I remember specifically pulling all-nighters in my college days because I had put off studying for the test until the very last minute and then going into class with zero sleep and lots of caffeine. In other words, I was procrastinating preparing for the exam and as a result, getting lower marks on exams than I could have done much better and lowering my chances to start a successful career when I graduate. It took me a really long time (and lots of negative experiences) to analyze what I was doing and why.

What is Procrastination?

In simple words, procrastination is prolonging starting a task or finishing a task that you have intentionally and actively committed to. Examples of procrastination include:

• Putting off grocery shopping until your pantry is empty and it is dinner time.  You and the kids are hungry, but you have no food, so you have to prolong eating because you have to run to the store.
• You have an important work presentation due tomorrow, but you put it off because you have been out all day so now you will either get no sleep tonight because you have to do your project or you will not get the project done, period.
• Prolonging replying a time sensitive document and doing it in last few days that may result in missing the deadlines because of a post office fault.

In general, people procrastinate from time to time because of lack of motivation or being lazy. However, when procrastination becomes chronic, it does more harm than good over time.  For example, chronically putting off completing a presentation for work or making an important sale phone call, might result in getting fired in the long run. People who constantly procrastinate are not able to reach their goals and advance in life like they had originally wanted to. 

Why Do We Procrastinate?

Procrastination does not have to do with how intelligent a person is.  Lots of very smart and able people still procrastinate all the time. These are some of the most common reasons why people find themselves constantly procrastinating.

1. They want to temporarily reduce the anxiety associated with the task they are procrastinating.
2. They have a lack of motivation towards the task. 
3. The person is constantly distracted by something more fun and entertaining (like reading news, checking social media, phone calls with friends etc.)
4. They have a lack of energy
5. They are scared of failing at the task at hand. 
6. They have difficulty breaking down a large project into smaller, specific steps. 
7. They are scared they will succeed at the task. They do not believe they are worthy of success.

Symptoms:

Individuals that chronically procrastinate might experience the following symptoms:

1. They are indecisive about their goals. 
2. They feel overwhelmed when they have a lot of things to do
3. They have difficulty concentrating.
4. They are stuck on negative, limiting beliefs about themselves and their capabilities. 
5. Their workspace is disorganized.
6. They constantly feel tired. 

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and have a problem with procrastinating, hypnotherapy can help you take charge of your life. 

Using Hypnotherapy to Help with Procrastination 

Our conscious mind is only good at focusing on a single task at a time.  We are not good multitaskers.  That is why we get easily distracted when trying to focus and that distraction can turn into hours of wasted time. 

Most of the time, we make a conscious decision to distract ourselves because we consider the distraction to be more entertaining. We have trained our brain to choose to focus on the easier route.  Also, our mind could be scared of failure if we do the task, so we decide to put it off altogether.

Hypnotherapy works by digging into the subconscious brain and altering the flawed thinking of the brain regarding procrastination.  In hypnotherapy, clients learn to focus by building a supportive mind, sense of confidence, and self-love.  The newly discovered self-confidence motivates clients to finish their goals and reduce fears related to failing.  

Hypnotherapy allows clients to turn off the negative, critical section of their brain. In turn, clients feed their brain hopeful and positive thoughts that improve their motivation. 

If you have been trying desperately to kick your procrastination habit and nothing seems to be working, it might be time to try hypnotherapy.

Give our office a call today to discuss hypnotherapy options.