Achieving My Goals “today”: How To Stop Procrastinating And Take Action?
Hello everyone, I’m Mar Sanchez-Ferrero, and today I want to talk to you about a topic that affects many of us: procrastination. Originally, she had planned to write a blog post each week, but something “more important” to do always came up. First, an art therapy project that consumed a good part of my time; then, the expansion of my own Active Children’s Intelligence method for girls and boys from 6 to 12 years old for the development of mental abilities and conflict resolution. He always found an excuse to procrastinate.
The word procrastination comes from the Latin pro + crastinare, and basically means “to leave for later.”. But why do we do this? On a psychological level, we fear failure. Some instinctive parts of our brain have not evolved at the pace of modernity. Primitive mental mechanisms identify fear as a risk to our lives, and since our brain’s main goal is to keep us alive, it persuades us to avoid unnecessary risks, even if this means stagnating.
Psychologist and professor Joseph Ferrari says, “Procrastination is not a time management problem. It is an emotional regulation problem.” That is, we do not procrastinate because we do not know how to manage our time, but because we do not know how to manage our emotions when faced with certain tasks.
One of the main origins of procrastination is the fear of failure. If you don’t take risks, you can’t fail. So, we postpone the start forever or until the last possible moment. It sounds ridiculous, YES, I know but that is the “factory software” that our brain works with. The good thing is that, like any other software, it is always possible to update it.
How can we update our brain to stop procrastinating? Recognizing our fears, going through them and rewriting our internal narrative. As psychologist Carl Jung said, “What you resist, persists.” In other words, the more we avoid a task, the bigger and more threatening it seems.
It is essential to change our perception of failure. Many times, procrastination is fueled by the fear of not being perfect. But as Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I have found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”. Every mistake and every failure are opportunities for learning and growth. So why not start what you want so much and see what happens?
6 tips to stop procrastinating and motivate yourself to action
Here are some practical tips to stop procrastinating and take action:
1. Divide and conquer:
Break your tasks into small, manageable steps. Completing small chunks will give you a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to keep going.
2. Set realistic deadlines:
Define deadlines for each task, even if you don’t have an external deadline. This will help you stay on track and avoid indefinite procrastination.
3. Eliminate distractions:
Identify and eliminate distractions that prevent you from concentrating. Shut down social media, silence your phone, and create a workspace free of interruptions.
Work in blocks of time, typically 25 minutes, followed by a short break. This technique helps you maintain concentration and avoid exhaustion.
5. Reward yourself:
Give yourself small rewards for completing tasks. This positively reinforces your behavior and motivates you to keep going.
6. Visualize success:
Imagine how you will feel when you complete your tasks and achieve your goals. Visualizing success can increase your motivation and help you overcome procrastination.
Choose Action, Choose Grow. Given this panorama, I invite you to choose action, movement, growth. Yes, you may fail and make mistakes along the way, but every mistake is an opportunity for learning and growth. Failure is imminent if you don’t start, because in the medium or long term you will regret not having done what you need or wanted; So dare to start what you want so much and see what happens. Remember, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (Lao Tzu). Take that first step today and discover everything you can achieve!
I’m Emily Williams Jones, a psychologist specializing in mental health with a focus on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness. With a Ph.D. in psychology, my career has spanned research, clinical practice and private counseling. I’m dedicated to helping individuals overcome anxiety, depression and trauma by offering a personalized, evidence-based approach that combines the latest research with compassionate care.
