CAN WE BLAME PROCRASTINATION & MINDLESS SCROLLING ON OUR PERSONALITY?

Why is it some people can sit at their desk for hours, uninterrupted by the external, while others need to satisfy their Facebook itch every few minutes? Are the latter, missing out on some new brain-hacking technique?

According to a recent article, the answer goes back further, to when we were born.

And yes, you guessed it. There’s a connection between procrastination and personality. But we’re not going to get too deep into the science behind this. As a manager, trainer, recruiter or team leader, what’s important to you is reducing procrastination.

How do you do this? Find out the underlying reason why it’s happening. We’ve got a useful tool that’ll help you with this, but more on that later.

The numbers around procrastination are scary. Employees spend over a quarter of their day twiddling their thumbs. Add those hours up and we’re talking of wastage in the thousands.

Go beyond the task at hand. More often than not, the task’s either too difficult and overwhelming or easy and boring. It might be as simple as they don’t want to do the work or their perfectionism inhibits movement.

“I have too much on my list” is a common phrase that masks the root of the issue. Sometimes, there’s a lack of confidence, initiative or misinterpretation.

Because, guess what? We do have enough time in the day. Yes, this is an extremely general, blanket statement but it’s true. We have time for the actions that are important to us – and the rest we lack alignment with.

What we know is this: non-procrastinators have a stronger personal identity.

Psychologists say people who don’t procrastinate, tend to fall in the personality trait, conscientiousness. They love preparation, completing tasks, showing attention to detail, and adhering to a set schedule. Does this deadline-chasing personality ring any bells? (The Owl).

This brings us back to the tool we’ve just mentioned. Before we assume that only persistent, self-disciplined people can get things done, remember that procrastination is mainly due to a lack of alignment. Do the tasks they’re assigned to, match their interests and skills? Even more importantly, their personality?

Tick’s personality profiling tools can help you answer this.

Each team member can learn more about their personality, strengths and weaknesses, how they work, and communication. If there’s a Dove that’s procrastinating, maybe they’re missing that supportive environment.

Use Tick’s four personality bird types to make changes for a more productive, self-motivating team.