Edgars Club Magazine November 2018 - Workplace

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G N I T A W ) !

N W I HO O T R R S O A M O R T T C O N O , Y A R D P (TO P O T S O T

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s the year winds down, perhaps you’ve noticed a slump in your work productivity. Maybe you’re more distracted, putting off tasks until later, whiling away time on social media, then stressing to get things done at the last minute. Best described as chronic avoidance, procrastination may seem an innocuous, even cute habit, but it can exact a harsh price.

‘What we don’t often consider is that there can be severe consequences to procrastination,’ says Nicky Abdinor, a clinical psychologist based in Cape Town.

There’s the personal distress experienced edgarsclub.co.za

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when we beat ourselves up about what we should be doing. There might be financial losses (if you’re avoiding getting around to that budget or tax return for your business, for example) and career consequences, if low productivity and unreliable delivery prevent you from getting promoted. There can be wider, potentially life-threatening health consequences, such as avoiding a visit to the doctor when you have nagging symptoms.

Ultimately, procrastination can mean not living up to your potential or pursuing your dreams.

WHY IT’S DIFFICULT TO GET STARTED

We’re all susceptible to procrastination. A new task may seem overwhelming and you wonder if you’re capable of accomplishing it, or you might procrastinate because you fear success: what if a string of wellexecuted tasks gets you promoted to team leader and takes you too far from your comfort zone?

Abdinor notes, ‘While perfectionism and a fear of failure can often lead us to procrastinate, an important aspect to consider is that often we do not want to do the hard work’ – think studying, writing, decluttering, taking risks, doing admin and submitting tax returns. ‘We convince ourselves that we need unreasonable amounts

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The anxieties and fears that lead us to procrastinate at work are often linked to our stories about ourselves

of motivation to get going on a task that is hard work.

We don’t want to tolerate how uncomfortable it is to do a difficult task. We then opt for the short-term reward by procrastinating – doesn’t it feel great to move from your tax return to Facebook?’ she laughs.

We learn to justify putting things off, telling ourselves, for example, ‘I work much better under pressure,’ she says. ‘When goals are vague, we need to commit to something more concrete.’ Consider ‘When, Where and How’ you’ll accomplish the work, and you’ll be more likely to follow through. ‘Yes, we might work better under pressure, but at what cost of distress, and were you really satisfied with the end

result?’ she asks. Recognise the long-term rewards of doing a task and don’t be tempted by the short-term rewards of avoiding it.’

KNOW YOURSELF AND NOTICE HOW YOU FEEL

Procrastination isn’t always a bad thing, says Dr Paddy Pampallis, CEO of The Coaching Centre and Integral Africa Institute. ‘Some people need to procrastinate; they actually need more time to think and organise themselves, especially in today’s high sensory-input environment.’ Tidying your desk, rearranging the filing cabinet or going for a short, head-clearing walk can help prepare a creative mind for the linear process required

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to compile an Excel spreadsheet, for instance.

‘But not if it’s a debilitating pattern that stops you from getting ahead or an opportunity for your business, and you’re using excuses to avoid doing things you really want,’

images: gallo images/getty images

TOOLS TO GET THE JOB DONE ■ Eat the frog! This means tackling your most important, most difficult task first thing every morning: getting that job application in; writing the first section of your report – the task you’re most likely to procrastinate on all day. ‘Discipline yourself to begin immediately and then to persist until the task is complete before you go on to something else,’ writes Brian Tracy, speaker and author of Time Management. ‘”Failure to execute” is one of the biggest problems in organisations today. Many people confuse activity with accomplishment.

They talk continually, hold endless meetings, and make wonderful plans, but in the final analysis, no one does the job and gets the results required.’

■ Go offline. It helps to

she says. Then you need to get some help. Work with another person, such as a coach, to understand your limiting beliefs and ‘restory’ yourself so you don’t repeat old negative beliefs like ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I’m not good enough’.

The anxieties and fears that lead us to procrastinate at work are often linked to our stories about ourselves, she believes. We may fear failure, so we don’t finish a task, telling ourselves and others ‘I was too busy; I didn’t have time’ – and then actually fail

remove as many distractions from your environment as possible. Who can focus when the cool, colourful online world is constantly accessible on phone and PC, designed to hook us with an endless scroll-down of articles algorithmically tailored to our interests? Switch off your mobile phone and go offline when focusing on a difficult task, disable email and social media notifications on your PC or laptop, and avoid false ‘emergencies’: just because your phone’s ringing or an email has pinged its arrival doesn’t mean you need to deal with them now, especially when a report is waiting to be written.

■ Set small goals and focus on the emotional payoff.

Commit to doing 10 minutes or one hour on the task, and ask yourself ‘How does this feel?’ once you’ve got the

Listen up, perfectionists: instead of reworking something until it starts sapping your energy, ‘aim for 100%, but get it in on time. And give yourself permission to do it at 70% or 80% if necessary

work under your belt, advises Pampallis. The reward is usually a sense of calm and satisfaction. Focus on the good feeling you’ll get if you wake up early to work for two hours each morning this week, for example, which means you’ll have your weekend free.

■ Realise that ‘done’ is better than ‘perfect’. Listen up, perfectionists: instead of reworking something until it starts sapping your energy, ‘aim for 100%, but get it in on time. And give yourself permission to do it at 70% or 80% if necessary,’ says Pampallis.

■ Ask others to support you in your goal. Keep friends, colleagues or supporters updated of progress in a major goal you’re committed to achieving. Email or WhatsApp your group regularly, or check in with a trusted friend once a week, for example.

to deliver the goods: a self-perpetuating and selfsabotaging cycle.

For hard-core procrastinators, in-depth work may be needed.

Pampallis recommends keeping a journal for two weeks to investigate your inner story. Track the times when you procrastinate, without judging yourself.

Notice when it happens, the reasons you give yourself for procrastinating, and how your body feels in that moment. Identify the emotion. Then go back to the age when that emotion first came up for you. Next, write down your age now and list answers to the following questions: What’s good about being this age? What are my gifts and abilities? And when that feeling comes up again, let your older self guide your younger self – the part of you that’s worried about getting into trouble, not being as good as the others, or thinks you’re not qualified to be in your job.

Let the older self ‘speak’, asking, What am I avoiding?

Who can I get support from? What do I really value about my current wisdom?

What could I bring to this?

What is my wiser path?

Cracking procrastination is a step towards maturity.

‘It’s about growing up and stepping into the adult voice,’ says Pampallis.

‘While your younger self struggles with the emotions that come up, your older self has to make a commitment and get on with the job.’

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