Map Your Procrastination Patterns to Get to the Root of the ProblemS

We all procrastinate from time to time, but if you find yourself really struggling with it, Psychology Today recommends you start keeping a log of your procrastination so you can map it out.

Procrastination is usually pretty predictable. We all put off the same types of things and we often do it at the same time of day. A log of you activity is a good place to start to root out the problem. Psychology Today suggests one way to do this is to ask yourself four questions:

  1. Describe the activity you put off.
  2. What were you thinking when you started to delay?
  3. What were you feeling when you started to delay?
  4. What did you do instead of the priority activity?

The idea is pretty simple. Identify your triggers, habits, and actions, so you can avoid them in the future and just get work done. You'll never be able to completely wipe out procrastination habits (nor should you), but if you're struggling, then a map and log might help you out. Once you know your triggers you can start blocking websites or rescheduling your day to work better.

Mapping Your Patterns of Delay | Psychology Today