Journaling to break the cycle of procrastination

Discover where your habit of putting things off began, and learn how to change unhelpful habits with this simple exercise, writes Jackee Holder

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A few weeks ago, I caught myself enjoying the process of completing my tax returns. For years, January had been a month of dread: scattered receipts, last-minute scrambling, a chaotic rush to get everything in order. But over the years something has shifted. Last year, as I sat inputting my receipts, I noticed I was relaxed. Was I actually lost in the moment, taking in the patterns of the numbers populating the screen? They no longer felt like an overwhelming mess. Instead, they had a rhythm, almost like tap dancing on the page. And then it hit me, I was enjoying a task I had always procrastinated over.

This wasn't just about taxes. My past resistance to tasks like these wasn't about the task itself, it was about the emotional weight I had attached to it. My dad was self employed, and often scrambled at the last minute to gather his receipts. Funny then, how I found myself doing the same. And that's the thing about procrastination, it's rarely about the task, it's about what the task means to us. Procrastination is not just a bad habit, it's often an emotional and psychological response to something deeper. This month I want to explore this with you. Because getting on top of procrastination isn't just about productivity. It's about freeing yourself to live a fuller, richer, more alive life. Grab your notebook or your notes app as I have some prompts for you.

Let's start with a simple list. Where do you tend to procrastinate the most?

• Work projects?

• Creative pursuits?

• Financial tasks?

• Health and wellness goals?

• Household duties?

• Personal care?