June 11, 2021 • 7 mins
Yes, even chronic procrastinators can learn to stop putting things off till tomorrow. Renowned psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz gives tips that can change those down-to-the-last-minute habits.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere every day. We just
need to look for and share it. Here's something good
(00:27):
for today. We've all done it. The laundry is piling up,
or emails just keep going on red, but we still
put it off until tomorrow. Most of us struggle with
a little bit of procrastination from time to time, but
for some of us it's a major obstacle in our
work in personal lives. What can we do to help
ourselves get things done? When we have questions like this,
(00:50):
we turn to Dr GAYL. Salt Dr salt is a
clinical Associate Professor of psychiatry at the New York Presbyterian Hospital,
a best selling author, and host of the weekly podcast
How Can I Help? With Dr Gail Saltz. This week,
Dr Saltz shared some great insights on the different causes
of procrastination and some simple tips that can help us
stay productive. Here's what she had to say. Do you
(01:12):
put off to tomorrow? Most of the things you could
be doing today. Are you often scrambling at the last
moment to complete tasks which are overdue or about to
be late because you started too late? How about putting
off big decisions things that you actually want in your life,
but somehow you have difficulty making the decision or pulling
(01:34):
the trigger. About adults are chronic procrastinators, but many more
of us sometimes put off to tomorrow what we need
and even want to do today. Yet for the most part,
they don't realize what they're doing or that they're undermining
their own happiness. Even worse, procrastinators tend to be far
(01:59):
more are stressed than those who don't, and even get
sick more often. If you can push through and act
a little more often, though, you'll find your day to
day is a lot more pleasant and rewarding. Your mind
will be freed up from all that ruminating and second guessing,
paving the way for other opportunities you want to grab.
(02:23):
After all, life's richest when it's filled with milestones and
accomplishments you've worked hard to achieve, not with regrets of
what you should have done, would have done if only.
In fact, most procrastinators may have either a fear of failure,
a fear of success, a need to be defiant, a
(02:47):
big streak of perfectionism, or just a risk taking streak.
These fears or urges can stir up your anxiety when
you are faced with an actual decision. The more negative
emotion caused by the action that needs to be taken,
the greater the likelihood that you'll put it off. Some
(03:09):
procrastinators struggle with defiance in the form of always thinking
I don't want to be told what to do. When
faced with taking on a task, you aim okay, you
need to stay in charge. You likely grew up in
a home with an authoritarian parent who was super controlling,
(03:31):
and some procrastinators are really risk takers in disguise. They
think I like to finish things at the last minute.
I like the thrill. Some chronic procrastinators aren't actually anxious.
They thrive on the rush of scrambling to get something
done right before the deadline. If this is you, try this.
(03:56):
Do you tell yourself you work better under pressure? Prove it.
Try doing a task, maybe doing laundry or planning a
plate for your kids at the last minute like you
usually do, and then on a different day do the
same task ahead of schedule another time, you might be
(04:18):
surprised by the results. Experimenting with this several times and
being very aware of the results allows you to really
challenge and change the thought that's driving your procrastinating behavior
in the first place. Write down your new truth. It
(04:39):
is the early bird who catches the worm. If you
can figure out what kind of procrastinator you are, just
knowing your pattern can go a long way to defeating
its power, allowing you to move ahead with a decision
instead of lolligagging. Ask yourself whether this is the same story,
(05:01):
the same pattern, the same underlying fear or motivation each
time a life decision arises. Be patient with yourself. A
procrastinator can't change your stripes overnight, But if you can
move ahead with just one new life decision a week,
that's progressed. Doctor Saltz's advice is always so practical and
(05:25):
so helpful. So here's something good for today. Many of
us are procrastinators, but it's a habit we can fix, and,
as Dr salt says, once we break procrastinations power over us,
we can be happier and more productive. Now there are
different reasons for procrastinating says Dr Saltz. If you procrastinate
because you think you work better under pressure to you,
(05:47):
suggest doing a recurring task at the last minute, as
you usually do, and then later doing it ahead of time.
See how that feels. Finally, remember that change doesn't happen overnight.
Try modifying your habits one baby step at a time
and noticing the patterns over time. You could see a
real difference. For much more great advice on procrastination, listen
(06:09):
to today's episode of How Can I Help with Dr
Gale Saltz. Thank you for listening, and please share today's
Something Good with others in your life. This is Kim Azzarelli,
(06:30):
co author of Fast Forward and co founder of Seneca Women.
To learn more about Seneca Women, go to Seneca Women
dot com or download the Seneca Women app free in
the app store. Care Something Good is a production of
the Seneca Women podcast network and I Heart Radio Have
a Great Day. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
(06:54):
check out the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere every day. We just
need to look for and share it. Here's something good
(00:27):
for today. We've all done it. The laundry is piling up,
or emails just keep going on red, but we still
put it off until tomorrow. Most of us struggle with
a little bit of procrastination from time to time, but
for some of us it's a major obstacle in our
work in personal lives. What can we do to help
ourselves get things done? When we have questions like this,
(00:50):
we turn to Dr GAYL. Salt Dr salt is a
clinical Associate Professor of psychiatry at the New York Presbyterian Hospital,
a best selling author, and host of the weekly podcast
How Can I Help? With Dr Gail Saltz. This week,
Dr Saltz shared some great insights on the different causes
of procrastination and some simple tips that can help us
stay productive. Here's what she had to say. Do you
(01:12):
put off to tomorrow? Most of the things you could
be doing today. Are you often scrambling at the last
moment to complete tasks which are overdue or about to
be late because you started too late? How about putting
off big decisions things that you actually want in your life,
but somehow you have difficulty making the decision or pulling
(01:34):
the trigger. About adults are chronic procrastinators, but many more
of us sometimes put off to tomorrow what we need
and even want to do today. Yet for the most part,
they don't realize what they're doing or that they're undermining
their own happiness. Even worse, procrastinators tend to be far
(01:59):
more are stressed than those who don't, and even get
sick more often. If you can push through and act
a little more often, though, you'll find your day to
day is a lot more pleasant and rewarding. Your mind
will be freed up from all that ruminating and second guessing,
paving the way for other opportunities you want to grab.
(02:23):
After all, life's richest when it's filled with milestones and
accomplishments you've worked hard to achieve, not with regrets of
what you should have done, would have done if only.
In fact, most procrastinators may have either a fear of failure,
a fear of success, a need to be defiant, a
(02:47):
big streak of perfectionism, or just a risk taking streak.
These fears or urges can stir up your anxiety when
you are faced with an actual decision. The more negative
emotion caused by the action that needs to be taken,
the greater the likelihood that you'll put it off. Some
(03:09):
procrastinators struggle with defiance in the form of always thinking
I don't want to be told what to do. When
faced with taking on a task, you aim okay, you
need to stay in charge. You likely grew up in
a home with an authoritarian parent who was super controlling,
(03:31):
and some procrastinators are really risk takers in disguise. They
think I like to finish things at the last minute.
I like the thrill. Some chronic procrastinators aren't actually anxious.
They thrive on the rush of scrambling to get something
done right before the deadline. If this is you, try this.
(03:56):
Do you tell yourself you work better under pressure? Prove it.
Try doing a task, maybe doing laundry or planning a
plate for your kids at the last minute like you
usually do, and then on a different day do the
same task ahead of schedule another time, you might be
(04:18):
surprised by the results. Experimenting with this several times and
being very aware of the results allows you to really
challenge and change the thought that's driving your procrastinating behavior
in the first place. Write down your new truth. It
(04:39):
is the early bird who catches the worm. If you
can figure out what kind of procrastinator you are, just
knowing your pattern can go a long way to defeating
its power, allowing you to move ahead with a decision
instead of lolligagging. Ask yourself whether this is the same story,
(05:01):
the same pattern, the same underlying fear or motivation each
time a life decision arises. Be patient with yourself. A
procrastinator can't change your stripes overnight, But if you can
move ahead with just one new life decision a week,
that's progressed. Doctor Saltz's advice is always so practical and
(05:25):
so helpful. So here's something good for today. Many of
us are procrastinators, but it's a habit we can fix, and,
as Dr salt says, once we break procrastinations power over us,
we can be happier and more productive. Now there are
different reasons for procrastinating says Dr Saltz. If you procrastinate
because you think you work better under pressure to you,
(05:47):
suggest doing a recurring task at the last minute, as
you usually do, and then later doing it ahead of time.
See how that feels. Finally, remember that change doesn't happen overnight.
Try modifying your habits one baby step at a time
and noticing the patterns over time. You could see a
real difference. For much more great advice on procrastination, listen
(06:09):
to today's episode of How Can I Help with Dr
Gale Saltz. Thank you for listening, and please share today's
Something Good with others in your life. This is Kim Azzarelli,
(06:30):
co author of Fast Forward and co founder of Seneca Women.
To learn more about Seneca Women, go to Seneca Women
dot com or download the Seneca Women app free in
the app store. Care Something Good is a production of
the Seneca Women podcast network and I Heart Radio Have
a Great Day. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
(06:54):
check out the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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