News Paper Columns
| Disclaimer
- The articles and columns on this website are not meant as substitutes
for one-on-one psychotherapy with a licensed professional. If you
feel you have issues that need to be addressed professionally, please
consult a licensed psychotherapist in your area. This article/column
may have first appeared in the Del Mar Times.
Ask
Dr. Ceren: Not Now - Later (Procrastination) When you occasionally put things off, it
probably means that what you are putting off is simply what you
choose not to do at that particular time. Depending on how frequently
this occurs, it may not be a problem. However, if your life style
includes habitual procrastination, it may suggest a conflict.
It may mean that you have a fear of success-or
a fear of failure.
Being successful may mean that you could
be in danger of not being liked, that others will be jealous and
resentful of your success.
It could also mean that you are afraid that
you won’t reach the high goals you have set and then you would
be deemed a failure. Rather than attempt to reach these goals,
you procrastinate.
Procrastination is stressful. Anxiety ensues
when you leave things to the last moment than do an inadequate
job with whatever you neglected to do in a timely fashion, or
you miss the boat entirely.
Procrastination keeps you stuck and does
not allow you to confront life’s opportunities, thus missing out
on what could be very enjoyable and gratifying.
If you make the decision that you want to
move out of the state of procrastination, you could then identify
the purpose your procrastination meant for you.
To help you in this process, you may ask
yourself, “What would happen if I did not procrastinate?” What
possibilities would be there for me? Once you understand what
is keeping you stuck, than you can choose to move forward.
The biggest problem is getting it going.
Set easy small goals in the beginning. Give
yourself a task and spread it out in steps, doing one step at
a time. Make a contract with yourself to do a small amount of
work at a time. Give yourself half an hour to do a task, plugging
away at it for the time you’ve set. If you see you are making
progress, give yourself another half-hour and continue in half
hour segments.
Be alert to distracting influences, such
as that beckoning chocolate bar, or the TV drama that awaits your
attention.
Reward yourself for the steps you are taking.
That chocolate bar will taste all the better when you have completed
the task you have assigned yourself. |