was something that had some success. I’ve certainly achieved a great deal. And I’ve seen my creative output chug along.
Still there are times when I feel like I’m up against a wall, avoiding my work at any cost.
And so I now have a different approach to dealing with procrastination.
I’m embracing my procrastination.
In my experience procrastination tends to be rational. There is a block and there is something you are missing and there is this part of you that is putting the breaks on so you don’t need to redo work.
So how can you address and benefit from that pesky feeling of procrastination.
The easiest way is to ask what your procrastination is telling you.
Is it telling you:
- That you are tired and need to rest?
- That you haven’t done your homework and need to get your ducks in a row?
- That you are missing a key component?
- That you are unhappy with the direction your project is going?
- That you are uncertain where you are going and you should plan?
These are just a few of the things that procrastination has been telling me over the past year or so when it pops up.
The next time you find procrastinating showing up consider asking what it’s trying to tell you. The end result may be something that you can remedy and get back to work not only that much sooner but also with that much more energy.