Sober Synthesis

“Procrastination is perfectionism’s evil twin”.

Definition of Procrastination

To voluntarily delay an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay, or to put off despite expecting to be worse off. 

Consequences of Procrastination

• Lower quality work, reduced emotional well-being, insomnia, reduced physical health including immune system and gastrointestinal disturbance, and challenges to personal and professional relationships.

Causes of Procrastination

• Procrastinators are often perfectionists.
  • Fear is one factor that contributes to procrastination. This can involve a fear of failure, a fear of making mistakes, or even a fear of success.
• Some research demonstrated the impact of  “present bias”, being motivated by immediate rewards rather than long-term rewards.
• Research has also shown that procrastination is closely linked to rumination, or becoming fixated on negative thoughts.

Types of Procrastination

• Some researchers classify two types of procrastinators: passive and active procrastinators.
  • Passive procrastinators: Delay the task because they have trouble making decisions and acting on them.
  • Active procrastinators: Delay the task purposefully because working under pressure allows them to “feel challenged and motivated”.
• Others define the types of procrastinators based on different behavioral styles of procrastination, including:
  • Perfectionist: Puts off tasks out of the fear of not being able to complete a task .
  • Dreamer: Puts off tasks because they are not good at paying attention to detail.
  • Defier: Doesn’t believe someone should dictate their time schedule.
  • Worrier: Puts off tasks out of fear of change or leaving the comfort of “the known”.
  • Crisis-maker: Puts off tasks because they like working under pressure.
  • Overdoer: Takes on too much and struggles with finding time to start and complete tasks.

Behavior Change Neuroscience Basics

• “Neurons that fire together, wire together”. The basis of neuroplasticity.
• Developing a sustained behavior change can take between 18 to 254 days. The variation is largely the difference in how much effort it takes to overcome limbic friction. 
  • Limbic friction is the strain required to overcome anxiety and/or lack of motivation or fatigue related to building a new habit.

Activities/Tools:

• Temptation bundling
  • Combine something that needs to be done with something you want to do.
• Make a to-do list: To help keep you on track, consider placing a due date next to each item.
• Take baby steps: Break down the items on your list into small, manageable steps so that your tasks don’t seem so overwhelming.
• Recognize the warning signs: Pay attention to any thoughts of procrastination and do your best to resist the urge. If you begin to think about procrastinating, force yourself to spend a few minutes working on your task.
• Eliminate distraction: Ask yourself what pulls your attention away the most—whether it’s Instagram, Facebook updates, or the local news—and turn off those sources of distraction.
• Pat yourself on the back: When you finish an item on your to-do list on time, congratulate yourself and reward yourself by indulging in something you find fun.

Proposed Questions for Thought/Sharing:

1. Have you successfully decreased or eliminated procrastination in your recovery journey? How?

2. Is procrastination interfering with a future change that you want to make? Is there a first step that you plan to implement to get momentum started?

Disclaimer

This summary is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed.