Overcoming a Procrastination Situation

By Stephanie Barbee, LCSW

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Did you know that most people struggle with procrastination? Many people are being robbed of the opportunity to achieve their goals and regularly succumb to the countless number of thoughts, habits, fears, and excuses that steal away, slowly but surely, our time and our life. The reason so many people can struggle with the same thing, but need different solutions, is that it shows up differently for everyone.

What is procrastination? Procrastination is essentially pushing the important things to the back burner for things that are less urgent. When we don’t know how to assign and treat our important things as important, we tend to keep doing the easy or pleasurable things vs the important things. It can be hard to overcome.

One of the reasons procrastinating is hard to overcome is that we could all have different reasons (or combinations of reasons) for why we procrastinate. This could result from triggers like fear of success, fear of the unknown, overplanning, low self-esteem, or many others. That’s why someone’s well-meaning suggestion which you see works for them, may not work for you. We’re all unique in what’s at the root, but we can all learn to be motivated.

What’s the solution? Spoiler alert: it’s not easy! But nothing in this life worth having is. 

So, some things that can be done to help with procrastination include:

• Better time management
• Better organization
• Increasing anti-procrastination qualities (such as enthusiasm, self-discipline, and determination)
• Allow yourself to procrastinate on purpose (by scheduling days off for relaxation, goal setting, or self-reflection)

Procrastination is a mental trap that keeps our behaviors and actions muted and prevents us from moving forward in the way we desire. Breaking free requires awareness and understanding of how to recognize procrastination and what to do with it when it shows up. I hope this article sparks that curiosity so you can start to figure out, “How can I permanently leave my procrastination situation?”

About The Author 

Stephanie Barbee is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Missouri. She serves primarily Black Queer people who seek to understand their identities, overcome traumatic experiences, or explore how to move through a world that sees them as invisible. She is also a speaker, trainer, and consultant. She can be contact through her profile here: https://www.cliniciansofcolor.org/clinicians/spectrum-of-healing-llc/