Do you ever find yourself procrastinating? My taxes were due on 3/15 this year. I hate taxes! With my taxes all over the kitchen table and just two days to spare, I decided to take a nap. Yup, a nap. When I woke up from the nap, I said to myself “It’s beautiful outside, go paint the dresser in the garage!” Fortunately, I caught myself on that bad decision and hunkered down at the kitchen table to complete my taxes. UGH!

Procrastination is irrational—we know we are making a bad decision and we do it anyway! “Procrastination is an emotion regulation problem, not a time management problem,” said Dr. Tim Pychyl, professor of psychology and member of the Procrastination Research Group at Carleton University (Official). Procrastination increases stress and self-blame as well as lowers our self-esteem. Why would we do that? To avoid an unpleasant emotion.

If procrastination is about emotions, not productivity then we need to pinpoint the emotion. That will bring enlightenment. Forgiveness and self-compassion are our next important steps. Treat yourself with kindness and understanding. Finally, agree to a baby step. What is the first action you need to take? 

With Gratitude,
Beth
If you want more information on procrastination, here is an article from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/…/why-you-procrastinate-it-has-noth…