Overcoming Procrastination by Increasing Discomfort Tolerance

Let's start with a fundamental truth: overcoming procrastination is an emotional regulation problem. It is not about poor time management or laziness.

As a busy person you've probably experienced the frustrating cycle of procrastination - you know what needs to be done but when you come to do the big, boring, or scary task, a host of uncomfortable feelings and emotions such as boredom, stress, or fatigue arise. It is only natural that when these feelings arise you want to dodge the discomfort and so you do anything other than the important stuff - only to scramble at the last minute.

The insight that we procrastinate to avoid uncomfortable feelings - shifts our focus from mere productivity hacks to increasing our emotional toolkit.

In the face of a big, boring or scary task, the procrastinator is likely to feel discomfort and chooses short-term emotional relief over long-term benefits. Since these big, boring, or scary tasks are unlikely to go away (because they are important), this procrastination can often lead to increased stress, poorer health, and more strained relationships later on.

I have found in my practice and the research supports this, that those with higher discomfort tolerance are generally more successful at beating procrastination.

Why?

Because people who have developed and built their discomfort tolerance are better placed to manage their discomfort, frustration, or tedium that often accompany the big, boring and scary tasks that are procrastinated on.

Strategies for overcoming procrastination by increasing your discomfort tolerance

Increasing discomfort tolerance isn't about pushing yourself to the limits. Its about finding the 'sweet spot' between challenge and capability, and then gradually expanding your comfort zone.

Strategy #1: Begin with baby steps

Start with small doses of discomfort. When you get used to this, gradually increase duration and intensity. For this I like two things

• the 10 minute rule and
• the Pomodoro technique.

With the 10 minute rule, you learn to focus on the output rather than focusing on the outcome. As you get used to working on the challenging task for just 10 minutes you could consider bumping it up to 15 minutes as your tolerance increases.

Strategy #2: Mindful Awareness

Mindfulness helps you observe uncomfortable feelings without automatically reacting to them.

First bring your awareness to your body and notice your breath, and observe your feelings. No judgement of the thoughts or feelings is useful.

Here I find it helpful to imagine I am watching a movie - you're not trying to change anything you are just observing and labelling your experience e.g. "here's a thought" or "here's a feeling".

Strategy #3: Overcoming procrastination with Cognitive Reframing

Discomfort does not need to be seen as a threat to avoid. If you can learn to to view discomfort as a sign of growth this mental shift transforms the experience from something to avoid into something valuable and meaningful.

Strategy #4: Physical Conditioning

I think that we have all experienced challenging physical workouts that build both physical and mental tolerance for discomfort. This experience also translates directly to improved resilience in other areas of life.

Strategy #5: Watch your Self-Talk

When we experience discomfort it is likely that you will say things that lead to the natural conclusion of postponing the task.

For example, "I don't have the energy to do this" naturally leads to delaying the activity.

Develop and practice specific phrases that help you push through difficult moments. Ones that I have found useful with my clients are "This discomfort is temporary" or "I'm building my resilience right now." Read more

Strategy #6: Have a strong Why

A crucial key to building discomfort tolerance  is having a strong WHY. Nietzsche said "He who has a why for which to live can bear with almost any how" This suggests that if you clearly understand what you value and a reason that matters to you, your ability to tolerate discomfort will flow from this.

In the physical fitness analogy, it might be like buying a gym membership or an expensive tennis racket. Now I’ve spent the money, I had better go. On the other hand, it may be more personal, like a promise to yourself that you will not gain weight as your parents did. In terms of purpose and discomfort tolerance, you must be clear that you are spending this effort towards an end that you care strongly about. 

The good thing is that the more you practice facing discomfort rather than avoiding it, you are rewiring your brain to create new neural pathways, making it easier to handle similar situations in the future.

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