Is Procrastination affecting your health?
Procrastination is a great word and something I do far too often!! The trouble is it can affect our health without us even realising.
If there is a specific task I need to complete but don’t actually want to get on and do it I can avoid it by doing all sorts of other IMPORTANT things like, cleaning my skirting boards hahaha!
Procrastination can creep into all areas of our life and it affects our health in more ways than just not having dinner planned.
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is a voluntary delay on the intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay.
If this is the case…
Why do we Procrastinate?
There are lots of different theories but these make the most sense to me:
- Perfectionists fear – are we going to be as good as we want to be? We are doubting our ability and skill.
- Being a Dreamer – and not taking action?
- Easily distracted
- Unable to prioritise effectively
- Overwhelmed – avoiding tasks as you don’t know where to start
How does Procrastination affect our health?
The obvious answer to this question is a lack of organisation has a knock-on effect such as not having the grocery shopping done, then not able to prepare meals ahead of time. By not having this you may need to choose something quick which isn’t as healthy as you would like or order, another, takeaway.
All the things we know we should do and don’t affects our self-esteem. If our self-esteem is low we can turn to poor nutrition for self-comfort, and this, as we know, is a vicious cycle.
Procrastination is linked to a range of stress-related health problems such as digestive and immune issues.
Procrastination affects you WANTING to achieve something. You might have a strong desire to change but you just can’t seem to take the first step forward.
Procrastination is a HABIT to kick!
What can you do?
I love reading and watching material that inspires me TO DO, I am currently hooked on the Netflix show The Home Edit, sad, I know, but I feel happy to share amongst friends 🙂
I also love to watch cooking shows, don’t tell me you don’t pop into the kitchen and whip up some cakes after watching The Great British Bake Off!
If you are serious about overcoming Procrastination and becoming a Productivity Boss I recommend the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. I have listened to the audiobook and loved one particular practical action he shared which makes a lot of sense and may help you get started.
The Time Management Matrix
| Quadrants | Urgent | Not Urgent |
| Important | 1. DO Do it now | 2. DECIDE Schedule time to do it |
Not Important | 3. DELEGATE Who can do it for you? | 4. DELETE Eliminate it |
Quadrant 1
This is ‘Fire Fighting’ mode. Living in quadrant 1 is stressful. Most of the tasks you are performing have probably been procrastinated.
Quadrant 2
Living here is the goal.
Quadrant 3
These are the task that you need to try and automate or ask for help from others.
For instance, do you have a massive ironing pile? Are one of your children old enough to take on their own ironing or can your partner make sure school uniforms are ready? In the past I have used an ironing service which felt like a massive weight off my to-do list, she collected at a convenient time and returned it all hung up and ready to be put away 🙂
Quadrant 4
This is self explanatory. Remove anything you don’t need to do.
Productivity hack
This is one of my favourite productivity hacks, its called the Pomodoro Technique. I share this technique amongst others in my 28 Habit Makeover Program.
This picture explains it perfectly, you can also use 45/15 minutes if you prefer.
You can apply this technique to ANYTHING you have to do. It really helps focus your mind and keep you on track.
Make a commitment to yourself to get more organised, create good routines to get what you need done and live your healthiest life physically and mentally and create some freedom in your life to do the things you want to do.
If you would like to chat with me about your unique menopause transition, book a Wild Well-Being call and come away inspired and motivated to begin your journey to optimal health.
With love
Sue x