As we near the end of 2011 I wonder how many of you made new years resolutions at the beginning of the year and have been able to sustain them ?

I recently read an interview by experts on procrastination, Joseph Ferrari, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at De Paul University in Chicago, and Timothy Pychyl, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

They define procrastination as a lifestyle where an individual leaves everything to the last minute or deals with things after the due date eg. late tax returns & bills. Ferrari & Pychyl  define this as problem of self-regulation in response to authoritative parenting, where it is a way to try to rebel. As a by product they believe that the health of a procrastinators suffers with increase colds, flu and gastrointestinal issues as well as problems with alcohol and substance abuse.

Dr. Ferrari identifies three basic types of procrastinators:

• arousal types, or thrill-seekers, who wait to the last minute for the euphoric rush.
• avoiders who display fear of failure or success, and are overly concerned with what others think of them; they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability.
• decisional procrastinators, who cannot make a decision. They think by not making a decision that it absolves them of responsibility for the outcome of events.

My tips to assist to transform procrastination:

• Procrastination comes from a habit, so break this by doing the hardest things first.
• See things as a circle with a start and a completion.
• Break things up into small areas and just take on and complete, one small thing at a time e.g. clean up a cupboard first rather than pressure yourself to clean up the whole room.
• You can start by visualising yourself doing what you have been procrastinating about, and finding the task much easier than what you imagined.
• Mindfulness is very helpful in breaking patterns, because it helps a person to become aware of their self-sabotage and supports them in creating a new awareness around their behaviour.

 

It works best for me to do the hardest tasks first and then to give myself the reward, rather than the other way around.

I hope that you are able to leave behind in 2011 anything you no-longer need and embrace what ever you may need in 2012. Wishing everyone a wonderful, fulfilling, happy 2012 !

 

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