I grab my phone out of the blue and start scrolling social media. I reply to the DMs that have arrived, interact with a few accounts, and feel good about using my time wisely. Look at me, I’m networking and selling my company.
However, that wasn’t what I needed to be doing at the time. As soon as I sat down at my desk, I told myself that the project I had a deadline for was my top priority. Even better, I had opened and prepared the Google Doc.
At that very time, I had succumbed to “procrastiworking.”
Procrastiworking is when you’re doing something that could be considered work, so you feel justified in taking the action, but it’s not the thing you need to be doing. It’s you procrastinating by doing other work.
We are aware that if we don’t fix the leaky tap, it will only get worse. Instead, we read a book, talk to a buddy, or watch another episode of a show. We often prefer these activities to chores or learning a new skill, which is why we frequently put off completing a task.
the frequent causes of our procrastination are:
- The endeavor seems monotonous.
- Lack of confidence in our ability to finish the task or achieve it
- Fear about the outcome
- Distractions and perfectionism
When we put off doing something, we are frequently highly aware of it and perhaps even admit it to others. However, one of the key distinctions between procrastination and procrastiworking is that the latter is sly and frequently goes unnoticed. Although I was basically just procrastinating, I thought I was being intentional with my Instagram time and felt proud of myself for it.
My email inbox is another place where this appears to me. If I’m not careful, just like in my Instagram example, my inbox might control my day and make me feel proud of my accomplishments. I’ll be delighted that I addressed queries and provided prompt responses as I approach close to inbox zero, but I won’t have achieved my primary objective.
The truth is that our inbox contains someone else’s to-do list, and if we’re not careful, their tasks will take up all of our days. We feel as though we were busy all day but weren’t particularly productive as a result.
FIRST STEP: VERIFY YOUR TO-DO LIST
Did the items on your work list genuinely need to be completed in order for you to advance toward your goal? If not, be certain about the tasks that should be on your list based on your present objective to prevent this from happening again.
SECOND STEP: AUDIT THE REAL WORK DONE
Find the differences between your daily task list and the list of tasks you actually performed. When you come across these, be truthful about what actually occurred and the reason you changed your attention. You will learn more the more sincerer you are.
THIRD STEP: Determine Your Procrastination Style
Be clear about how you tend to put off working. Knowing your patterns makes it simpler to spot them when they occur again (like when you check your email or look through Instagram).
FOURTH STEP: Be Better and Know Better
Now that you are aware of your default pattern of procrastination, you can prepare a strategy for when it recurs.
Understanding your patterns and setting limits to support the changes you want to make are crucial, as is resisting the urge to measure up to others. Everybody has different strengths and flaws that contribute to procrastination. Find yours and learn how to take care of yourself so you may be more effective and successful.
