Finding the underlying issues that fuel procrastination is one of the steps that will lead to changing this disempowering habit.
If you procrastinate it is possible that you've asked yourself why you procrastinate when it ends up causing stress, overwhelm and feeling bad.
There are a number of reasons people procrastinate and they fall into a few different categories.
You can begin to uncover the underlying reasons by looking at the things you do when you are procrastinating. For example, some people will think about the task at hand, and feel like they need to eat. Other people will feel tired or like energy is draining out of them. Some will not be able to sleep as the mind races with lots of "have to's". Although eating or needing to rest doesn't move us in the direction of getting the task done, it does provide a certain feeling of comfort. Even if later you might regret using that activity to postpone what you "need" to get done.
Both sleeping and eating when stressed fall under the category of self-comfort. Sleeping does provide comfort, and eating, of course, is another way we comfort ourselves.
There are many other things people do when they procrastinate, but let's look at the need for self-comfort that is satisfied by eating and sleeping. The first step to stop the procrastination habit is to change what isn't working.
So this leads to the question to ask of yourself. What would you need to provide comfort that would work better than eating or sleeping?
1. Do you need to reassure yourself that you'll get the task done?
2. Do you need to remember a time in the past when you accomplished a similar task?
3. Is there information that is needed so you can feel more comfortable tackling the task?
4. Is your goal so big that it is overwhelming?
5. Do you need to learn how to set goals in a way that you will move towards them?
According to the answers to these questions you can begin to get a plan of action to help in move you towards your goals while getting comfort.
