Do you ever find yourself procrastinating putting off for tomorrow what you can very easily do today simply because you don’t feel like it?
Perhaps you find yourself waiting until the very last minute to do the very things that you don’t particularly want to do.
Or maybe, you feel that it’s better to put off what you can very easily do today until tomorrow. Whatever the case may be, you have found yourself caught up in a habitual pattern that you cannot seem to break.
Sound familiar?
I would like to invite you to journey with me through this post, as we explore the ways in which we can use mindfulness to shift procrastination.
A Closer Look at Procrastination
By definition, procrastination is the habit of rejecting the present moment to live in a future reality. Reluctantly I have to admit that I have and continue to place myself in this position, delaying or pushing back opportunities that present themselves all because I may not feel that I am ready. Our viewpoints are sometimes based on such a narrow focus that we don’t see all of the wonderful opportunities that lay outside of our limited comfort zones. Interestingly when that time actually arrives it ends with me waiting to receive that same glimpse of inspiration that so easily flowed when I believed that I wasn’t ready. For some reason it always seems that glimmers of inspiration and ideas only seem to come at the most inopportune time, at least that’s how I used to view it. Unlike electricity, motivation isn’t something that you can turn on and off, at will. It doesn’t quite work that way.
I can remember being in school with an awareness of the scheduled coursework, assignments, and deadlines that lie ahead, only to find myself caught up and in a rush to scale and do a shitload of research, studying, and writing in a very short amount of time. I would often cram weeks’ worth of work into tight deadlines subjecting myself to undue stress and strain. Regardless of the class, I persistently repeated this cycle at least once a semester until graduation.
As the years rolled by, I found myself doing the very same thing in some form or fashion the more I began to dip my toes into practice the more I began to wonder why I subjected myself to such unnecessary stress and strain. One would think that after repeatedly cycling through this pattern time and time again, it would be a no-brainer to simply stop doing the very thing that caused me such stress, strain, and discomfort. But like with most things it’s not quite that simple
Don’t get me wrong I am generally not a procrastinator. In fact, I’m the exact opposite, when it comes to doing the things that I actually want to do. Making space and planning ahead to ensure that everything gets done in advance of its appointed deadline. But it’s a completely different story when it revolves around something that makes me feel uncomfortable or requires me to step outside of my comfort zone.
For instance, If there’s an event, or gathering I would rather not attend, I would put it off until the very last minute hoping that by some miraculous feat, something would come up, giving me the space to get out of it. Right, wrong, or indifferent, I continue to apply this thought process to a majority of places that I do not wish to go.
Mindfulness An Accessible Approach
Reminiscent of the classic film Annie, I’m reminded of the recognizable song tomorrow. Its reference to a future time in many ways implies that a future time beyond the present moment holds the keys to our most fruitful opportunities. In life, we flock to the things that capture our interest and retract from the things that may make us feel discomfort. Theoretically, putting it off until a future time, implies that the proverbial grass is greener on the other side. In other words, the future promises a better outcome than the present.
Much like a hot stove, if you know a burner is hot you are going to do everything you can possibly do within your power to remain cautious and safe, ensuring that no hurt, harm, or danger, comes your way. If and when you inadvertently touch it, you will instinctually withdraw your hand to soothe and aid your wounds. Interestingly, we tend to apply this same logic, to other situations that don’t involve physical injury. In mindfulness, the only way to fully be in the present moment is to sit with the discomfort. Meaning you don’t necessarily have to like it, you simply need to sit with the discomfort and allow the feelings and emotions to pass through your awareness.
What I have learned and continually work to lean into is staying in the present moment. Let me be completely honest, theoretically, it may seem simple but it is in no way an easy task. Sometimes obligations and ideas, come at times that may seem the most inopportune at the moment. But delaying the urge to write, create, or do the very thing that you rather not, is not the answer.
If you go a little deeper, what we’re really hoping is that we will perhaps suffer a little less if we put off the very things that cause us discomfort. In mindfulness, all we ever truly have is the present moment. In essence, our breath only exists within the present, in that we cannot breathe in the past or the future. Therefore, our lives can only unfold within the now moment.