Introduction
Hey folks!
I’ve been talking a lot to people lately and I’ve come to realize something very important. We love procrastinating, especially when it comes to something we don’t exactly enjoy doing.
I decided to take a closer look at why we procrastinate.
So here are my two cents on my correlation between motivation and procrastination.
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is a word that has a Latin origin - pro cras which means for tomorrow.
We tend to put off work that is boring or too complex to do. Some of us do it consciously, some do it less consciously. This brings us to two kinds of procrastinators - Active and Passive.
Active procrastinators tend to put off work because they function better under pressure. So, they believe that putting things off until the last minute will somehow make them finish the task in the most efficient way possible.
Passive procrastinators on the other hand simply put off work because it makes them feel good or because they’re “lazy” to do it.
This is where it gets really interesting.
Passive procrastinators may be subconsciously putting off work as a coping mechanism.
Let me explain - when we procrastinate, we’re avoiding unpleasant tasks and doing something that gives us a temporary mood boost. The procrastination itself makes the person feel guilty, which makes them procrastinate the task even further creating a vicious cycle.
We procrastinate for a bunch of reasons but one of the most common excuse that I’ve come across is lack of motivation.
Where does motivation fit?
When I asked my friends why they weren’t doing the tasks that they know they should be doing, they all had a similar response.
“No motivation to study”.
This is interesting because I think we’ve all been led to believe that motivation is essential to be effective. We do unpleasant tasks because we are motivated by the prospect of getting a reward at the end of the struggle.
But, this makes very little sense. This essentially means, without the right motivation, we aren’t gonna do shit.
So, what do we do to keep ourselves motivated all the time?
If you’re wondering, there’s nothing you can do to keep yourself motivated all the time. Motivation is a very volatile thing. It’s an excuse for us to procrastinate and do something else to “seek” the said motivation - playing games, binging on shows, or just sitting idle.
What I think should be done
I just mentioned that passive procrastinators procrastinate as a coping mechanism. They try to seek motivation and fall into the vicious cycle of procrastination.
So, if seeking motivation is not the way to finish your tasks and in essence, be “successful” then what is the right way?
I think the right way is Hardwork and Consistency.
Think about it, being consistent is probably one of the secrets to success.
Take a bodybuilder for instance. He has to be consistent with his workout regime to actually produce great results. Being consistent alone doesn’t work, he also puts in the required effort.
Another great example would be any businessman. I’m sure they have days that they don’t wanna work and just hold off on making some of the big decisions, but if they did that, then they wouldn’t be successful.
Being consistent with the right amount of effort will effectively yield positive results.
The five-minute rule
So a while ago, I came across this interesting rule which essentially asks you to do a task, no matter how boring or how complex, just do it for five minutes.
The core idea behind this is to break the task into small manageable chunks of five minutes, which tricks your brain into thinking that the task is no longer a threat.
Doing this consistently will end up with you finishing the entire task before you know it.
Just remember to not be bothered by the negative outcomes of the task. Do it without worrying about if it will be done perfectly. Remember, perfection is VERY subjective.
Conclusion
So, I think that motivation is not a bad thing. However, relying on motivation to do everything is very unhealthy. Learn to follow the five-minute rule if you have trouble starting the task. Remember to start the task without worrying about the outcomes and there’s a very high chance that you’ll end up finishing it successfully.
Once again, consistency is the key to success. Be consistent and you’ll make your dreams come true.