It's a day like any other, you look at your desk and realize that you have to put it away.
So far, so good.
Except that by looking at it, you also understand that it would be necessary to sort the papers which litter it, and that to carry out this well, it would also be necessary to arrange the drawers in order to make room.
And then in reality, it would also be necessary to make shelves to save space.
Does this tire you out in advance?
It's normal.
At the foot of this mountain which rises in front of you, you therefore decide… to do nothing.
Anyway, not today.
This situation perfectly illustrates the process of procrastination, according to psychiatrist Jean-Christophe Seznec (1).
“One thing brings a sum of problems which are so many thoughts which will saturate the brain, rebounds the doctor.
As it is “painful”, it has the reflex to put itself in energy saving mode and triggers avoidance strategies.
Logical, indeed.
Once the behavior is built in, it will take very little afterwards for it to trigger again.
While some make do with this way of doing things or procrastinate a little, others are trapped in a real trap and regularly find themselves playing the same film which does not always end well.
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Why do some deliberately ignore phone calls?
Inner fight
What drives us to postpone instead of doing in the moment?
Why run into the wall when you know the repercussions in advance?
How to explain this internal fight opposing a part which wants and the other which resists?
Always because of this same history of avoidance, answers the psychiatrist.
Let's take the example of making medical appointments.
We know full well that we have to get down to it because our health is at stake.
Only for fear of confronting reality - here the possibility of a health concern - we avoid, or we go into denial.
“The latter is emotionally less costly in the short term than confronting reality,” continues Jean-Christophe Seznec.
In video, 1-3-5, the unstoppable rule to stop procrastinating
All too stimulated?
Perfectionism can also indirectly induce procrastination.
Did I do well?
Can't I do more?
You can't take action until you produce something perfect.
“Not to mention that we don't want to be confronted with the fact of not being able to do, so we do everything or nothing.
Not being able to “do everything”, we prefer to “do nothing”, adds the psychiatrist.
The tendency to keep adjourning can also be linked to attention problems.
"We have two neural networks: a first 'executive', for action, and a second for 'rest' (
which is activated when we give free rein to our thoughts, Editor
's note ).
When you have to be in action, it leads to tension, so the mind wanders… and you procrastinate,” explains Jean-Christophe Seznec.
The scenario is identical to the work: you are expected to render in a given time but despite the deadline, you let yourself be caught up in everything that is able to interfere with you;
a chat, a video, your phone…
We are over-stimulated, always procrastinating imposes itself as a kind of renunciation
Jean-Christophe Seznec
The fault does not always lie with the brain.
According to Jean-Christophe Seznec, our current societies also reinforce the tendency to procrastinate.
“We are over-stimulated, always putting off until later imposes itself as a kind of renunciation and avoidance” of new solicitations.
In his documentary “We will see tomorrow: excursion in procrasti-nation”, to see on Arte.fr, the director Guillaume Podrovnik also explores the track.
He wonders: wouldn't procrastination be one symptom among others of a system in which we are always short of time?
Overwhelmed by the tasks to be accomplished, the appointments to be honoured, devoting your time to something else and procrastinating is it not more and more desirable?
Ways out
Most of us are able to get out of the vicious circle and break the process.
First condition: feel the urge and check that it is not procrastination that would be the symptom of an illness, such as depression for example.
Founder of the firm Time & Balance and expert in organization and time management, Diane Ballonad Rolland (2) recommends confronting the file by starting with an inventory.
What task am I procrastinating on?
Why does this area in particular bother me?
What do I feel when I rock?
“We can also go further and look for precisely what repels the task.
Sometimes it is only a part;
so if I tend to block on it, maybe I can delegate it?
We also assess what the tendency to postpone costs us in time, energy, or sometimes money, and the benefits we find in always postponing.
"It is important to dare to confront the fears that can be at the origin of procrastination, that of judgment, that of not knowing how to do...", comments Diane Ballonad Rolland.
Sometimes it is only part of a task that puts us off;
so if I tend to block on it, maybe I can delegate it?
Diane Ballonad Rolland
The salami technique
It is then necessary to "deconstruct" the mode of operation.
The psychiatrist Jean-Christophe Seznec thus invites us to get out of a logic of objectives to be achieved.
“As soon as we think in terms of results, it creates thoughts and emotions that we will precisely want to avoid by procrastinating, specifies the doctor.
For example, rather than saying “I must” or “I must”, we opt for “I decide” or “I choose to do”.
In practice, before getting down to a task, we adopt the technique of “small steps”, and we make sure that the first one is as pleasant as possible in order to facilitate the transition to action.
“We call it the “salami technique”.
If we are asked to eat one whole, we will postpone the task, by cutting it and going slice by slice, we will arrive at the end.
Everything is more “digestible””, illustrates Jean-Christophe Seznec.
At work, the "limited time" strategy can help you become more attentive and manage your energy.
“We go into action for a short time, 10 to 15 minutes, and after 25 minutes, we take a 5-minute break.
Then we start again on a 25-minute activity;
after three or four activities, you take a longer break,” suggests Diane Ballonad Rolland.
You have to know how to take your time and sort out all the proposals that life offers us
Jean-Christophe Seznec
5 tasks max
What about the "to-do list", a real brain roadmap for some?
Yes, "provided you arbitrate your priorities and define only 5", according to the expert, who believes that we tend to fix ourselves too much.
For perfectionist characters, the expert recommends making peace with the draft stage.
“At work, you can start by laying out the outline of a project without necessarily setting yourself the goal of making a final version,” she explains.
We often imagine that the sponsor wants it, while the outline may be enough for him.
To make sure, we do not hesitate to ask for details on what is expected.
Finally, the psychiatrist Jean-Christophe Seznec invites us to slow down, or in any case to move forward at our own pace.
“In music, we say that silences are as important as the notes, he says.
You have to know how to take your time and sort out all the proposals that life offers us.
(1) Jean-Christophe Seznec is the author of
Unplug Your Mind
, Ed.
Leduc.s, 18 euros and
Practical guide to survival in the event of a crisis
, to be published on April 12, Ed.
Leduc.s.
(2) Diane Ballonad Rolland is the author of
I stop procrastinating,
Ed.
Eyrolles, 11.90 euros.
