Millennial Male Mania (Part 1): 5 Steps to breaking through Procrastination and the Chaos it Brings
Millennial males are notorious for procrastination, but it might not be for reasons you believe. Do some people procrastinate and others don’t? Do people procrastinate in different parts of their lives? The most important questions might be, “Why do I procrastinate on certain things and how do I get through it?” It is simple to understand some decisions in life are easier to navigate than others, “Do I want cheese on my burger or not?” The answer is obviously yes! On the other hand, there are more difficult decisions to make in life, “Do I want to write a blog on procrastination and making decisions or do I want to spend another 10 minutes on Facebook?” Yikes! With the latter question, I know what the “right” answer is, but it is much easier to mindlessly go on Facebook and scroll down to my heart’s content. Although you may not need to make these exact decisions, there are many you may be struggling with. Again, the important question is, “Why do I procrastinate on certain things and how do I get through it?” (just a small hint: Millennial Male Counseling is often more concerned with the deeper reason of “why?”, since it is sometimes the shortest distance to working through procrastination).
Let’s look at the first three steps a Millennial Male like yourself can take to approach these stubborn procrastinating barriers. Steps one through three can be seen in many ways as the foundation to beginning a new you and will require the most time and attention compared to steps four and five which will be covered in Part 2 of this Millennial Male Mania series.
1. Identify what is being procrastinated on- This might be the easy part. It is the task you are avoiding or makes you cringe when you think of starting. Maybe there are a few, write them down now or as them come to mind.
2. Identify the emotion- Whether it is fear, boredom, insecurities, anxiety, or something else (e.g. substance use/abuse or PTSD), there is an underlying emotion(s) standing between you and making the decision to complete important tasks in your life.
3. Trace the emotion back to when you first experienced it (this is where Millennial Male Counseling comes in hand with an outsider’s perspective and a nonjudgment or competitive space to do so)- Sometimes there is a specific memory of what led to this emotion. Maybe someone important to you once told you you weren’t good at doing something. Or you once tried to do something and didn’t like the results and emotions which followed. Nonetheless, it is important to identify this moment.
Millennial Males often procrastinate on making the most life changing decisions; “Do I quit the job where I am unhappy (but comfortable) or go through the process of finding a new one?”, “Do I get out of this unsatisfying relationship or keep on “muscling through it” with no positive light in sight?” These decision are life changers, don’t let them get in the way of the life you want to live. You may be wondering if I procrastinated on completing this blog, the answer is yes! I am a Millennial Male just like you, but I didn’t procrastinate as much as I could have. Stay tuned for Part 2 of Millennial Male Mania where we cover how to break through procrastination with steps hour and five and build on the foundation established in steps one through three.