One of the most common reasons people procrastinate is because they are resistant to change. We've all met people who say things like, "I'll never do that," or "That's too much work." When asked what their biggest procrastination hindrance in life is, these same people invariably point to a "chain of resistance." They state that whatever they do requires an immense amount of energy and time and that they simply can't give up resisting. This is where procrastination begins.
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In order for procrastination to be a major hurdle for us to surmount, we must perceive a condition as unwinnable. In other words, we must somehow convince ourselves that there's absolutely no way we can get something done. If we truly believe that there will be absolutely no positive outcome or impact from pursuing a given goal, then it doesn't make sense to bother starting at all. The more you procrastinate, the further and more insistent you become of your inability to get done.
The other reason we procrastinate is that we mistakenly believe that accomplishing a goal would somehow diminish our current or future selves. If we think about it for a moment, our present and future selves consist of our thoughts, feelings, memories, and relationships. Our past and future selves are definitely not composed of nothing but our thoughts and feelings. Therefore, if we were to eliminate one thing from our lives, our present, and future selves would still exist.
One reason we procrastinate is because of our tendency to use time management as a crutch. Rather than empowering ourselves with the knowledge of the ability to do something, we instead turn to time management in order to feel better about what we're trying to accomplish. We might then begin procrastinating because of the belief that once we've accomplished all the tasks on our list, there's nothing left for us to do but to wait for the inevitable to happen. When we take this approach toward time management, however, we will never truly free ourselves from procrastination.
Another reason we procrastinate is that we have beliefs, both conscious and unconscious, that lead us to believe that failure or success requires an act of strength, an act of overcoming resistance, or an example of someone overcoming resistance. These beliefs, if they are persistently held, can prevent us from seeing that procrastination is really a choice, not an inevitability. To recognize procrastination, then, we must be willing to look at it from another point of view that is, from the perspective of an outsider. Instead of viewing procrastination as something we're forced to do by external circumstances, we should view it as an attempt to gain control over something that we believe is under our control. If this is done correctly, then it will become obvious that whatever our initial motivation for procrastination, if we follow this path to its end, it will lead us to success.
One major hindrance to procrastination is our own resistance to change. The very basis for our being able to overcome procrastination lies in our ability to change with the times. When we view procrastination as an inability to change, we shut ourselves off from procrastination's inherent advantages. Once we allow ourselves this option, the paralyzing fear of change will dissipate and we'll be able to see that nothing is really permanent, that change is a course worth taking. If we continue to cling to the idea of permanence, however, then procrastination will become a source of constant stress and anxiety.
In order to help us put things into perspective, then, we need to look at what we're doing and how we feel about it. When we start putting things into perspective, it helps us get rid of our sense of dread about doing anything. It also helps us get motivated about doing things. We can then begin to use procrastination as an opportunity to get more things done and get done faster - and in the end, we can find ourselves with a sense of freedom and exhilaration rather than chronic stress and anxiety.
Putting things into perspective doesn't mean looking at the task in a monotone; it doesn't mean ignoring the important parts of the task. Rather, we need to look at the task objectively. By doing this, not only do we improve our ability to complete the task, but we also begin to increase our motivation and thus succeed more often. And if we use procrastination as an opportunity to get more done faster and therefore accomplish more, we will find that by getting more done faster, not only do we get more done, but we also feel freer, more relaxed, and we accomplish more in less time. This, in turn, leads to more peace, more happiness, and successful life.