This article originally appeared in Psychology Today.
Procrastination is something we all would like to do less of, but change of any kind takes mental discipline and emotional fortitude. Here are seven ways we love to procrastinate.
1. The I-Can-No-Longer-Ignore-This Scenario. Once your toenails poke through your socks, you know it’s time to trim them. When life is poking at you to get something done, that’s your subconscious saying “I’m not letting you ignore this any longer.” Better yet, trim those toenails before they ruin your socks.
2. The Tiger-in-a-Cage System. Sometimes if you put all the pieces out (documents, tax papers, spreadsheet, etc.) in front of you and just look at them, it can help. You may have to pace around your project for a while until you find the correct starting point. That’s OK. Once you do, you’ll settle down with your work like an old friend.