The uncomfortable truth about procrastination
Picture the scene.
You have a task. Something that you want to do.
A tricky email to write. An invoice to file. A project to start or finish.
And then something catches your eye.
You see a notification or think of something else, and before you know it, ten minutes have gone by with you lost down a rabbit hole.
In this world of endless distractions, where do you tend to go?
Whatapp? Youtube? The news? Shopping? All of the above?
These days we tend to bemoan all the things that keep pulling us away from what we want to get on with.
The challenge, it seems, is to limit these distractions (there's an app for that), so that we can focus more on the task at hand.
This sounds reasonable enough, but it overlooks something crucial that, if ignored, sabotages our efforts to focus.
What are we missing?
It's that uncomfortable feeling we have about the task we're trying to accomplish.
The nagging fear behind that tricky email.
The discomfort of not quite knowing what to do with that particular project or task.
Often, when we find ourselves being pulled away again and again, it's because, on some level, we don't want to be there.
It feels bad.
And it's that uncomfortable feeling that pushes us towards something else.
So it's not so much that we're being pulled away by things outside us.
Instead, we're being pushed away by things inside us.
Things like fear, sadness and irritation.
All those external distractions are just giving you a more comfortable place to be.
In fact, they're not distractions at all. They’re diversions, taking you away from discomfort.
Of course, real distractions do exist. People knock on our doors. Emails come in all the time. Some of these we can do something about, some we can't.
But when we find ourselves repeatedly distracted from the things we want to do, avoidance of inner discomfort may be at work.
This is the realm of procrastination.
Putting off those tedious, difficult, boring tasks until tomorrow.
Hiding away in those more comfortable places. Places that offer a brief respite, but ultimately steal the time and energy you need to do the things that matter.
So if you find yourself repeatedly distracted from the things you want to get done, it may be time to look inside.
What's going on that's hard to bear?
Of course, this is easier said than done.
That's why people learn things like mindfulness, so they can develop the skills to deal with uncomfortable feelings.
Skills like calming down, seeing things clearly and bringing kindness to the difficult things.
Once you have these skills, you can navigate the tricky feelings that are part of a normal human life.
You can find ways to move through the day without getting too sidetracked.
Then you can give the gift of your attention to the people and tasks that will enrich your life and your world.
Want to find out more?
Feel free to send me an email or schedule a free conversation about mindfulness coaching.