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Whatever ycur Creanrs, stcp prcorastnating and you ll be happeranC healthler, writos Julie Penfold

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lf you are prone to puttingdistractions before taking action,you may have a problem withprocrastination. Procrastinators areregularly armed with a legion of ready-madereasons why they can't act today, or the nextday, This constant cycle of putting things offcan actually be bad news for our health.

We all procrastinate from time-to-time.There's always a tomorrow with somethingwe may find daunting, such as trying a newfitness class, making a medical appointmentor embarking on a healthy eating plan. Thereare also aspects of life we may find a littleboring and prefer to put off until they becomemore urgent, such as tackling housework,paperwork or paying bills. ln a professtonalsetting, it's work tasks that we may decide toput off, allowing distractions to get jn the wayof looming deadlines and projects,

Procrastination is noi simply a case ofbeing lazy or having a self-discipline problem.Of course, there are days when we ali justfeel like letting things linger, but for others,

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procrastination can build into a seriousproblem. You may be putting action off as aresult of an underlying fear of failure or even afear of success. Worries about somethinggoing wrong (such as a new health kick failingor a career path not working out), can causeus to stop before we have even staded,

People can also be struck by a fear ofsuccess, worryrng about how their life willchange if a new business venture takes off orthey have a lifestyle overhaul, "Many peopleare stuck in the comfort trap and going outsideof this is scary" says clinical hypnotherapistMartjna McKeough at Balance Hypnosis."We're not sure how to deal with the unknownso we may use procrastination as a meansof self-protection."f '{ll{/./li.:l t: t,llNatasha Gordon, 34, is a busy mum-of fourwho juggles home life with running an onlinebusiness, The kusted Beauty Guide, with herhusband. Natasha found her procrastinationprobiems started while getting her business off

the ground. Previously, she had run a high-street beauty salon and was constantly busy.While optimistic and brimming with ideas forher new online business, Natasha found thelack of day{o-day structure allowed her toput off getting things done.

"l turned to self-help and read two NLPbooks which changed my life. I found assoon as I began to make the changes n mymindset, amazing things began to happen,I had been associating all the things I had todo with hard work and visualising a heap ofpaperwork. I changed this by associatrngevefihing at work with having fun and beinghappy, while giving myself small rewardswhen I had got something done, My husbandwould congratulat-o me after I had completedeach task and this made me feel really great.Now, the hardest and most boring tasks aretackled first and, before I do this, I visualisehaving already completed it and rewardingmyself - it works every time. People even callme super efiicient now and can really rely onme, l'll never go back to dawdlingl"

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get things Cone"Take the time to identifu why you areprocrastinating," says life coach RebekahFensome. "We often use procrastination as amethod of self-protection. Recognising thisand asking yourself why will help you to breakthrough the barriers, and uncover what thereasons are behind your reluctance to getsomething done."

"This is a really useful tip for procrastinators andinvolves keeping two daily logs, detailing howyour days are spent. The first diary page wouldlook at what you are going to fit in every hryohours, while the second log would record whatyou do actually get done over the course of aday. lt can really help to increase how much youget done when followed regularly," says Wendy,

Caroline Buchanan, author of The 1S-Minute,Bule, first used this technique herself to get hermuch loathed tax return completed over aweek, and found herself writing a book on thetopicl "The 1S-minute rule offers space andfreedom and helps you to become moreinterested in what you need to do," she says,"Take three periods over the next three days ofI5 minutes, without any distractions, For thefirst and second days, stop the minute the timeis up. This gives your brain the message thatyou can be kusted. From the thud day, carry onas long as you like after the 15 minutes are up.The moment you start to lose interest, stopimmediately. Sticking to 15 minutes only whenyou try again will help to get you back into thecycle, Once you start something, even just for15 minutes every day, it will instantly makeyou feel better,"

Rr:&, fr*x" Xas:*,cf 8&sProcrastination fills our bodies with anxietyhormones such as corlisol, leading to highlevels of stress, which can impact on sleep,Stress also leaves us vulnerable to illnessand mental health issues such as anxietyand panic attacks. "Procrastinators alsoput things off that are to do with lookingafter themselves," health psychologist,Wendy Dignan explains. "This can rangefrom avoiding making GP, dental orhospital appointments to putting offhealthy eating or doing some exercise.

"Where most people may put tasks offfor a little while, serial procrastinators maydo this to the detriment of their healih. lnaddition, they can have huge problemssleeping. This is usually due to stresslevels being so high or as a result of self-medicating to avoid the reality of their life,via alcohol or drugs.They will find getting tosleep is a struggle or they may wakeconstantly in the night. Fatigue is verycommon as procrastinators never feel wellrested. This is a result of the anxietyhormones constantly filllng their bodies."

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It only takes three weeks to form a habit, sosett ng goas and repeati'tg the process for a shorlwhile can help to create a routine, "lnstead of havinga to-do list, set yourself some goals. Write what youhave to get done in the present tense such as 'l haveto go to the gym twice this week' then write or recordwhen this is going to happen, choosing a day and time.By doing the planning upfront, you do not need to thinkabout it any more, yet seeing the actions you haveplanned for yourself can r-oally help to spur you intoaction," says Rebekah. "Reinforcing is also important toget things done, so introducing a reward will also help."

lmagining how we will feel at the end of a task, ratherthan the process required to get there, can help us to seethe finish line more clearly. "Using visualisation, you cango through a mental rehearsal of something you have todo in your mind," says Martina. "Go through the wholeevent until you reach the end and have the conclusionyou want, Take note of how good this makes you feelwhen you have achieved what you wanied to do, suchas focusing on the exhilaration you will feel after aworkout. lf you feel your career is stalling, visualisationcan also be very effective in helping to regain a senseof what you want to achieve." This technique will alsohelp you to gravitate towards the actions required toget that something done.

Dlstractions are all around us but learning to keep thema little more in check can really help us to achieve more."Giving your distractions a structure is really impodantso they do not take over your day," says Rebekah."lf Twitter or Facebook are your Achiles' heel atwork, use these distractions as your downtime andgive yourself ten minutes per day.to catch up onsocial media." Checking emails only every few hourscan also help to increase productivity,

"Recalling past successes, whether from a long time ago,or more recently, can help you to tap into the feelingsassociated with those moments," says l\.4aftina. "Usethose feelings to create an anchor to recall your sense ofachievement and how good you felt at that time, This canbe very galvanising. By touching two fingers together orclenching your hand into a fist, those movernents canbecome associated with good, positve feelings ofsuccess. This is a very useful technique that can helpyou to get through something you may be putting off."

"Procrastinators often mentally forecast how the day is going to pan out and think aheadto what they wil be doing, which can lead to a re{uctance to stad getting things done,"says Wendy, "Shaking up your day and doing your tasks the opposite way aroundactually messes with the change process in the brain. lf you usually clear your desk atwork to signal the end of the day, do this flrst thing the next day. Procrastinators do notlike order and regularity; it can make them feel fear{ul, By changing your day and doingthings in a different order, you will get more done!"

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