How to Beat Procrastination
Putting the ‘Monkey’ back into the cage
As a habitual procrastinator, my life has been in a cycle of missing out on opportunities and wasting my potential. I was living in constant fear, shame, and disappointment. Perhaps, you think I’m exaggerating. I am not. A few months ago, I got offers on publications, fresh ideas on writing, and a significant amount of will to finish my project. However, over the course of those few months, I was also in this huge never-ending battle with ‘the monkey’ and had lost most of it: I missed important emails because I didn’t bother to check all of them; I didn’t write and develop the ideas that never reappear to me later on, and I still got stuck on the project. I felt like an ultimate failure.
It was also during that time, I became aware of the pain procrastination was causing me. I had this huge anxiety and resistance when I was facing certain tasks, so I distracted myself to numb those uncomfortable feelings. Which ended up wasting more of my time and delayed the goals I have planned on reaching. It was driving me crazy. I kept asking, “What is wrong with me?”, “Why can’t I do things?”, so I read few books to help me see things more clearly and found some useful tips which I have successfully implemented to began the path of my recovery.
So, who is this ‘Monkey’?
According to Tim Urban’s Inside The Mind of A Procrastinator, the reason you procrastinate is that there is a monkey running the show in your brain. It’s called The Instant-Gratification Monkey, whose one and only priority is to find what is fun and easy. Of course, this monkey never aligns with our rational decision-maker, who makes sure that we get everything done on time efficiently and effectively. When the monkey takes over, I am telling you; it takes over badly, and you most likely won’t get anything done. My rather extreme case was the impact. Perhaps you and I face different circumstances, but it IS because of the monkey.
The psychology of Procrastination
“Whatever the exact patterns are, procrastinators tend to worry a lot. They experience more negative emotions when facing certain tasks than “normal” people do. As a result, they also need more willpower and better emotion regulation skills than normal people do.” — Nils Salzgeber in ‘Stop Procrastinating’
Procrastinating has nothing to do with self-control. It relies on how you manage your emotions. Here, we have to find a better way to relieve our emotions rather than avoiding them. Procrastinating may become autocatalytic, it feeds on itself. Unless you have the will to control it, it will continue to mess your life. So, if you’re trying to beat ‘the monkey’ and get your life going again, consider these tips:
1. Just Get Started
I know, I know... You’re reading this to get rid of procrastinating. But, trust me, as soon as you start engaging in a task, the fear and worry will evaporate. At that moment, you would realize that the task is not as bad as you thought it would be, and eventually, the pleasant feeling of actually doing the task will become a momentum that keeps you going.
2. Identify Your Tigger
When procrastinating becomes a habit, you would often find yourself doing the things you’re not supposed to do. It is like you’re on auto-pilot mode. Be aware of your pattern and behavior. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing other things instead?” Identifying my own trigger eventually snapped me back to reality and start writing this article.
3. The Five Minute Rule
Think of the task that won’t take longer than 5 minutes to finish and do it. Those small tasks will make a difference and produce a small win at the end of the day. Back to rule #1, once you start doing the small tasks, it will create a momentum to do the bigger task.
4. Bundle Tempations
Katy Milkman invents this strategy. Bundle Tempations means combining a temptation (something that feels good) with something you procrastinate on. This adds immediate gratification to aversive tasks, basically allowing the monkey to be a lot less reluctant about them.
5. Get Enough Sleep
Being tired is fuel for procrastinating. By getting enough sleep you will wake up the next day feeling refreshed and energized, and that is the fuel of being productive.
The bottom line is, procrastination exists for many reasons, and there are a lot of ways you can do to control it. Understanding what procrastination really is and identifying the source of your avoidance to do certain tasks are the crucial part to put that ‘monkey’ back into the cage.
