Procrastination: Unhelpful Rules & Assumptions

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Procrastination: Unhelpful Rules & Assumptions Unhelpful Rules & Assumptions The reason people procrastinate, is because they hold unhelpful rules and assumptions about themselves or how the world works. These unhelpful rules and assumptions often generate some form of discomfort about doing a task or goal (e.g., anger, resentment, frustration, boredom, anxiety, fear, embarrassment, depression, despair, exhaustion, etc), and procrastination then becomes a strategy to avoid the discomfort. The unhelpful rules and assumptions most often linked to procrastination are: Needing To Be In Charge (e.g., “Things should be done my way. I shouldn’t have to do things I don’t want to, or just because someone else says so”); Pleasure Seeking (e.g., “Life’s too short to be doing things that are boring or hard, fun should always come first”); Fear Of Failure Or Disapproval (e.g., “I must do things perfectly, otherwise I will fail or others will think badly of me”); Fear Of Uncertainty Or Catastrophe (e.g., “I must be certain of what will happen. What if it’s bad? I am better off not doing anything than risking it”); Low Self-Confidence (e.g., “I can’t do it. I am just too incapable and inadequate”); and Depleted Energy (e.g., “I can’t do things when I am stressed, fatigued, unmotivated, or depressed”). When working out where your rules and assumptions might have come from, this will often be from messages or sayings you have received from others around you, past experiences you have had, or how you have observed others approach life. Often these things will have occurred whilst growing up, but can also come from more recent experiences. When generating a more helpful rule or assumption, this involves thinking of another way to see yourself and the world that is more balanced, flexible to different circumstances, and realistic given the real state of affairs. When thinking of how

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