Same old story
Last week I made a very delicious pot of spiced cabbage, potato and carrot soup. I kept eating the leftovers for days. By the third day I had a pile of dishes, small pots and pans and the empty pot in which the soup was stored sitting in my sink. I did what I always do – I put water in the pans and left them to be washed later that evening as I was rushing off.
It won’t surprise you to know I forgot the pans.
My reward was a pile of smelly pans the next day. They weren’t hard to clean, but by that time the leftover food scraps had started to decay. I am sure this sounds familiar to you. Many of us have ideas, goals, projects and desires that we have not started work on, like New Year’s resolutions. I bet that some of these promises we made to ourselves are starting to stink.
Your brain is made to put things off
Procrastination is a bugbear that plagues many of us. We keep delaying work on things that matter to us, no matter the consequences. If you were wondering why, there’s ample science suggesting that that procrastination has a biological origin. Your brain has evolved from its prehistoric origins but not by much.
The limbic system is one of the strongest parts of the brain, and it manages fight or flight. It is predisposed to seeking immediate reward. Our neocortex – the rational part of ourselves that makes decisions – is relatively new and less dominant. Dr Tim Pychl writes “We have a brain that is selected for preferring immediate reward. Procrastination is the present self saying I would rather feel good now. So we delay engagement even though it’s going to bite us on the butt.”
Research backs up this perspective. Caroline Schlüter and her colleagues from the Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany found that people prone to procrastination have a larger amygdala. The amygdala is a central part of the limbic system and when it is in control, the amygdala makes us focus on our current state – meaning if it makes us feel good now, we want to do it. If it doesn’t we put it off.
Keep doing it and your brain becomes used to the habit, good or bad. Charles Duhigg, the author of “The Power of Habit”, notes that our brains adopts habit loops. Another part of our brain – the basal ganglia – picks up repeated behaviours and makes them automatic, allowing your neocortex to take the day off.
No wonder beating procrastination can feel like brain surgery.
Changing the script
The thing is too much procrastination ultimately leads nowhere. Shoukei Matsumoto puts it most elegantly: “Was it not depressing to wake up to a new day with yesterday’s chores to be done?” For Japanese monks, the key issue is that things left undone live on in our minds when we go to sleep. Thus they adopt an attitude of zengosaidan – putting in efforts each day to have no regrets.
I must admit, a life without regrets sounds wonderful.
Thankfully there remains the possibility to transform procrastination into full living in the present moment. Our brains have neuroplasticity. They can constantly change based on how we nurture them. By repeating positive habit loops we can enlist the amygdala in supporting us.
Meditation and mindfulness can be helpful in shifting these patterns. Taking the time to become aware of your emotions and meditating on your breath supports your parasympathetic nervous system – the “rest and digest” part of your mind. This in turns help you regulate your need for instant gratification – which your limbic system uses to pull you from things you need to do.
As above, so your brain goes
As you transform your procrastination habits with meditation or mindfulness, also remember that your spirit needs to be in alignment with your intentions. Engaging with your soul and energy bodies helps to maintain clarity and purpose, which will lead to your success.
You can support yourself by drawing on the emotional healing of Reiki using the emotional / mental symbol, providing additional clarity and strength. You can also support yourself with flower essences such as hornbeam or sundew, which work subtly to address any patterns of avoidance.
Healing your DNA or aura will help with karmic or other esoteric energies that are not in alignment with being present. For those of us who experience procrastination as a nervous energy, BodyTalk switching and active memory techniques can support shifting your consciousness, with the side benefit of supporting your meridian health too.
Whatever way you choose to address procrastination, taking the journey helps bring about peace of mind and brings about gradual improvements in your overall wellbeing. The satisfaction of seeing a shiny sink and bright clean pans is not to be underestimated.
Namaste.
Full Living Therapy 