How to deal with the Procrastination Guilt Cage
Our guilt about procrastination just drags us ever deeper
Procrastination is a spiral. Whatever you’re procrastinating on holds some fear or discomfort for you. So you hide from that fear, block it out with your numbing activity of choice: Netflix, video games, beer. You then feel guilty, causing further stress, further fear. You hide deeper. And round we go.
Dealing with the guilt associated with procrastination is an interesting challenge. It can be complex. It can be more than just your own guilt that you have generated internally. And heaven knows there is plenty of that!
Best of Intentions
I wonder if you have ever had this experience? Someone in your world sees you struggling, wrestling with something you have to get done. And, in all likelihood, with the best of intentions, they say to you, “Stop procrastinating and just get on with it.”
This might come from a parent, a partner, a spouse, a colleague, a boss. Regardless of their intentions, this is the least helpful thing you can ever say to a procrastinator.
Opposite
I once had someone in my life who would say these kinds of things to me. Her well meaning admonitions had the opposite effect on me to…
