I ran across an article that gave me a fresh perspective on procrastination. I always considered this habit a consequence of my poor planning or (worse) laziness. Instead, the authors suggested that procrastination is related to mood regulation.
Huh?
But, wait. This may make sense.
Researchers theorize that procrastination is the inability to manage negative emotions related to certain tasks.
This explains why I’ll skip a day or two of weighing myself after vacation.
Or delay scheduling blood work so I don’t have to face a precariously high cholesterol reading.
Or put off calling a good friend because I know it will be emotionally exhausting rather than exhilarating.
I delay because these tasks bring up a host of negative emotions: shame (related to weight); fear (related to cholesterol and health, in general): and guilt (am I really the friend I claim to be?)
I guess my take-away is not to necessarily see my procrastination as failure. Instead, I’m trying to understand the emotion underlying my delay.
Anyone else support this theory? Perhaps our procrastinating tendencies will subside a bit once we confront our true feelings about the task. And we’ll all be just a bit more productive in the future.