Behind the tendency to postpone everything until tomorrow are mental blockages and not laziness, recalls the British psychologist in a video published on Instagram on January 8.
It read to-dosThe day is long, but a little voice in our head keeps us from getting started, and now we find ourselves (again) putting things off until the next day. This procrastination is not related to laziness, says Dr. Julie Smith, a British clinical psychologist and author of the book. Why didn’t anyone tell me this before? (Why didn’t anyone tell me before?, French). In a short video published on his Instagram account on January 8, the specialist presents three cognitive mechanisms that drive us to procrastinate and gives advice on how to overcome them.
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Fear of failure, emotional flight
According to Julie Smith, the primary explanation for procrastination is a strong will to succeed that outweighs a more powerful fear of failure. The whole thing prevents us from even starting a task. The second explanation has to do with the belief that performance from a task says something about us, defines the person we are. “Then delaying the task becomes an act of self-preservation,” he says. Finally, behind procrastination is often a desire to escape from the emotions that accompany action, such as stress, boredom, and anxiety.
Tips for stopping procrastination
In the title of her post, Julie Smith offers five keys to her followers (more than a million on the social network) to end procrastination. Three of these require the work of self-criticism, first turning self-criticism into a form of curiosity. Instead of blaming yourself, you should ask yourself why this is happening and be ready to be honest with yourself,” writes the psychologist.
Questioning the connection to failure is also important, as perfectionism and fear of failure can block any progress and risk-taking, he notes. Finally, we must ask ourselves whether this or that goal is really ours or is it someone else’s responsibility? “Staying connected to why you’re doing this work can help overcome a lack of desire,” she explains.
As for putting it into practice and turning off that little inner voice that prompts us to put things off until later, the expert recommends starting the day with the mission that feels most unpleasant to us. After all, if a problem overwhelms us, it is better to divide it into small steps so that it is less frightening, concludes the psychologist.
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Source: Le Figaro
