What is the deeper meaning behind procrastination?
Break big goals into smaller tasks, apply the two-minute rule, set deadlines, eliminate distractions, implement a reward system, prioritize tasks, seek accountability—the list goes on and on with various techniques you can use to “fight” procrastination and, despite trying everything, you still find yourself procrastinating. Why is this still happening?
Have you stopped to explore that maybe there is a deeper meaning behind your continued delays?
A common refrain I hear from my clients when we discuss their goals, and why they feel they are not making any progress towards realizing those goals, is, “I just procrastinate a lot.” Irrespective of the client’s age, gender or profession, this particular phrase keeps reappearing. It has made me wonder why this is the case, and whether there is any greater meaning to this, a few layers down.
All of my clients are high-achieving people with great success in their lives—so why do they suffer from procrastination? Maybe you, too, feel there are areas in your life where, whatever you do, you just can’t get started?
Consider how you feel about something that genuinely excites you. Maybe you are planning your summer vacation, looking at various hotel options and things to do in Tuscany. There’s no procrastination happening now, is there? Why so?
Shouldn’t larger goals—like the prospect of changing careers, building a business or writing a book—generate the same level of excitement? Then why do so many people find their ideas remain just ideas and never progress beyond their initial thoughts?
As I see it, there are three possible reasons:
First, you may think you want to change careers or build a business or write a book, but, in reality, you don’t.
Second, the goals are real, but the road to get from where you are now to where you want to be appears overwhelming, with too much added work to your already busy days.
Third, you refrain from acting due to fears of failure or whether you are “good enough” or anything else that your inner voice tells in order to stop you.
So, when you catch yourself procrastinating, ask, “What is the real reason why I am delaying this?” If you discover that your so-called dream isn't actually what you desire, allow yourself to let it go. This will free up space in your mind for something new.
As I have written about in the past, I always saw myself as a photographer, something I had always loved and which I was always told I was good at whenever someone would see the pictures I had taken. Yet despite my grand plans of becoming an acclaimed photographer, I never really made any major movements towards this.
It always bugged me why excuses such as “too much work” or “too busy raising my family” kept emerging. It wasn’t until later I realized that, while I do love photography, I loved it as a hobby and nothing else. And that was fine. The dream I thought I had was, in fact, not my dream, so I let it go, and I became happier for it.
But perhaps you feel that, yes, these are my goals, and I do want to achieve them. So what then? While it may still be a long road to get there, clarifying your true desires and root cause which stops you could be the initial push you really need to move forward. And how to do this we will explore in future posts.
