I used to spend hours on Youtube each day, watching video after video; autoplay was the death of me . As I looked for advice online to cope with distractions, a common advice was to use web blockers. I took the advice to heart and removed Youtube access on all my devices. However, it is impossible to remove virtually every possible distraction. While I was successfully off Youtube, it was replaced by an addiction to mobile games. Digging deeper, I learnt that procrastination is part of a much deeper problem.
Procrastination is attributed to two key reasons. Firstly, poor time management. Parkinson’s law states that work expands to fill the allotted time for its completion. Not setting a definitive time limit to complete a certain task leaves you unfocused and vulnerable to distractions. For time management techniques, read here. Second, we are distracted because of difficult emotions and thoughts that we have yet to address. Distraction serves to provide instant relief to the discomfort we are experiencing for not confronting the emotions/thoughts.
Managing our time properly
When we procrastinate, the first question to ask is: What are we distracted from? Oftentimes, we are unsure of what we want to accomplish and do not allocate a specific period of time to achieve it. This leaves a lot of room for ambiguity and thus a person is prone to distractions. Start prioritizing. At the start of the week, list 3 important things you wish to work towards. Then, using the timebox technique, plan out the schedule for the week. With a specific task to achieve at every hour, you are clearer about your priorities and less likely to get distracted.
Embracing our thoughts/emotions
Procrastination is also an issue about managing our emotions. When we experience disturbing thoughts/ emotions, procrastination serves to provide quick emotional relief, shoving these emotions/ thoughts aside. Unfortunately, this actually serves to strengthen these thoughts and emotions, leading to a host of physical and mental health consequences. We become controlled by these emotions, exhibiting more impulsive behavior and less self-control. Research has shown that people who procrastinate tend to score higher on emotional inflexibility. That is, they are dominated by their emotions at the expense of their values.
We need to learn to acknowledge uncomfortable emotions such that it does not affect our daily activities. Keeping ourselves preoccupied with other activities is ignoring our emotions. These emotions will come back to haunt us. Conversely, brooding over these emotions over prolonged periods can be detrimental to both our mental and physical health. Fortunately, there are habits we can adopt that allows us to acknowledge these thoughts and emotions and carry on with our day.
One habit I recommend is to do journaling. Every day, spend 10minutes to write whatever thoughts that come to you. This is your secret space to write down any thoughts you might have. You should not let anyone else read what you wrote, not even yourself. Research shows that regular, consistent journaling has been shown to reduce distress and promote mental wellness. If you are looking to cope with more deeply rooted trauma and anxiety issues, I recommend checking out Dr Caroline Leaf’s Neurocycle method. A neuroscientist by training, Dr Leaf’s Neurocycle is backed by extensive research and has been tried and tested on several trauma patients with highly positive results.
It’s ok to procrastinate
At the end of the day, no matter what method we use, we would still procrastinate. Sharpening our focus is like training a muscle. We need to put in consistent and deliberate effort into honing our focus over long periods in order for it to improve. In the midst of the process, you might find yourself off track, but don’t get frustrated or discouraged. Instead, embrace the moment and gently guide yourself back to the task at hand.
Lead a balanced life
Leading a balanced life You might have some ambitious goals you would like to achieve and realize you do need to put in many hours of work. However, no matter how busy you are, do deliberately take the time to spend it on other areas like friends, family and self-care. Do not restrict yourself to one facet of life. You always would have work to do but you do have limited time. So go out, broaden your horizons and smell the roses. You would not regret it.