Hello,
My name is Yvette.
I'm a former procrastinator and meditation teacher here on Insight Timer.
And today I would like to share six types of procrastinators.
Why?
Because hopefully it's helpful to recognize if you have any patterns.
And even though I'm not a big fan of labels,
It has helped me so that I can recognize the behavior in order to change it.
So please listen carefully to the next thing I'm about to share.
And you might sometimes see me looking at my different screen because I have prepared something.
4.
Think about something where you're procrastinating on It might be a big project.
Do you have something in mind?
Let's get started.
You have six types.
The first one I like to call the perfectionist.
You avoid tasks because you have the feeling it will never ever be good enough.
It will never be perfect.
The second one is the dreamer.
You love big ideas,
But you struggle with execution.
Third one is the warrior.
You fear change or failure,
So you avoid taking action.
Can you already relate to one?
The fourth one,
The crisis maker.
You thrive on last minute pressures.
And you leave things until the last minute of your deadline.
The fifth one.
Is the overdoer,
You take on too many tasks and you get overwhelmed.
And the sixth one is the avoider.
You really put off tasks because they make you feel uncomfortable or judged.
Now if you listen to the following six statements.
What is something you can recognize?
And keep track.
For example,
You have a big project due and what is the first thing that comes to mind?
One.
It won't be perfect,
So you won't do it.
You are hesitant to start.
You get excited,
But you struggle to finish it.
3,
You feel anxious and unsure if you can handle it.
4,
You wait until the last minute to feel motivated.
5.
You have so much to do,
You don't know where to begin.
And six,
You avoid it because you fear judgment.
Or you just don't like to feel those emotions.
Well,
If you listened carefully,
You already know that one stands for the perfectionist.
2 for the dreamers.
3 for the warrior and four,
The crisis maker,
Five,
The overdoer,
And six,
The avoider.
Interestingly,
You can be different types at the same time,
Depending on the task you're procrastinating on.
So perhaps I will share one other example and you can think of what really resonates with you.
If you have a cause of why you would procrastinate the most.
The answer would be 1.
You fear of not doing it perfectly.
Maybe two,
You struggle to focus and follow.
Three,
You fear of failing or making mistakes.
4.
You really wait for the rush of the deadline.
And five,
You just have too much on your plate.
And six.
You feel unmotivated by a certain task.
In general lines,
How can you overcome this type of procrastinating behavior?
For example,
If you are the perfectionist,
If you are anything like me.
.
.
It's important to set realistic goals and deadlines with an accountability partner.
Remind yourself that done is better than perfect.
And try to use the 80-20 rule and focus on what truly matters.
So what I've done is I,
For example when I was writing my dissertation,
I had an accountability partner and I handed in academic articles and they were of course never perfect enough.
But I had someone look at them and they were like,
Yep,
Hand it in.
And it worked out fine luckily.
For the dreamer,
It's important to break these big ideas into smaller chunks and use a to-do list with deadlines.
Set rewards when you complete the task.
It sounds easy,
But it's difficult in practice.
And for the warrior.
For you it's important to challenge those negative thoughts and ask what's the worst thing that could happen.
Take small steps to build confidence and focus on progress,
Not perfection.
The crisis maker.
I like to implement fake deadlines with my students who are really these crisis makers before the real deadline.
And work in short times with time management,
For example,
The Pomodoro time management technique.
And find ways to create motivation without stress.
If you can relate to being an overdoer,
Again,
I can relate too,
And that is really learn to say no and prioritize tasks.
Delegate when possible and use time blocking to manage your workload.
And for the avoider,
Again,
Something I can relate to,
Go watch and listen to my emotional regulation strategies here on SITimer.
But also think about reframing your tasks as opportunities for growth.
And what is really helpful is to just start with a small task of five minutes.
For example,
I start my day with a simple task like Duolingo to get my brain working.
And set again an external accountability partner.
This can be a buddy,
A mentor,
Even a timer.
As a perfectionist,
You avoid tasks because you're afraid of not doing them perfectly,
Right?
We established that.
I have extra meditations here on my Insight Timer profile.
And that's the worrier.
For you,
I also have multiple meditations regarding emotional regulation and I've shared this for the other type as well.
And for the crisis maker,
I have talks about time management.
So now you're starting to see,
Whatever type you are,
Please go check out my profile.
I have so much free content.
Information and resources available.
And I thank you for being here.
And if you found this helpful,
Please share.
I love your thoughts.
Send me a DM.
And I would love to see you in my 10 day course on how to deal with procrastination through mindfulness techniques.
Because unfortunately there isn't a quick fix.
But we can do multiple things.
To overcome procrastination.
I'm a firm believer of that.
