• Solutions
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Free Consultation
  • Login

(303) 904-0077

info@theinevitableyou.com
Inevitable You
  • Solutions
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Free Consultation
  • Login

How To Overcome Procrastination

Unwanted Behaviors

Procrastination creates a huge obstacle for achieving goals, being successful, and managing your time. This can create numerous problems, both psychological and physiological. This behavior will tend to create higher levels of stress and anxiety which has negative effects on the nervous system and hormone level. It can also create feelings of inadequacy, low confidence, learned helplessness, and impulsiveness. Ultimately, procrastination is a bad habit that can be very hard to break and will create a downward spiral in both your personal and professional life.

 

However, there is a positive side to this seemingly disastrous behavior. This new strategy on how to overcome procrastination is sure to wow you. Laziness and short term thinking were beneficial to the evolution of humans. Laziness developed as a way of preserving energy and time, and the avoidance of labor was necessary for short term survival when food was at a low. Short term thinking is also advantageous when dealing with day-to-day survival, and more developed countries lack pressure on short term survival and rewards long term thinking and strategies.

 

So how do you overcome this habit, or turn it into a useful strategy? Well think about this, why not procrastinate on things that are bad for you?

 

Procrastinate on sitting on the couch and watching t.v., procrastinate on eating that extra donut, on smoking that cigarette.

 

It is up to you to choose on what you procrastinate on, you have the power to change this behavior around and make it beneficial for you. If it is a habit that is deeply rooted in your genes, then all you can do is reframe it and use it to your advantage.

 

So next time you are thinking of putting off that report, that college paper, that important phone call, tell yourself to procrastinate on the thing you would rather do instead. Get used to delayed gratification, you have a choice now make the right one!

Share
1

16 Comments

Leave your reply.
  • Steph
    · Reply

    June 5, 2012 at 9:54 PM

    I find the idea of using procrastination to our advantage very interesting. It is definitely something to evaluate and see how it would apply to our own lives. I also think procrastination results from overestimating the difficulty or cumbersomeness of a task. Once it’s done, we know it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

  • Jazz
    · Reply

    June 5, 2012 at 9:51 PM

    Now that was a fun way to address procastination. Needless to say, Procastination is definitely a bad trend found almost everywhere, I do too quite frankly. The thing you mentioned about decide what you want to procastinate was cool, I’d love to procastinate watching television or gulping down those huge calories for sure. 🙂

  • Lisa
    · Reply

    June 6, 2012 at 4:32 PM

    Wow..that was moving. I’ve never thought about using procrastination in a positive light. I’m not lazy by any means, (in my opinion anyway), but I do put off things like he said in the video like dieting. So, procrastinate on reaching for a sugary treat instead of munching on veggies instead and it will change my life? I’m going to give it a try and see how it goes. It couldn’t hurt that’s for sure.

  • NSExpert
    · Reply

    June 15, 2012 at 5:39 PM

    Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last possible minute, can be a major problem in both your career and your personal life. Side effects include missed opportunities, frenzied work hours, stress, overwhelm, resentment, and guilt. This article will explore the root causes of procrastination and give you several practical tools to overcome it.

  • Adam Snyder
    · Reply

    June 15, 2012 at 11:48 PM

    This was a very insightful article.

    I find that procrastination is never a good thing. Although humans may be able to cope with procrastination all their lives I think that it is a terrible cycle to get into. This is especially dangerous for business people.

    Adam

  • Allen Wirfs
    · Reply

    June 16, 2012 at 1:12 AM

    I really enjoyed the idea of a professional procrastinator. As Bill Gates put it “I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because he will find an easy way to do it.” This article was very insightful and motivating to help people see the benefits of delayed gratification. Great advice!

  • Amber Nichols
    · Reply

    June 16, 2012 at 3:13 AM

    Hmmm, I just found myself procrastinating posting a comment on this – I read it, then went to a different tab to read something else before commenting here! We do it far more often than we realize, I think!

    Great idea to try spinning procrastination into a helpful tool instead of a negative one! Definitely something worth trying.

  • Dianne
    · Reply

    June 16, 2012 at 11:50 AM

    Great article! That’s what I love about NLP which you are clearly using. It can be easy to change a behavior just by changing your mind and doing something differently. It is a unique approach to procrastinate on something else instead, like eating something that isn’t good for you. I look forward to more of your posts.

  • umesh
    · Reply

    June 16, 2012 at 5:56 PM

    “Nothing Which Life Has To Offer, Is Worth The Price Of Worry” so make releasing negative thoughts a daily habit. Everyday, we face situations when we need to just let go of the negative thoughts. Whether at work or home, we are surrounded by people of varying nature. When you make releasing negative emotions a part of your daily activities, it becomes naturally inbuilt in your personality.

  • Sera Rivers
    · Reply

    June 16, 2012 at 4:46 PM

    When I find myself procrastinating on creative projects, it is usually because I am stuck. I have learned to walk away. Take a walk, exercise at the gym, clean the house, do laundry—anything that physically removes me from the project, but still allows me to accomplish something. I always come back to the project feeling refreshed and ready to move forward. My brain works out the project’s issues while I do mindless work.

  • Honeywell
    · Reply

    June 16, 2012 at 7:11 PM

    Procrastination is a kind of habit which means putting off or delaying especially when something requiring immediate attention.You can be smart,great personalized but you able to achieve your goal until you have this habit.In your academic career even your at work place you can put yourself into a harassing situation because of this habit. So it is more important to keep in mind that procrastination is not solely contingent upon one’s willpower or motivation to accomplish tasks.All you need to do is settle your mind strongly to do anything.
    cheers.

  • J.P.McC
    · Reply

    June 17, 2012 at 12:17 PM

    I think many of us only think of procrastination in terms of big things. I like the idea of shifting your mindset to the little things. Don’t think in terms of something major like “get into shape.” Think in terms of not turning on the TV as soon as you get home from work.

  • Virnelli
    · Reply

    June 18, 2012 at 7:21 AM

    Finally, a positive spin on procrastination! As a person who will usually dawdle on a very dreary task, I also find that the times when I procrastinate are the moments when I am at my most creative. This is when I get new ideas for decorating, or making up a game or craft ideas, or a storyline. On the other hand, procrastinating on enjoyable activities such as shopping (money saved, credit card bills lessened) would really benefit a lot of people too.

  • Nicci
    · Reply

    June 18, 2012 at 1:11 PM

    I actually had never thought about the evolutionary reasons behind procrastination. It’s refreshing to see tips focusing on making our weaknesses work for us. It feels a lot more manageable than working with a list of life skills that I should be developing.

    I have been trying to “earn” my lazy time for awhile now. So, whenever I want a Sunday afternoon full of doing nothing, I make a list of things I need to do to earn it. Maybe I can incorporate procrastinating into this and really get a good system!

  • omi
    · Reply

    June 18, 2012 at 10:38 AM

    Procrastination, may result in stress, a sense of guilt and crisis….

  • Annissa Hanim
    · Reply

    June 22, 2012 at 5:14 AM

    Good topic! Something new I’ve learnt today. I never really see procrastination as a good thing as it always reflect on the negative side of things.
    I guess you have to put into practice in trying to change the bad into the good thing. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Post a comment. Your email is safe with us.
Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest Posts

  • Coach’s Corner E2 – Creating Life from the “Inside-Out”
  • Life Lessons From Planning a Wedding
  • Coach’s Corner: Effectively coming off antidepressant medication
  • How to Overcome Addictions
  • How to Treat and Overcome Depression

© 2022 Inevitable You, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
Prev Next