Cognitive restructuring
'Cognition' is a word used to denote a thought or belief, and 'restructuring' involves challenging a cognition by looking at the evidence for or against it. The basic idea behind cognitive restructuring is that thoughts themselves are not facts; you need to consider whether the thoughts you are having are true and to consider whether there are any other ways to thinking about a particular situation. At first this can be a real challenge: we often believe what we think and don't question our own thoughts. However, often our thinking is biased, and with perfectionism it can be biased towards thinking too negatively and harshly about yourself.
What problems does procrastination cause me?
To overcome procrastination the next step is to consider the impact it has on you.
Often people procrastinate because they feel some benefit from it. For example, getting other 'useful' tasks done first, waiting until the 'right' moment to get started, and avoiding the discomfort of doing a task which is hard. However, these perceived benefits may be short-lived and outweighed by greater long-term costs.
Watch this short video for an example.
This next exercise is to examine the cost-benefit comparison for procrastination.