How to avoid feeling panicked by deadlines!

Today we’re covering a very important topic that we’ve been meaning to write about for some time, but we keep putting it off. At times, it can affect all of us. The topic is – procrastination.

If you can identify with procrastination, you’re not alone. Tim Urban, the creator of the blog ‘Wait, but Why’, calls himself a “master procrastinator”. He said, “Everyone is procrastinating on something.” We’ll delve into that a bit further.  Isn’t it ironic that this column comes right when income taxes are due?

How did the process of getting your taxes done go for you? Were your taxes done well ahead of time or do you find yourself sweating to get them done at the last minute? Maybe you even decided to file for an extension?

Urban describes the process of completing a task and the three ‘characters’ that can influence the procrastination dynamic. The first character to show up is the “Instant Gratification Monkey” who, of course, just likes to play and have fun. Yes, that would work if we were all dogs. However, we’re not, and besides, dogs don’t have to worry about things like paying taxes.

Here are some of the ploys that the Instant Gratification Monkey uses: Of course we should check our email before starting an important project. Then a topic shows up about how lottery winners have splurged their earnings, so we need to read about that. By then, we feel hungry, so we better get something to eat, because we can’t think clearly on an empty stomach. After eating, food coma sets in so we decide we better have a nap so we’ll be fresh and ready to start. Well, you can see these are just some of the ways that we can get led off track. Also, watch out because the Instant Gratification Monkey can lead to the dark playground of guilt, dread and overwhelm, where it’s easy to just give up.

Another character is the “Rational Decision-Maker.” This character helps us to deal with hard, boring things, and things that we don’t want to do. The Rational Decision-Maker tries to help us make a timeline to space things out so we can complete a project on time. When the Instant Gratification Monkey gets into the mix and destroys the timeline set by the Rational Decision-Maker, it can lead to stress and anxiety, especially as we get closer to the task deadline.

In fact, that’s when the third character, called the “Panic Monster”, appears. The Panic Monster, who has laid dormant for most of the time, now jumps into high gear to push out adrenaline and fear-based feelings to try to get the project done on time. That’s an uncomfortable way to finish a project.

There are two kinds of procrastination. One, is procrastination when there is a set deadline. The advantage of this is that the situation and the procrastination are both constrained by time limits. Also, the Panic Monster still shows up, if necessary, to get the task done on time. The other kind of procrastination is when there are no deadlines. An example of this would happen, when making health a priority but there are no time limits. Notice how some people procrastinate and don’t do something about their health until they get a negative diagnosis. Then the Panic Monster shows up, but it may be too late.

Nic Voge, Senior Associate Director at Princeton University, feels that procrastination may not just be a habit, but it has deeper roots. He feels it’s a protective strategy for coping with conflicting motivations of wanting to do a task or not. He feels that “self-worth theory” influences the motivation to avoid a task because people fear that they’ll not be good enough or be successful. In other words, people procrastinate because they fear failure. Instead, follow Nelson Mandela’s advice. “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”

Whatever is holding you back, here are some ways to stop procrastinating.

• Become aware of why you procrastinate and the function it plays in your life.
• Realize the real purpose of why you want to complete the task.
• Use time-management techniques and reward yourself for meeting small, reasonable goals.
• Get an accountability partner, or group, to help keep you moving forward.

What about you? Do you find that procrastination has a negative impact in your life? If so, we encourage you to use the ideas presented to avoid the ‘Panic Monster’ showing up at deadlines. Then you can use the ‘Rational Decision-Maker’ to help keep the ‘Instant Gratification Monkey’ and procrastination in check so you can more easily reach your goals.

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2022 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.