Procrastination

Procrastination is a common part of human behaviour. Often people mistake procrastination for “laziness”.  In everyday language people use definitions like, “putting off”, “postponing”, “delaying”, “deferring”, and “leaving to the last minute”.  Procrastination is making a decision for no valid reason to delay or not complete a task or goal you’ve committed too, and instead doing something of lesser importance, despite there being negative consequences to not following through on the original task or goal. It is important to remember that everyone procrastinates.  However, problematic procrastination can be distinguished from more general procrastination, by how bad the negative consequences are of us not following through on things.

Overcoming Procrastination: This information package is designed to provide you with some information about procrastination and some suggested strategies for how you can address this problem. It is organised into modules that are designed to be worked through in sequence. Although it is not necessary that you complete one module before going on to the next, this is recommended. Each module includes information, worksheets, and suggested exercises or activities.

Module 1: Understanding Procrastination Part I

This Module provides a definition of procrastination, and explores what you procrastinate about, how you procrastinate and common procrastination excuses you may use.

Module 2: Understanding Procrastination Part II

This Module examines the common unhelpful rules and assumptions that underlie procrastination, and explores how the positive and negative consequences of procrastination work to keep you procrastinating. 

Module 3: Changing Procrastination

This Module introduces you to the vicious cycle of procrastination, and outlines how to change procrastination, and helps you commit to the change process. 

Module 4: Dismissing Procrastination Excuses

This Module helps you to identify procrastination excuses and learn how to challenge, test and change your excuses. The Module also teaches you how to motivate rather than criticise yourself when you procrastinate. 

Module 5: Practical Techniques To Stop Procrastination

This Module teaches you practical behavioural strategies to help you stop procrastinating, these include knowing what to do, how to do it and when to do it.

Module 6: Adjusting Unhelpful Rules/Assumptions and Tolerating Discomfort

This Module helps you to challenge and adjust the unhelpful rules and assumptions that give rise to your procrastination. The Module also helps you to learn how to tolerate the discomfort that leads you to procrastinate.

Module 7: Putting It Altogether, Doing It & Keeping Going

This Module brings you to the end of the 'Put Off Procrastinating' information package. You will put together all the skills you have learned in previous modules, to help you get into a cycle of 'doing' rather than procrastinating.

Download the entire workbook

Click the link above to download all modules in this workbook at once, as a zip file.

Some people procrastinate because they worry they won’t be able to complete tasks perfectly. If this is the case for you, our perfectionism resources may be helpful.

Last Updated: 24/10/2019

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