Have you ever tip-toed around a large task only to become engrossed in less important projects?
Perhaps you have a goal in mind, but you keep putting it off for easier chores, like re-arranging the cans in your pantry?
Maybe you wait until the last minute to complete a project, which leaves you filled with anxiety – frustrated and apologetic?
If you answered yes to any of these, you’ve fallen into the procrastination trap.
Although procrastination is natural, moderation is key. For most, general procrastination is as simple as going for a walk instead of folding the laundry.
But for others, chronic procrastination controls their life. It’s a business never started, a website never created, or a multi-destination trip never taken.
Procrastination is more complex than you might realize. It is often a result of underlying concerns. Through hypnosis and positive guidance, we gently peel each away the layers holding you back to reveal your creative and motivated self.
This article features concepts behind procrastination, its relation to perfectionism and emotions, and how hypnosis helps my clients move past those obstacles.
What is Procrastination?
Simply put, procrastination is the intentional avoidance of doing something that needs to be done. The task is repeatedly sidestepped, despite the result of negative consequences. It’s often mistaken for laziness or irresponsible time management.
Many intelligent and capable people procrastinate. When we ‘put things off’ we subconsciously attempt to reduce our anxiety or unpleasant feelings about a particular task.
Although this helps momentarily, in the long run you won’t fully reach your goals or complete the task to the best of your ability. There are several reasons as to why you might procrastinate, including:
- lack of motivation for the task
- fear of rejection or of the unknown
- difficulty concentrating or staying focussed
Although all of these reasons are very valid, I see a lot of clients that use procrastination as a tool to deal with their need for perfection.
Procrastination & Perfectionism
For perfectionists, it is more tolerable to delay a task than to risk not reaching self-created standards.
Dr. Brene Brown is a TED Talk sensation and bestselling author of The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. She explains perfectionism as:
…a self-destructive and addictive belief system that fuels the thought, “If I do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of blame, judgment, and shame.”
She also explains that perfectionism is an unattainable goal – rather than question its faulty logic, we dig ourselves deeper into the need to do everything perfectly.
So how does perfectionism relate to procrastination?
In my experience, many of the clients I see who consider themselves perfectionists use procrastination to avoid feeling rejected.
The result? Talented people hold themselves back. They hide. They create excuses for sharing their vision with the world. They procrastinate to the point of never fully obtaining their goals.
Carol came to me to help her deal with insomnia, which we quickly released through hypnosis. We found her procrastination habit as another layer blocking her from finishing a project that could catapult her career.
Carol is a doctor and an author. She has a book that she wants to promote, and with that, a website. The website sat incomplete for years. After working together she got past the need for perfection, become ok with getting the project complete, and found herself quite happy with the results.
Procrastination & Emotions
At its deepest level, procrastination is not about productivity; it’s learning how to manage emotions. When people procrastinate, they are looking to avoid negative feelings related to the task. But, as many procrastinators have learned, it still results in negative emotions.
It’s like the buzzing fly that never goes away.
In a 2016 study, researchers noted that even if the person is engaging in enjoyable activities while procrastinating, it still has a negative emotional affect. They feel guilty about their task avoidance.
The researchers found that when you shift averse emotions, there is a meaningful reduction in efforts to procrastinate. “To overcome procrastination,” the researchers say, “emotion-focused strategies should be considered.”
- Become aware of the emotion
- Identify and label the emotion
- Interpret emotions to bodily sensations
- Accept emotions
- Self-support in distressing moments
Since procrastination and our feelings are deeply intrinsic, you achieve better emotional stability and management by unlocking your subconscious mind.
Procrastination & Hypnosis
Under the guidance of a trained professional, hypnosis is one of the simplest and quickest ways to remove the blocks holding you back so you move through life with more clarity and confidence.
With Carol we started with insomnia. As it resolved, we uncovered procrastination as another block.
The subconscious mind brings to surface what needs to get addressed, and through hypnosis, we can remove those blockages so the client freedom and security they’re looking for.
Aaron, another client, felt unsure about trying hypnosis because he felt that the underlying issues would be too complex to unravel. After witnessing the ‘profound impact’ of hypnosis (his words!) on his friend with a five minutes process, he decided to give hypnosis a try.
He says:
I had been battling a lot of things in my business, and I wasn’t making any progress. After seeing Josh, I started having big wins and being able to do things that I wasn’t able to do in the past. And a lot of it has to do with Josh’s approach in helping people unlock hidden potentials or roadblocks that they can’t see. So, if you’re looking for ways to increase your earnings or your business, or hunt down [what’s] stopping you from getting what you want, he’s very, very good at what he does.
And he’s also someone that I implicitly trust. He’s a kind soul.
Final Thoughts
Procrastination doesn’t have to be a debilitating factor in achieving your goals. Hypnosis is one of the most effective ways to release the blocks that hold you back. As a trusted hypnotist, I’ve helped many people just like you move mountains they never thought were possible.
Book a strategy session with me today to learn how hypnosis can help you.