Procrastination is not the problem, it is a symptom!

Procrastination isn’t the problem – it’s a symptom!

Ever feel stuck? Like you cannot get started? If we are honest, most of us find ourselves in that difficult space called procrastination. You want to lose some weight. You want to eat healthier. You want to study the Bible more. You want to go back to school. You want to write your life story. Write that book that will change lives. You want to launch your business, your podcast, your mentorship program. But days go by, weeks go by, years go by. And you still have not done it. We say, I must stop procrastinating. We realize we need to get started but even knowing it. Intellectually we know what we need to do, we still find ourselves not moving forward. I found myself saying “procrastination is my problem.” But the reality is, procrastination is not my problem, and I suspect it is not your problem either. Procrastination is the symptom of my problem. Psychologists say one of the reasons we might procrastinate is due to a thing called Discomfort Intolerance. That simply means if the task we know we must do is seen as too unbearable or too complicated, we simply avoid engaging. The cause and effect. There are distinct types of procrastination- there is arousal procrastination. Preachers often suffer from this. It is putting something off until the last minute and then the thrill you get from having to go 100 to get it done. Some people in school will wait until the last minute to write their term paper. Wait until the night before the test to study. Preachers? Wait until Saturday night to prepare the sermon. Cause for procrastination is you get stimulation from being late. There is AVOIDANCE procrastination- this is fear of failure or success. You bury your head in the sand because you do not want to deal with the result. There are other categories, see if you fall into one of them:

1. Perfectionist Procrastinators- You delay because you have unrealistic expectations of perfection. You are paralyzed because you want it to be perfect. Guess what? It will never be perfect. 2. Dreamer Procrastinators – You have grand ideas and concepts, but you have a challenging time creating a strategic plan to attain the project or goal. You are stuck at the 30,000-foot view and never get to the grass roots. 3. Overdoer Procrastinators – You take on too many tasks, which can lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to start the project.

How do we overcome procrastination? We must identify the cause. What is delaying our tasks and why? One strategy is to set realistic deadlines and reward yourself for completing them. Practicing time management is a great strategy, block specific times to compete tasks. Accountability is a great strategy. Develop accountability partners and give them full permission to hold you to your tasks. I heard a great quote, Pastor Christopher Foster, Rock Church Bay Area, said this, “Procrastination is really disobedience in slow motion.” That was a profound statement for me and inspired me to avoid procrastinating the things that are God purposed in my life. The next time you find yourself procrastinating, challenge yourself to find the real cause and strive to achieve your goals.

Coach Rich