Blowing It Off or Just Not Into It?

Source: @Timbrk Dreamstime

You thought that you would have gotten to it by now. It looked good on paper, but it gets carried over week after week. Sound familiar?

Why is that lingering New Year’s intention or goal become a permanent item on your to-do list?

If so, you are not alone. Klingsieck (2013) reported results from Ferrari, et al., who found that 20-25% of the population was impacted by the procrastination phenomenon, which has been consistent more recent studies as well. Defined as an aversion to participate in goal completion activities (Krause and Freund, 2013), procrastination occurs at different phases of goal achievement.

Here are five questions for meditating on the root of your procrastination.

Why am I trying to achieve this goal?

Sometimes you have to drill deep down to the core and check in with yourself about the purpose of the goal and how it fits into your life. How much is the goal intrinsically valued, for your own growth and satisfaction or extrinsically valued, for money and recognition? Intrinsic and extrinsic are not dichotomous constructs. Research indicated that extrinsically valued goals were associated with gaining intrinsic benefits such as perceived feelings of competence, intelligence, and control of one's life (Sheldon, Gunz, Nichols, & Ferguson 2010). The goal must be your goal and not one that belongs to someone else.

Source: Photo 144032806 © Imtmphoto | Dreamstime

Am I truly making enough time to achieve this goal?

Time is a very precious commodity; it neither stops, nor do we get it back. We have to strategically budget and make time for what we want to do, since extra hours typically do not find us. If we are procrastinating, we tend to carve out a chunk of time at the end to finish under pressure. If we lack intrinsic motivation, we will not be able to find the time to do it. Regardless if it is an intrinsically or extrinsically valued goal, it will most likely be time consuming. How much is it worth your pursuit? If not now, is it worth considering in the future?

What am I willing to compromise in order to achieve this goal?

Some goals require a great deal of work, with little or delayed gratification. Set boundaries around how much you can realistically devote towards the goal. Regardless of the motivation type, the goal might take energy from other aspects of your life, such as family, relationships, career, and hobbies. You need to be comfortable with the shift in priorities. There is a down side of feeling intrinsically motivated to achieve a goal, since it is easy to get sucked into the process and lose sight of everything else. Once the goal is eventually achieved (halleluiah), it will be a good success story on how you juggled it with life.

How much do I appreciate the journey to achieve this goal?

It seems like we obsess on the goal’s result, with little attention to the process. Krause and Freund (2013) suggest that focusing on the process or journey of goal achievement, rather than the just the goal outcome itself, might increase self-efficacy as well as decrease fear of failure and aversion to the task-at-hand, which work against procrastination. Like enjoying the wonderful scent when you take time to smell the roses, there are many little life lessons to be learned when you embrace the process. Observe what is working and what is not. Think of these nuggets of treasured self-awareness as unintended subgoals!

Source: Photo 124546532 © Weerapat Wattanapichayakul | Dreamstime

What am I using as an excuse to achieve this goal?

Complete this sentence: I would accomplish this goal if only ___________________. Identify what is really the big pink elephant getting in the way of your goal and evaluate how you can get around or through it. Do you control that pink elephant or does it control you? If it seems like that pink elephant is an effective distraction from your goal, it might be time to revisit Question 1 to check in with where this goal fits in with your life plan.

If you learn that the goal is not right for you, let it go, move on, and find YOUR goal. If this goal makes sense for you, then start your action plan today! Are your goals right for you?

ps-If you are procrastinating with your dissertation or thesis study, check out my book, Finish Your Dissertation, Don’t Let it Finish You! for tips and motivators on what do when you feel stuck. You know you can do it!