The 6 self-deceptions that lead us to procrastination
Procrastination is the pattern of behavior by which some people tend to delay the start of any activity, obligation or daily task to which you must attend, both work and professional as well as social or family.
Under the guise of rational thought, we often tend to cover up with words and with a false logic irrational decisions that lead us to delay the start of any worked.
In the case of procrastination, these types of thoughts are ideas with which we delude ourselves to postpone the time to start working and at the same time try not to feel bad about it. They are mental traps that lead us to fall into the temptation of continuing to rest, having fun or doing anything other than obligation that we must attend to and that keeps us distracted without thinking about the worries related to the accumulated work.
- Related article: "Cognitive psychology: definition, theories and main authors"
The main forms of self-deception that lead us to procrastination
Here is a list of self-deceptions and "mental traps" that lead us to fall into the "I'll do it later."
1. “I can take advantage of a few hours of sleep”
Believing that we can use hours of sleep to work is a mistake and an unhealthy habit, because if we don't If we get enough good sleep at night, we will have trouble concentrating during the day. Next.
Health professionals recommend sleeping between 7 and 9 hours each night, since this is the time that our body needs to rest properly and charge energy to perform better in the morning Next.
It is evident that a poorly rested brain of a sleepy person who does not sleep the hours that correspond to him you will perform less well and will be less fresh both to concentrate and to face any type of work obligation.
- You may be interested: "Insomnia: what is it and how it impacts our health"
2. Believing that we have not yet rested enough
Often breaks in work periods and procrastination before starting a day work are done to recover energy before getting down to work with our obligations labor.
In some cases, the time to start work may be delayed excessively, considering that we have not yet satisfied our desire to have fun, that is, that by thinking about distractions or having fun, we would feel too frustrated to stop doing that and get to work.
Thinking that we need to rest a little more because that way we will perform better is counterproductive, since precisely when we finally begin to getting down to work is because we have managed to end that time of rest, taking into account that the most difficult thing is to start.
- Related article: "Cognitive Dissonance: The Theory That Explains Self-Deception"
3. Believing that a lot of accumulated work will motivate us
Another of the self-deceptions that our brain conceives and that leads us directly to procrastination is that of consider that having a lot of work or many accumulated tasks will motivate us more in the future when we start to to work.
This happens by having a distorted view of our performance in times of crisis or under pressure. and for considering that we perform better in critical situations, when the truth is that it really happens the other way around.
People tend to perform better when we organize ourselves better and when we have a lot of work to do we usually get stressed, we perform better and we feel intense discomfort due to having a large amount of pending tasks.
4. Think we will work better under pressure
Thinking that it will be satisfying to put ourselves to the test and put ourselves under the pressure of getting it all done in the last moment is another of the self-deceptions or thought models that prevent us from starting our work as soon as before.
On the contrary, what really reinforces one's self-esteem is moving from ideas to facts and having the discipline to manage time well to achieve good results, instead of doing things quickly and poorly, to the desperate.
A job organized and carried out with enough time so that things are done well will ensure true success in the final product, and positive recognition from our customers. superiors.
- You may be interested: "How to be more productive? 12 tips to perform more"
5. “I am not prepared”: fear of failure
Fear of failure is another of the classic reasons why people tend to procrastinate in their daily jobs, and one of the great obstacles that arise daily in the minds of millions of people and that prevent them from performing at their best in their job worked.
Considering that we will not do it well or being certain that we are not good enough to successfully carry out the tasks that have been entrusted to us is a way of thinking that prevents us from getting the most out of ourselves.
Instead of being anchored in fear, it is important to change our way of thinking and begin to entertain thoughts that are not more positive, but more constructive about the future and about our daily performance. The fact of believing that we are not yet ready to carry out our work obligations is closely related to the fear of doing it wrong.
This type of thinking consists of considering that we need more preparation or that by resting a little more we will be able to start our task with greater diligence and greater possibilities of success.
Again, this is a thought pattern that acts as an excuse to avoid getting going with our work, which is related both to the fear of failure, as well as internal indecision and a lack of organization general.
- Related article: "Fear of failing: when anticipating defeat immobilizes us"
6. I need to overcome indecision first
Indecision on the part of a worker is also usually enough reason to procrastinate and delay to the extreme the moment of getting to work. In this case, self-deception is assuming that these kinds of problems are solved in a previous phase when we get to work to solve the problem, when in fact the best way to make complex decisions is to get involved in our tasks.
We understand by indecision a series of difficulties to develop any work in a diligent, organized, motivated and with the conviction that we are doing well in everything moment.
Some people feel that they have to wait a while to start working on any assignment, that they believe that they will not be able to do it successfully or that they are not good enough to achieve the goal. success.
Instead, it is important to start working as soon as possible, believing in oneself, in one's own possibilities and that effort and hard work will pay off sooner or later.
Looking for psychological support?
If you are interested in having professional psychological assistance, please contact us.
In PSiCOBAi We can assist you in person or through the online therapy format.