Bilingual news and shares about the brain, languages and coaching
Newsletter 10 - Procrastination
The N in NeuroLanguage Coaching®
“I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.”
― Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind
By knowing a bit more about what's happening in your brain when you procrastinate, you might be able to manage your procrastination or better yet, work around it.
What's procrastination when it comes to the brain?
Procrastination is when we avoid doing something we should be doing. Typically, there's no "good" reason for avoiding the task, but we keep putting it off, even though we know that not doing it works against us in the long run.
While that may seem irrational (why would you do something that carries negative consequences?), it's, in fact, our brain trying to protect us from a perceived threat.
Remember that our brain does not differentiate between actual and perceived threats. While reading this, you might tell yourself, « I don't feel threatened by any of my tasks; I've just been too busy .»
So what's the threat here?
Any source of stress,
any challenges,
something that makes you anxious.
All of the above signal a threat. Our brain protects us by "encouraging" us to avoid doing a task that is seen as stressful or challenging.
The more we put off the task, the greater the stress and/or anxiety (threat increases).
“Because procrastination is motivated by our negative feelings, some individuals are more susceptible to it than others. People who have difficulty regulating their emotions and those who struggle with low self-esteem are much more likely to procrastinate”
Why is that a problem?
Procrastination can be particularly damaging because it can temporarily reduce stress levels, reinforcing it as a coping mechanism for dealing with stressful tasks.
Note: TEMPORARILY
Your limbic system might have stepped in to delay working on what you may consider a chore/a challenge/a source of stress, in favor of engaging in something that is easier, more fun and rewarding.
Remember your limbic system is the part of your brain which, among other things, is involved in instant gratification, pleasure seeking and survival responses.
But after the survival response comes and goes: the task is still waiting for you to get it done ;-)
People who frequently procrastinate often experience increased
stress levels
feelings of shame
anxiety
depression
health issues associated with high stress.
What solutions are there?
Solutions as to how to tackle procrastination are endless. There are websites, blogs, podcasts, books, talks all dedicated to helping us deal with procrastination.
As a Coach and a master procrastinator, I can safely say that of all the advice that's out there, for me 2 things work:
Accountability
Working hand in hand with my procrastination.
If you're procrastinating with your language learning, then I can help you with that. Actually that's one of my specialties.
You can stay tuned for my next newsletter on how to improve your language learning in spite of your procrastination tendencies OR
If you're curious about my sources or want to know more about laughter you should click here
And if you want to go back on my other newsletters that cover all kinds of brain related, language related, coaching related fascinating subjects, I suggest you go to my newsletter webpage
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Neurolanguage Coaching® is an amazing method that will help you learn a language more efficiently than you've ever experienced before. It brings together findings about how the brain learns bests and integrates these into a coaching process that will put you in charge of YOUR learning journey. As a Coach, I'm the GPS to your driving. If you want to try it but are not ready to commit, I have a 2H Discovery Offer that might be just what you're looking for. Or we can just have a casual chat about it, just reply to this email.
Good to know
The Neurolanguage Coaching® certification is accredited by the ICF
La certification est accreditée par la Fédération Internationale de Coaching