Do you struggle with procrastination?
Do you struggle with procrastination?
Me too. I have some ideas...
Dear Friends,
Greetings to new subscribers. I’m so glad you’re here.
Lately, I’ve been talking about procrastination with anyone who will listen.
I’m a teacher, writer, and speaker who talks to groups about neurodiversity + mental health. Procrastination, which is closely tied to this topic, has become close to my heart over the past couple of years.
Why? Because I’ve become closely acquainted with procrastination for the first time in my life.
I blame the pandemic, like I do for many things, such as the closure of some of my favorite restaurants here in Chapel Hill. The pandemic ramped up my anxiety, feelings of hopelessness, and feelings of overwhelm.
These feelings are at the heart of procrastination.
Procrastination is not laziness. In my years of teaching, I have heard colleagues say (and by colleagues, I mean myself, too) that procrastination is laziness, poor planning, and basically a character flaw.
After years of holding this belief, you can imagine the comeuppance I felt when procrastination hit me in the face. I felt so badly that I ever thought those things about anyone, especially my precious students and even my close friends.
The thing is, procrastinators are our least lazy students, coworkers, colleagues, and friends. Why? They are perfectionists. They are afraid of failure. They want to do their best. They are not slackers. They are the opposite of that.
Because they struggle with perfectionism, they also struggle with overwhelm, anxiety, burnout, and depression. Does this sound like you? It sounds like me. I’m still not over it, and I doubt I ever will be.
Here’s what I do, now, to help myself deal with procrastination. It’s called The 70% Rule. Here’s how it works. When I approach a task, I tell allow myself to do the task to 70% of perfect, and then stop. Then it’s done.
I have to grit my teeth and turn in my work at 70%.
Seven out of ten is my new best effort.
Fellow perfectionists out there: does this idea make your skin crawl? I bet.
But here’s the thing. If you aim for 70%, not only will you turn in your work on time. It will be excellent.
How?
The 70% Rule tricks your (my) brain into getting the work done. That’s the first challenge—beating procrastination. Then, once you’ve cleared that hurdle, your 70% effort turns out to be pretty darn great.
Because you are pretty darn great.
And that’s all you need to be. Perfect? It’s overrated.
Love to you,
Katie
Guess what? My new book, A LIGHT IN THE TOWER: A NEW RECKONING WITH MENTAL HEALTH IN HIGHER EDUCATION, comes out Feb. 26 from the University Press of Kansas. (There’s a whole chapter on procrastination.)
It’s written for a general audience, and you can buy it from your favorite bookstore in paperback, ebook, or hardcover.
I’m thrilled to be able to help faculty, students, and administrators in higher education and beyond who struggle with issues related to mental health + neurodiversity.
Kansas Press: bit.ly/alightinthetower
Other bookstores: books2read.com/alitt
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I give talks on mental health and neurodiversity all over the country (and the world). Interested?