Lack of organization, mistrust in one’s own abilities or false expectations can cause us some anxiety when it comes to carrying out commitments. This irrational emotion can block us and make us procrastinate in our professional or daily life tasks. However, cognitive behavioral therapy expert Alice Boyes points out in a Psychology Today article the different healthy strategies we can adopt to achieve all our goals.
Memorizing deadlines and due dates for pending tasks can overload our mind, especially if we still have a wide margin to prepare it. There is a method for intelligently procrastinating long-term commitments, so that we don’t worry about tackling it too early or leave everything to the last minute. So that your agenda or your calendar is not in chaos, prepare 31 separators —1 for each day of the month— to group the corresponding documentation or notice on the day you should start thinking about that matter. In this way you can focus your efforts on what is truly important at all times.
Sometimes, a high volume of work is combined with an obvious lack of time available to respond to all matters. Not knowing how to say no to certain responsibilities will be counterproductive, since the sum of both factors is a cocktail for the appearance of stress and, therefore, procrastination. It is necessary to know our own limits to avoid this situation. One way to do this is to write down the pending tasks that you have managed to finish over the course of a week. If you couldn’t finish them all, the following week, make a shorter and more realistic list, so that you are aware of the amount of work you can take on with the time you have.
Generally, new tasks or tasks that go beyond the expected standards cause us such insecurity and mistrust that we end up procrastinating them. Tolerating uncertainty is key to not letting go of our commitments. Common sense can save us an episode of anxiety due to the feeling of not reaching a deadline. If you are going to face a task with which you are not familiar, avoid thinking about the logical approach or the possible consequences of a mistake before starting it. On the other hand, if you feel stuck, it is best to ask for help and delegate part of the work to someone else.
In your academic life or while playing a sport, obsessing over a number goal can cause you to get stuck. Avoid global thoughts like “I have to study 20 subjects” or “I have to do 200 repetitions”. To lessen your anxiety, it is better to think in the short term. Concentrating on the topics that you have proposed to study that same day (for which you will have previously organized) or counting the squats by 10 in 10 is a healthier way to move towards your goals.
