227 - Friday Fix: How to Stop Procrastinating

The Verywell Mind Podcast

Dotdash Media Inc.

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Education

5 • 703 Ratings

🗓️ 6 January 2023

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We all put things off sometimes — even when we know there will be negative consequences for doing it. Whether we avoid doing household chores, making appointments, or paying our bills, procrastination can become a real problem. And while some people seem to think it’s a time management issue, procrastination is more likely to stem from an emotional regulation issue. We put off things that will cause us to feel uncomfortable emotions like boredom, anxiety, or frustration. Unfortunately, our attempts to avoid feeling uncomfortable don’t actually work. In fact, it can backfire and cause us to experience even more long-term distress as we face the consequences of our procrastination. Fortunately, there are some science-backed strategies that can help you break the procrastination habit. When you start checking those tasks off your to-do list, you’ll experience a sense of relief and accomplishment — which can motivate you to keep going and get even more things done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to the Very Well Mind podcast. We've interviewed over 100 authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and others to help you learn strategies to care for your mental health.
0:22.9	This episode is hosted by psychotherapist and bestselling author Amy Morin. Now let's get into the episode.
0:45.7	Okay. You're listening to the Friday fix.
0:52.9	Every Friday, I share a quick mental strength strategy that can help fix the thoughts, feelings, and actions that can hold you back in life.
0:55.7	Today I'm talking about procrastination.
1:01.4	I'll discuss why we procrastinate and some science-backed strategies for overcoming it.
1:08.5	First, let's talk about what it is. Procrastination is defined as voluntarily delaying something,
1:11.9	even when you know there are going to be negative consequences for putting it off. The most obvious example of procrastination is when a student puts off
1:17.7	studying for a test. We've all been there. Like maybe you knew the test was on Friday,
1:23.8	and you spent the whole week thinking about the test, knowing that you should study.
1:28.1	But you kept finding other things to do.
1:30.0	And then late Thursday night, you finally sat down and started to study.
1:34.1	And he had to stay up really late cramming for the test because that was the best you could do in the time that you had.
1:39.6	But as you likely noticed, procrastination doesn't end when we stop taking tests.
1:45.1	We've likely all procrastinated household chores, making appointments, writing a report for work,
1:53.0	doing our taxes, and tackling a stack of bills.
1:56.6	There are a few different theories out there about why we procrastinate.
2:02.0	I think the most likely reason is because we're trying to avoid an unpleasant feeling. You might feel bored when you write a
2:07.2	report. You might feel anxious when you're doing your taxes. You might feel nervous and frustrated
2:12.7	when you start taking charge of your health by scheduling appointments for yourself. There are
2:17.4	lots of consequences, though, that come with procrastination.
2:21.3	Studies show that procrastinators experience a lot of guilt and dread when they put off a task.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -812 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dotdash Media Inc., and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Dotdash Media Inc. and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.