Did you know failure can also be a reward? This is the case with procrastination.
Procrastination is always about short term mood repair.
When you feel negative emotion such as anxiety, fear or uncertainty around a task and decide to put it off, how do you feel immediately afterwards? Probably relief, right?! Failing to accomplish the task by putting it off feels like a reward because you have temporary relief.
The more an action is rewarded the more likely you are to repeat it. In this sense, you can train yourself to procrastinate!
The solution? Structure your day as a series of small tasks you know you can succeed at!
Use the “progress loop” I talked about in a previous post to keep your motivation up all day long. Do the most energy consuming thing during your peak performance time of day. And take brain breaks every 60-90 minutes.
If you have a tendency to procrastinate, practice self-compassion. The more self-compassion you have the less likely you will procrastinate over time.
And remember, the relief you feel from putting something off is only temporary. You’ll find long term relief by accomplishing the task! 😉
If you want to experience how working with a life coach can help you stop procrastinating, click the button in the lower right corner and schedule a FREE coaching call with me!