Waiting ‘Till the Last Minute
By: Mary Alston Kerllenevich, Ph.D.

We've all been there. We put off unwanted tasks to the point where we find ourselves rushing around like mad, praying for divine assistance, and counting on luck to get things done at the very last minute. Procrastination can be a big problem in your work as well as your personal life. Not only do you risk reducing the quality of your work when you have to do things in haste, but the feeling of constantly having undone tasks hanging over your head (like a dark cloud liable to start raining on you at any minute) can make you miserable. We all have things that we don't like to do and thus put them off, making even simple tasks seem more and more difficult every day that they are left undone. Chronic procrastination can lead to your feeling overwhelmed, overworked, resentful, and guilty, as well as making your co-workers feel frustrated and resentful.

Procrastination can be difficult to get a handle on. By definition, to procrastinate is to do a more enjoyable activity instead of a necessary but less enjoyable activity. Your choice to put off starting a task is always rewarded, since you can always find many more immediately entertaining things to do with our time: chatting with a co-worker, checking email, organizing your desk, attending to other unfinished work… You never reach the point where the task being put off is the only thing left to do, until it's the last minute and it's the only thing you can allow yourself to do. Some people find the added pressure invigorating. But if you constantly live on the edge, at some point you're liable to fall off and hurt yourself.

Perhaps the most frustrating is when we often put off tasks that aren't even difficult or unpleasant. There are many reasons why we take what could be simple tasks and make them seem more disagreeable through procrastination. We can be perfectionists and tell ourselves we have to do the best job possible, which makes any task nearly impossible to do. What could be done relatively quickly becomes a time-consuming and arduous task in our minds. We can also turn things that we usually want to do into things we feel like we have to do. While many times we enjoy a hobby, such as gardening, the minute we start to tell ourselves that we should be out gardening is the minute our hobby starts to become a burden. Other times, we can focus only on all the possible ways we could potentially do the task poorly, and become so fearful that we will fail that we delay even starting the task. We all have our own signs that procrastination is getting out of hand. For me, I know it's time to get a better handle on life when I put off returning phone calls to old friends or even family members.

The solution to our procrastination situations is relatively simple: you simply reframe the situation so that the task you're putting off becomes the one that is rewarded. If we remind ourselves that we get to choose to do whatever we want, choosing to do needed work may seem like a good idea. Then, if we give ourselves permission to be human and potentially make mistakes, we can divide even complicated tasks into manageable pieces and get started. A little organization goes a long way. When we get to the point where we're feeling overwhelmed by a dozen small tasks we've been putting off, simply writing them down makes them seem more manageable. Once the task is put into a manageable framework, you can build in rewards to motivate yourself. Many times, the task itself is rewarding, or just getting started can make you feel better and motivate you to do more. At times, however, making sure only your best efforts are rewarded can require some strict self-monitoring and literally rewarding yourself for getting started. I couldn’t tell you the number of times I have had to bribe myself with a cup of coffee in order to do paperwork. There are countless ways to reward ourselves for work: by the hour, by each subtask completed, or simply for the effort. Once you reward yourself for getting started, other rewards will follow. The dreaded task is no longer hanging over your head, you feel more in control of your work and better about yourself, and you have more energy for all those other unwanted tasks. Who knows, you may even have time left over to chat with co-workers, check email and organize your desk. But you'll enjoy it more when you do it with real peace of mind.


 

Mary Alston Kerllenevich earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Clark University in 2006. She completed her pre-doctoral internship with Emory School of Medicine at Grady Hospital in Atlanta prior to joining Psychological Services of St. Augustine in 2006. She works with both adults and children, and specializes in treating a variety of child behavior problems, and problems with depression and anxiety. She particularly enjoys working with young children and families, and uses a solution-focused approach in her treatment of mental health problems.

Psychological Services of St. Augustine, Inc.

Main Office: 1100-1 South Ponce de Leon Boulevard, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
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