Do you ever find yourself putting off projects, commitments or decisions that should have been honored?
\nEvery time something that should be done doesn't get done, you are falling into procrastination.
\nProcrastination is the tendency (your own and your team members') to put off actions and projects that shouldn't be put off.
\nThe problem of procrastination is, unfortunately, very widespread yet hard to solve.
\nSo widespread that it even affects the simplest habits, whose effects are barely noticeable: hitting snooze every morning, putting off a medical checkup, skipping personal appointments.
\nHow do you know if you have a procrastination problem?
\nThe signs of procrastination can be spotted by observing even simple everyday gestures.
\nFor example, when you put off actions and commitments and what you postpone isn't rescheduled with a new date on the calendar.
\nA growing sense of distrust in yourself is a feeling closely tied to this problem: knowing that something hasn't been done makes you feel inadequate.
\nProcrastination doesn't show up only in actions that don't get done, but also in decisions that get put off because they are difficult or because they require an effort you try to avoid: not making those decisions, however, doesn't improve the situation — quite the opposite.
\nThe tendency to put things off often involves boring, tiring or risky activities, such as clearing up misunderstandings or carrying out tasks you don't enjoy.
\nThis way of not honoring commitments also creates major stalls in projects: you end up with situations that have been stuck for a long time.
\nAs a result, the pace of work gets disrupted: if you take more time for one thing, you have fewer hours available for other tasks, where you risk running late, finishing at the last minute, with deadlines that then generate intense stress.
\nThis way of working creates a state of tension that has direct consequences on each person's health as well as productivity: several studies have demonstrated this.
\nDianne M. Tice & Roy F. Baumeister (1997), in \"Longitudinal Study of Procrastination, Performance, Stress, and Health: The Costs and Benefits of Dawdling,\" showed that:
\nPiers Steel (2007), in \"The Nature of Procrastination: A Meta-Analytic and Theoretical Review of Quintessential Self-Regulatory Failure,\" gathered the following data on how widespread procrastination is:
\nDirect measurements in adults confirm this last order of magnitude:
\nSo putting things off is a habit as widespread as it is dangerous for productivity and health.
\nIt's fair to ask, then, what effects the problem of procrastination produces.
\nThere are 4 particularly evident effects:
\n1- more stress and anxiety: the severity of this effect is amplified by the common lack of awareness that the stress comes from accumulated procrastinated actions.
\nPeople don't realize, in fact, that it isn't the postponed event itself that generates tension, but the feeling of incompleteness that keeps being felt deep down when something that needed to be done hasn't been done.
\nThe mind keeps reminding you that there's something to do, and the more actions (or decisions) you put off, the more they pile up and the more a hidden dynamic of anxiety and stress kicks in.
\n2- lower reliability: procrastination is an unhealthy habit for you and for the system you are part of.
\nNot honoring commitments starts to be perceived as something normal that others expect and that they will start doing in turn. A manager who puts things off shows their team members that this practice is acceptable; a parent who procrastinates shows their children that it's possible to act this way.
\nThis dynamic directly affects the quality of the system you belong to and will lead those who are part of it to make one of two kinds of decisions:
\n3- poorer sleep quality: rest requires a free, present mind, while procrastination opens loops that stay open, keeping the brain on alert — and the brain, by its nature, doesn't want to forget anything.
\nProcrastinated things take up memory: keeping them in mind is tiring and drains energy.
\nRest is disturbed by thoughts that have been left unfinished: even without direct awareness of this dynamic, it is the reason you often feel tired.
\n4- lower self-esteem: failing to carry out commitments and tasks, because they were put off, weakens your inner cohesion and solidity.
\nDeep down, you realize you are unreliable, and an inner dialogue sets in that highlights your shortcomings... as if a voice were saying \"if you can't even keep a small commitment, how will you handle a bigger one?\" and you lose confidence in yourself.
\n5- piling up of deadlines and activities: the more actions and decisions get put off, the more the final workload grows, because things to do accumulate and make you feel you have too much to do... it's a vicious circle.
\nProcrastination has the power to do very serious damage.
\nIt is clear that procrastination is a problem with very negative effects.
\nOnce a problem is recognized, it becomes clear that leaving it unsolved means allowing it to produce increasingly significant effects over time.
\nAt that point you can choose whether to consider it inevitable and adapt to its consequences, or to put corrective actions in place.
\nBut there's an important aspect to consider: choosing to act is not enough.
\nA solution is useful only if it truly addresses the cause of the problem; solutions that only deal with the effect of the problem are not truly decisive, even though they are the ones most often put in place.
\nAmong the most common solutions identified to solve the problem of procrastination are:
\nTackling procrastination through willpower means accepting from the start that the effort may last for a while, but that there's a high chance you won't hold out for long and will slip back into old habits.
\nActing reluctantly or by force leads you to do things, but sloppily and imprecisely.
\nAlthough they may look like logical solutions, these two alternatives cannot truly eliminate the problem.
\nThe reason is that they act on the visible consequences without addressing what caused them.
\nFor the problem of procrastination, as for any other business issue, it is essential to trace the situation back to its origin and act on that.
\nTo achieve a concrete, lasting improvement, introducing occasional fixes is not enough: you need to adopt a working method that lets you understand how the problem developed and which elements of the process fostered it.
\nEvery issue, in fact, stems from a gap, from a rule that isn't applied or from a step in the process that doesn't work as it should. Only by identifying these factors can you define truly effective interventions.
\nThis article analyzes the problem of procrastination through a practical approach that goes straight to the cause of the problem. The same method can be used to successfully tackle a range of organizational problems.
\nThe starting point, according to this approach, is to observe and understand the process involved.
\nWhen a problem keeps coming back, the reason is often not a lack of solutions, but the lack of a method for identifying its true origin.
\nThat's why problem solving, on its own, is not enough. Before looking for an answer, you need to understand precisely what is happening and why.
\nAnalyzing the problem is the step that makes the difference. The more accurate it is, the easier it becomes to identify the right solution and achieve results that last over time.
\nThe good news is that this ability can be developed. It is a skill that follows precise rules and can be applied to any kind of problem, professional or personal.
\nHowever, there is a step that comes even before analysis: learning to recognize problems when they show up.
\nIt may seem obvious, but many problems remain unsolved precisely because they aren't clearly identified, or because they get confused with other phenomena that are more visible but less important.
\nIf a problem isn't seen, described and classified correctly, it will keep producing negative effects without anyone acting on the cause that feeds it.
\nTo help companies and professionals develop this ability, Prodability Academy created the online course \"Problem Noting - Fai ordine nei tuoi problemi\" (Problem Noting – Put your problems in order) to learn how to see, write down and correctly organize the problems of a system.
\nThe goal of the program is to make people autonomous in identifying issues, defining them precisely and setting an effective order of priority for tackling them.
\nThis is where the real analysis begins: identifying the point in the process where the real cause of the problem lies.
\nThe phases of the process in which the real cause of the problem of procrastination can be found are:
\n1- making a decision
\n2- scheduling the action on the calendar
\n3- using/looking at the calendar
\n4- deciding to carry out the action
\nWhat follows in this article is the analysis of the process phase that concerns using/looking at the calendar.
\nHow does the problem arise in the use of the calendar?
\nProblems with this tool come from a limited awareness of the calendar's function and from the lack of a method for using the calendar.
\nUsing a tool improperly distorts its function: knowing its main function is therefore the first necessary step toward using the tool appropriately.
\nWhen a tool has several functions, it is also highly likely to be used less well: to be reliable and effective, a tool should have only one function.
\nThe greatest risk with tools is dysfunctional use: this incorrect use prevents the tool from performing its main function as well as it could, and it can also create other side problems.
\nA very immediate example is the smartphone: a multifunction object that no longer serves a single primary function because it is used as an alarm clock, camera, radio, internet access, archive and so on.
\nIts use across many settings also makes it dangerous: just think of using it while driving, or the effects of using it at a restaurant or in situations where it doesn't serve a function that brings value but instead generates negative consequences (accidents, silence at the table, disconnection from the here and now).
\nNot knowing the calendar's function and using it without a method gives procrastination more opportunities to show up, both in professional and personal life.
\nSo, if the real cause is a gap, what fills that gap are 3 operational solutions to apply when using the calendar.
\nThe proposed solutions develop an execution method and therefore work on how to use the calendar.
\nTo create a method for using the calendar, you need to apply 3 solutions that are also rules to follow.
\nThe CALENDAR (or PLANNER) is an organizational tool on which you record deadlines, commitments and events with a specific date and time.
\nIf the calendar contains anything other than commitments with a specific date and time (event start and end), then the tool is being misused and it's easier not to honor the commitment — that is, to procrastinate.
\nEverything put on the calendar must stand as a firm position, a decision that cannot be ignored and left undone.
\nThe main function of the calendar is to give rhythm, to give time a spatial dimension.
\nTime is in fact abstract, and the only way to see it pass is to give it a physical form by putting it on paper.
\nOtherwise time seems to run fast, slipping away with no way to perceive it.
\nHow often do you feel that the day flew by in a flash, that you've lost control and the moment passed without you noticing?
\nThe calendar makes you perceive time, helps you live it with awareness and sets the rhythm: if there's no calendar in a meeting, there's no rhythm.
\nSo, how do you use the calendar as an anti-procrastination tool?
\nThe fundamental point is to give this tool great importance: through the calendar, learn to stop allowing yourself the possibility of procrastinating.
\nWhen something is written on the calendar, it's as if it were a signed deed: it can't be put off.
\nIn addition, every decision made must be put on the calendar right away: entering the commitment in the planner is the very action that concludes every decision.
\nPutting a commitment on the calendar must already mean that the action or choice cannot be postponed.
\nGiving the calendar great importance and being serious about how you use this tool keep you from falling into procrastination.
\nIf you need to postpone an action or a decision (because of an emergency or a significant change in conditions), that commitment shouldn't be left unfinished on the calendar: it should be rescheduled.
\nThis way the mind perceives that plans can change, but the seriousness with which you use the calendar shows that the event's new deadline is not an unfinished gesture.
\nEvery week you need to take a moment to check the calendar, spot the commitments that were put off and reschedule them.
\nIt's very important to mark on the event, at its new date (graphically, with a symbol or a color), that it has been postponed: this increases your attention to honoring the commitment.
\nRescheduling makes you realize that you procrastinated and creates an awareness that will help you avoid repeating the same mistake.
\nMaking a decision only once costs less and reduces the chance of procrastinating.
\nAll recurring appointments should be set on the calendar in one go: the sales meeting on the first Monday of the month can be entered in the planner just once with a monthly recurrence.
\nThe mind feels relieved because it doesn't have to remember to make this decision every month.
\nSo, using the calendar well brings a different approach to procrastination: a calendar used to the full extent of its main function is an excellent anti-procrastination tool.
\nThree practical, easy-to-implement actions that deliver tangible results right away and help you tackle problems that can undermine the organization's performance.
\nAny problem, visible or hidden, can find a stable solution when it is tackled with a structured path that leads from analysis to action.
\nDianne M. Tice & Roy F. Baumeister (1997). \"Longitudinal Study of Procrastination, Performance, Stress, and Health: The Costs and Benefits of Dawdling\". Psychological Science, 8(6), 454–458 — https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00460.x
\nPiers Steel (2007). “The Nature of Procrastination: A Meta-Analytic and Theoretical Review of Quintessential Self-Regulatory Failure”. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94 — https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65
\nJesse Harriott & Joseph R. Ferrari (1996). “Prevalence of Procrastination among Samples of Adults”. Psychological Reports, 78(2), 611–616 — https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1996.78.2.611
\nJoseph R. Ferrari, Juan Francisco Díaz-Morales, Jean O’Callaghan, Karem Díaz & Doris Argumedo (2007). “Frequent Behavioral Delay Tendencies By Adults: International Prevalence Rates of Chronic Procrastination”. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 38(4), 458–464 — https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022107302314
","headings":[{"level":2,"text":"How procrastination problems show up","id":"how-procrastination-problems-show-up"},{"level":2,"text":"What the research says","id":"what-the-research-says"},{"level":2,"text":"What the effects of the problem are","id":"what-the-effects-of-the-problem-are"},{"level":2,"text":"The most common mistakes in solving the problem","id":"the-most-common-mistakes-in-solving-the-problem"},{"level":2,"text":"Where to look for the cause of the problem: analyzing the process involved","id":"where-to-look-for-the-cause-of-the-problem-analyzing-the-process-involved"},{"level":2,"text":"Identify the real cause of the problem","id":"identify-the-real-cause-of-the-problem"},{"level":2,"text":"The operational solutions","id":"the-operational-solutions"},{"level":3,"text":"Solution 1 — Define clearly what the calendar is and what its function is","id":"solution-1--define-clearly-what-the-calendar-is-and-what-its-function-is"},{"level":3,"text":"Solution 2 — Every action not done gets migrated to the following week","id":"solution-2--every-action-not-done-gets-migrated-to-the-following-week"},{"level":3,"text":"Solution 3 — If a decision is frequent and you can avoid making it every time, make it only once","id":"solution-3--if-a-decision-is-frequent-and-you-can-avoid-making-it-every-time-make-it-only-once"},{"level":2,"text":"Sources and references","id":"sources-and-references"}],"tldr":"","tldrItems":null}